VANESSA

Vanessa, what did you do?

My heart rate and breathing are finally slowing down, but my hands are still shaking.

I quit my job.

Stepping out of the cab after paying my fare, I realize I left my car in the parking garage of the corporate office building in my rush to leave—to get away from Gabriel.

I quit my job.

The conversation with Jaqueline replays in my mind, where she informed me of my relocating to another property, while he would be taking over the lease up at 501 Landing.

I quit my job.

Jaqueline initially laughed when I responded to her asking if I had any questions with: "I quit." But when I stood and started to make my way out of her office she realized I wasn't kidding.

"Vanessa, I know emotions can run high when changes need to be made," she stated, attempting to gain control of the situation, but I was done. Not only was I reeling from actualization of Gabriel's deception and betrayal but also the disloyalty of the company I had worked my ass off for the last seven years.

"I'll just need to pick up a few things from the office, you can your mole monitor me to ensure I don't take company property." I told her as I stepped out into the hallway. Jaqueline scurried behind me, muttering for me to stop.

And then I snapped.

"Stop?" I repeated. Facing her, I started chuckling. "You have the audacity to ask me to stop?" Jaqueline's response was only to blink at me. "After seven years, you not only accept rumors about me without question, but you pull me from a project when we hit a dry spell just like that?"

We garnered some attention from some of the other workers in their respective offices, including Savannah and Trent. Jaqueline smiled, looking around us and smoothed her hands down her pant suit blazer. She leaned in to me, "Vanessa, let's talk more privately in my office shall we?"

"I don't think you heard me before. There's no need for us to talk privately. I quit."

Savannah approached us then. "Vanessa, there's no need to make a scene, dear. I'm sure this is all just a misunderstanding." She gave Jaqueline a look, but I was too far gone at that point.

"I understand perfectly," I replied. "You know, I looked up to you both when I first started at Emerald. After my awful start with Thompson & Thompson, I thought I found a company where I could learn and grow from two powerful women I aspired to be like." I took a deep breath in order to stay in control.

"Well," I inhaled in and then exhaled with a shrug. "You live and learn."

"At least consider giving us two weeks, Vanessa," Jaqueline requested.

I shook my head. "No, I don't think I will. I don't owe you anything, just as you all have shown me the same courtesy."

Savannah's attempts to hear her out and return to her office fell on deaf ears. Mostly, because I couldn't hear anything past my thundering heart, until I ran into Gabriel in the lobby of the building.

Blinking out of the memory, I straighten my shoulders and walk in through the front doors of the property I no longer manage after five months. Gary and Jake are on ladders replacing flood lights that are out in the lobby. They both turn toward Jenny, who rushes out of the leasing office, panic all over her face.

"Jaqueline and Savannah have been trying to reach you. What is going on?"

My hardened gaze travels over my—the staff. "They didn't share the exciting news?"

No one responds as they all stare back at me with curiosity and even concern etched on their faces.

"I quit." I announce before walking into the office. Gasps follow behind me and then the questions begin as I unlock my office door. I pluck an empty copier paper box from the floor and take it with me and start putting my personal things inside.

Giving a brief account of my meeting with Jaqueline I look up as I continue. "But that's not all." I look at each one of them. "Jaqueline said my personal life has been bleeding into my work, and I've become unfocused."

"Bullshit," Gary says, shaking his head with disgust.

"Why would she think that?" Jenny questions, crossing her arms.

Shrugging my shoulders. "She's been told Gabriel visits too often, that I've been gone too long for lunches and other unprofessional things."

"What?!" Lily shrieks. "You're usually here before us and here long after we leave."

Noticing how quiet Jake is being and how his eyes skirt mine, it's clear he's the traitor. I observe him a few seconds longer before I continue with loading my things. Maybe he's right, if I wasn't so caught up with Gabriel and obviously everything else going on at the property, I would have noticed what a snake Jake is.

"Do you remember what I told you on your first day of training with us, Lily?" I glance at Lily before taking off my certificates on the wall.

Lily cuts her accusing eyes from Jake to look at me. "You told me to be careful who I trust. That Gabriel was right, this business is cutthroat, but not just because of the residents and applicants we work with but there are some who will not think twice about taking you down in order to move up."

"For hell's sake, man, I know you wanted to eventually work in the office, Jake, but you went about it the wrong way." Gary stands over him and then he looks at me. "And now I have a problem; I ain't working with no benedict arnold, Boss."

"Same." Jenny states.

"Ditto." Lily follows.

Sighing, I toss in a couple of pictures of Sergio into the box. "Sorry, guys, but you're gonna have to take it up with Jaqueline or Savannah." I inhale and exhale before I address Jake. "Jake, I hope selling me out was worth it."

"I didn't think it would play out like this."

I cross my arms. "What did you expect would happen?"

Jake is silent and then he shrugs. "I'll call Jaqueline right now and set her straight. I'm very sorry." He stands and walks out of the office, but it's too damn late.

"So, who are they putting here now?" Lily asks.

My eyes meet Jenny's and she begins to shake her head. "Oh no. Nope. Hell no. Not after this and you know I never wanted to be a manager." Her eyes plead with me and then she pulls me in a hug and sniffles. "What are you going to do?"

