Resignation

"I still remember the moment that I realised you weren't my future anymore" - Storydj

• Viviana •

My morning... how do I describe my morning?
Tumbling out of bed and hastily getting dressed.
Only to come out to nothing to eat because Camilla used all the milk.

Rummaging through Kat's paperwork for my own.
And rushing to work with a handful of files and two coffees
Roommates were ideal until you needed to find anything
Today was Tuesday. Which meant that Mr Alderidge would have Mr Rhodes in the office.

Mr Alderidge was my boss. Lucian Alderdige to be exact
A high end businessman practically running the legal world.
He knew everyone and everything
He had eyes everywhere.

And the money to back it all up.
As well as the attitude. He was... less considerate when it came to other people.
Including me. But that's the price to pay becoming a secretary.

A personal slave to the business world.
Twenty four hours a day I'm on call. For any need or request. Meaning... I get very little sleep.
Mr Alderidge was a man driven by business. I don't think he ever switched off

And Mr Rhodes. He was Lucian's associate
Casper Rhodes. Another high end businessman. But a little more on the playboy side.
He was a bachelor in demand. So was Lucian
But Casper tended to lean more into it.

And here I was. Stumbling after both of them and rushing towards an elevator before I was late.
I was never late. Not in six years have I ever been late. Or screwed up.

I studied Lucian Alderidge every day of my job.
I knew everything he ate, drank, liked, disliked, his comforts, his needs, his wants.
Who he hated in the office... which was just about everyone. And why
His family, his calendar.

But that's what made me the perfect assistant, that's what paid my rent and got me the experience I need in this kind of business
And it's what... made this so hard today.

Because today... I was handing in my resignation
After my grandfathers illness started deteriorating, I had agreed to move back home to be with him and dad
To help him as dad was always hopeless.
And my brother... wasn't worth mentioning

So as much as it pained me. I had to leave. I plan to come back, I won't be away forever
But I can't exactly expect my job to be waiting for me either, I had no clue how long I would be away for.
And Italy... is a long way away

• Viviana's Outfit •

"Viviana Romero? Late?" Isla chuckled, holding the elevator door open
"I'm not late" I said, checking the time
"I still have... six minutes" I said

She shook her head, back straight and folders in her arms and she watched the numbers go up
She was a tall woman, with pinned back blonde hair, the pencil skirt nearly every woman in this building wore and an elegance about her no one could ever seem to echo
"Have you told him yet?" She asked
I shook my head in return
"Not yet, today" I replied.

"Well good luck" she smiled
"Thanks, good luck with Robinson today" I chuckled
She rolled her eyes
"Yeah, I'll have a great day presenting my case while he stares at my chest all day" she commented, the ding ringing at the end of her words.

"If his vision can stretch that far" I laughed, she chuckled, strolling out of the elevator, before the doors closed and I continued up.
Appearing on the top floor, I walked through the desks, people debating, phones ringing, people rushing to their posts.

I made my way to Lucian's office, pushing the door open with my back, to be met with the man himself, sat in his chair and listening as Casper rambled out numbers
I placed his files on the desk, in a neat pile on the edge, then their coffees in front of them, before I made my way to the door.

I could always feel his eyes following my every movements. It used to be nerve wracking when I first started here

"Miss Romero" Casper spoke up
"Yes sir?" I asked expectedly
"This is decaf right?" He asked
"Yes" I said with a smile, he reciprocated it
"You're an angel" he said.

I took my leave. Sitting at my desk outside his office and shrugging my coat off
I sighed. 8am and my first task of the day?
In one of the top firms in the country?
To look for flowers...

• Lucian •

"And what about next month?" I asked, opening the files in front of me
Casper just smirked, taking a sip of his coffee
"What?" I asked
"Coffee tastes good" he commented
I refrained from wasting a sigh on him

"Most likely yes. I go to the one downtown" I said
"You mean Viviana goes to the one downtown" he corrected
"Yes" I said simply
"Hm" he hummed, taking another sip
I actually sighed this time.

"What is your point?" I asked
"No point. No agenda. I'm just saying. Coffees good. Coffees real good" he said, his gaze fixed on her outside the glass office
I ignored him, opting to actually do something productive and look back over the files.

Sparing a fleeting glance at the woman outside. Typing away on her computer.

• Viviana •

I took a deep breath. It's now or never
I checked the flowers order before logging off of my computer for the day. The already long dragged out day
And picked up my resignation. It was neat. Formal. To the point.

Just how Lucian does business
Before I knocked on his office door
He still had Casper in there, he'd been in there all day
"Come in" he said
I opened the door, trying to keep my nerves calm.

"May I speak with you before I leave Mr Alderidge?" I asked politely
"Sure" he said absentmindedly, still writing at his desk
I took a seat opposite him, beside Casper.

"It's about my position here" I said, sitting up straight
He sighed
"We've spoken before, you're not eligible for a raise yet" he said
"It's not that, I'd..." I faltered, the words just wouldn't come out.