Shrugging, I blink back tears now. "I'll figure it out." I pull away and then pick up my box. "Can I borrow your car? I left mine at Corporate. Oh, that reminds me, Gabriel will be here to finish out the lease up."

"What?!" Lily shrieks once again. From my window I see people are about to walk into the lobby, so I won't get a chance to go into detail and the phones begin ringing as well and Jenny heads to answer them.

"I'll stay in touch." I give Gary and Lily each a hug. Jenny hands me her keys, she squeezes my hand since she's on the phone. Lily walks toward the doors to greet the potential residents walking in. A moment of pride comes over me, that despite the crazy, chaotic drama they both remain professional.

"I know I already said it, but this is bullshit." Gary mutters to me. I glance around my office, and nod, absentmindedly. Blinking back more tears, I smile at him.

"Thanks, Gary. I might be able to handle my way around an office—well, at least I thought I did," I say with a sad chuckle. "But there's no way I would have been able to handle all the craziness of this lease-up without you handling and taking care of the building the way you have; it's been great working with you."

"The pleasure's been mine, kid. I'll drive you home, that way Jenny won't be left without a car, too. Or do you want to pick up your car at corporate, the building will be closed and you'll be left without a car all weekend?"

"I don't have anywhere to be this weekend," I say, somberness seeping into my voice at the sudden realization of how my days and weekends have been consumed with everything Gabriel. I shake the gloominess away and smile. "And living in the city, everything you need is within walking distance. Plus, I don't want to risk a chance of running into anyone from corporate."

______________

Gary grabs the box out of the car after we pull up to the curb of my building. He one arm hugs me since my hands are full.

"You'll bounce back from this, Vanessa. Keep your head up."

"I will."

But after I make the quiet trek to my apartment, I set the box on my island counter and crumble to the floor, ugly crying. All the emotions I held in—to not lose it infront of everyone—unleash out of me, wave after wave until there's nothing left, but small hiccups and shuddering breaths.

An hour later and a near empty bottle of wine, I poke at the bubbles surrounding me in my bath with my finger, music floats into the bathroom from my bedroom. After gulping down the wine in my glass, I lean back, resting my head against the edge of the tub and then slide down into the water, submerging myself completely, letting the world around me disappear for a moment.

I break through the surface not long after and stare up at the ceiling, wondering what I'm going to do for work.

My phone vibrates on the bathroom sink counter and my head rolls to the side, staring in the direction of the silent ringing.

It takes me longer than normal to move and stand to retrieve my phone, clumsily answering it and hitting the speaker phone while I look around for a towel.

"Yeah?"

"Vanessa? Can you hear me?" Jenny asks.

"I hear you. What I can't do is find a damn towel!"

"Have...have you been drinking?" she whispers and I lift my head from under the cupboard, still searching for a towel.

"Maybe," I reply and then lean in towards the phone. "Why are we whispering?"

"Because Savannah and Jaqueline are both here at the property?" Jenny whispers again.

"So?" I ask, no longer whispering. Turning I come face to face with a rack stacked with towels. "Aha! I found them! I found a towel, Jenny."

"That's great, Vanessa. Listen, they wanted to do a phone conference with you and since you're not answering your phone—"

I start laughing. "Jenny, I don't work for them anymore, remember?"

"Vanessa? It's Jaqueline." Tucking the towel in a knot after wrapping it around me, I stop to stare at my phone.

"What happened to Jenny?"

"I'm still here, Nessa."

"I'm here too," Savannah voices comes through the phone now. "We'd like to talk to you in person. Are you able to come to the property?"

My eyes shift up to the mirror. Mascara streaks line down my face and my lipstick is smeared. Wet tendrils of hair are plastered to the sides of my face and neck. And then there's the glossy look in my eyes that illustrates the fuzziness going on in my head right now.

"No." I respond, clearing my throat. Someone sighs on the other end of the phone.

"Vanessa, I owe you an apology." Jaqueline begins. "Gabriel was right, when he told Savannah I should have approached you first, after Jake made accusations about you, which I now know were all fabricated. You probably don't care, but Jake is no longer with the company." All I can focus on is Gabriel's name and what came after.

"I'm so sorry, Vanessa." Jaquelines continues, but her voice is distorted through the loud thumping of my heart and the fogginess my mind is fighting to clear out.

"What did you say about Gabriel?" My voice sounds garbled too.

"Gabriel must have already told you, but he turned down the job offer." Savannah comments and then proceeds to share that he reamed into her and Trent for their poor business practices and he wanted nothing to do with the company, considering how they treat long-time, loyal employees like me. He told them that over the years of working with several managers, I impressed him with not only my strong work ethic, but also my devotion to my position and to Emerald.

His face flashes in my mind right before Jaqueline pulled me into her office, and then when I stepped out of the elevator and again after I...slapped him. My shaky hand covers my mouth and I back away from my phone.

My stomach turns uncomfortably and I stumble forward towards the toilet and vomit. I know my sudden sickness is not from the bottle of wine I divulged in but because of my unfair and callous treatment of Gabriel.

***