"You'd?" He questioned, lowering his pen and sitting back
"I'd like to hand in my resignation" I said, holding the folder out to him
He looked at it. And then to me. I seemed to have gained Casper's attention too
"What?" He said after a while, finally breaking the silence.

"My resignation" I repeated, placing it down on his desk
"It states in my contract that you need 2 weeks notice so..."
"You're leaving?" Casper asked, I nodded, confused as to why he seemed so... sad about it.

"It also states the cause for your resignation. What might it be?" Lucian asked bluntly, sitting up straighter and all but glaring at me
I cleared my throat, slightly... anxious to share about my home life

"Personal reasons. My grandfather, he's sick" I said simply
"Sorry to hear that" Casper said
"Thank you. But I don't need pity, I just wanted to inform you, two weeks notice, but I'm not leaving for another three so if you do need me-"

"You'll have to advertise your replacement tomorrow morning" he interrupted me
I looked at him. With... something unknown to me
Disdain. Disappointment.
I'd expected at least some sort of empathy. Some sort of sadness that I was leaving. I had worked under this man for six years.

I was the first and only secretary to date he had kept for longer than a month
They all irritated him
Hence my hesitance at finding him a new secretary. I knew he would find some sort of issue with them.

"Yes sir" I said simply, swiftly shutting my mouth
"Good" he said, returning to his work
I didn't know what to do. I didn't expect a fight, I didn't expect him to beg me to stay.

But to just... casually dismiss my entire career?
"Was that all Miss Romero?" He said, refraining from looking me in the eye
"Yes" I said, standing up
And... leaving.

• Lucian •

I glanced up, watching her walk towards the elevator, passing by empty desks as everyone had already gone home
"Leaving" Casper chuckled
"Who'd have thought eh?" He said
"She won't leave" I said simply, going back to my work.

"And how would you know that?" He laughed, standing up and strolling over to the liqueur cabinet
"Because she won't. She loves her job" I said
"Running around after you? I highly doubt she loves it" he commented.

She did. She'd been here long enough.
She was the only secretary I had that was capable of not fucking up every second of the day.

"Call Eros" I said
"Okay... business or pleasure" he said
"Business" I said
He groaned
"I thought we were going out tonight" he said
"You were going out tonight, I never said yes. And I need him here tomorrow not tonight" I explained.

He sighed
"Fine... old man" he grumbled
"I'm twenty nine" I said
"Yeah. But you're boring nowadays" he said
"Well boring is what sets my income above yours. Public scandals is what sets you at the bottom of anyone's client list" I said.

"Yeah yeah whatever" he rolled his eyes, calling Eros.
She wasn't leaving. I didn't have time for a new secretary. Or an incompetent one at that.

• Viviana •

"I'm home" I called out
"In here" Camilla called
I set my bags down, hanging my coat up
Something smelt... burnt
"Has Archer been cooking again?" I asked, making my way through to the living room.

"Hey, my cooking is divine" he said, sat on the armchair with his two cats curled up on his legs
He always looked so... odd sat in that chair. It was so small
And Archer was a built like a brick house
"For the cats maybe" Kat laughed, lying on the sofa, with her head on Camilla's lap.

"Shut it" he grumbled
"Okay well, I'll be in the kitchen" I said
"Always working" Camilla shook her head
"Speaking of..." Kat said, getting up from the sofa
"You too?" Camilla whined
"I have to get my accounts done" she said, leaning down and planting a quick kiss on Camilla's growing pout.

I went back into the kitchen, followed by Kat
"Surprised you get any work done" I laughed
Camilla spent her day teaching, so by night, she was a wild one. Off chasing new dreams and trying new experiences.

All whilst trying to pull a reluctant Kat with her
Kat was always working. Which coming from me is a tall comment to make
But I knew when to switch off. Most of the time, unless Lucian deemed me needed
Kat was in lawyer mode. All the time.

"Surprised you think of anything but work" she commented back
"Coming from you" I threw back, opening my laptop at the island
"Yes coming from me. At least I have a love life. Archer has his... cats. His daughter, What do you have?" She asked.

They were always badgering at me to go out with them. To go clubbing or to a new restaurant
But I was just more... book focused
I enjoyed work
And I was twenty seven now. I had to start slowing down.

The mere thought of a club made me feel nauseous
"I have... my family. I have you guys..."
"You have no man in your life" she said, looking at me pointedly
"I don't need a man" I said simply
"Maybe not permanently. But when was the last time we saw a guy sneak out of here?" She asked.

"Uh... never" I said. And proudly
I didn't do one night stands, not that I had anything against them. But like I said. I'm twenty seven, I want someone... for me. Not for the night.

"Fine fine. Don't come crying when you end up alone" she warned in a sing song voice
"I won't" I said confidently, beginning to type
I didn't need their help with dating. And with my current situation... I needed to focus on my dad, on grandad. Not men.

This story is completed, as always I'm releasing three chapters to begin with then releasing a chapter every day until it's finished.

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