Noel

"Karen, why isn't the Bridger's file on my table till yet? I asked for it five minutes ago," I demanded as Karen stood before me.

"Sir, the file was with you yesterday," She answered.

"If I had it would I have asked you for it?" I was annoyed, angry, and irritated. I was deprived of sleep. The news of Cheryl's pregnancy had hit me hard. Every time when I think I could move on in life there would be always something dragging me back to the past.

"You had it when you were on rounds," Karen told me in a timid voice.

"So?"

"I have no idea where you left it," She spoke hesitantly.

"You don't know?" I asked. "It's you job to know these things Karen. It is your work to know which file is where. Get me that file from anywhere. I don't care if you have to search the whole building for it or even basements. You have an hour to find me that file or else you could pack up your things and leave." I gave her the warning making her quiver.

"There won't be a need of that," Dolores said from the half-opened door.

"You, Noel, forget it on my table," she said walking in and giving Karen a smile. "Your job is safe, Karen. Why don't you take rest of the day off and treat yourself with something good, charge it to the firm?" She ordered her and dismissed her as I sat silently. Placing the file on the table she sat in front of me with both her hands crossed. We sat there in two to three minutes of silence.

"What is going on Noel?" Dolores asked with a raised brow.

"You gave my secretary off without me having a say," I pointed out as I picked and opened the file.

"Well I had too or she was going to resign herself. So, I made the better choice by letting her not be the victim of your anger and have a day off. I would really like to know what your problem? I ask as a friend is as well as the head of HR," she said as I worked on the file. I decided to ignore her presence as I read through the file looking at what they promised in the latest technologies.

"Noel, talk to me," she pressurized and I breathed out a sigh.

"Is it because of Allison?" Her words took me by surprise.

"Cheryl's pregnant. Jayce rubbed it in my face and we got into a fight. The fight was of no issue to me but the knowledge of her pregnancy and Jayce's words were. Allison is not a big issue for me," I didn't look at her as I spoke.

"Her pregnancy or anything Jayce says shouldn't bother you, Noel. You might disagree with me but let me tell you one thing that woman didn't have respect for your love or you. She didn't have an ounce of trust in you and she didn't even fight for you. Even if she comes crawling back on her knees begging you to take her back. Don't ever. She had her chances but she didn't take them. She is moving on and she always will while you are stuck in here being hurt by her moving on in life." I could clearly hear the distaste in her voice for Cheryl.

"I haven't turned old in a day, Noel. I have seen and read people twice than you. I know who can be trusted and who can't be in a heartbeat. Cheryl was a part of your life but now she is someone else's wife and going to be mother of his baby. You can sulk, get angry do whatever the hell you think it is right but while you would be sitting here she would be wrapped in another man arms. Jayce has never been the best person to deal with. He knows she is a sore spot and he will keep on hitting you there. He is the psychotic one didn't you say once?" Her words held the bitter truth.

"He is," I replied.

"Let him be what he is then. I'm sure he would up in his own shit and won't be a problem for you. Haven't you heard karma is a bitch," Delores words made me smile.

"I came here to tell you I want Allison back," I looked her with a raised brow.

"When she was here you were at least less grumpy and Karen could have a breather. Moreover, the rumors of your affair with her were beneficial in a way," She said coming straight to the point.

"I don't think it can happen. We had," before I could say more she held up her hand to stop me.

"I don't want to know what happened. I'm least interested in it. That girl was an asset to the firm before you took her from me under my wing. She is a tough person and can handle things. You won't like this but she can even handle you," the last sentence mumbled in a hurry.

"Want to repeat that last sentence," I said with my eyes on the words on the file.

"She can handle you, Noel. I'm old and I need a handler for you and your shit. She would be able to keep you out of trouble and handle the problems coming your way," she spoke confidently.

"Anything else you would like to add in her praise?"

"Well she kept things entertaining here to keeping this place out of its uptight mood," she said smilingly. She waited for me to answer as I noted points for a deal with the Bridger's on a paper

"I will think about it," I replied.

"Noel," she paused making me look at her. "I want her back. If you don't I promise I will resign leaving you in your own shit," she warned.

"You are forcing my hand, Dolores," I told her.

"Yes, I'm because I want her back in the firm working with you. I don't really care what you have to get her back into the firm. Coax her, beg her or plead. I don't care. You have a week's time," She didn't give me time to reply. As soon as those words were out of her mouth she was out of the door leaving me behind with another problem to solve.

She was right about many things. I had to stop being affected by what Cheryl did. She was my past and while she was moving on I was stuck. I had to move on too. That aside Dolores had dropped in a new problem at me. Handling Allison was really hard. I had tried once but it all had gone down. I rubbed my temples trying to find a way to sort out the problem. Thinking for a few minutes I realized that I really had no way out of it. I couldn't lose Dolores and if I didn't want that I had to get Allison back.

Which was almost next to impossible.

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I stood outside Allison's door in the end by eight in the evening. I had called Christa just to have a rain check that Allison was at home. It would have been a fool of me to stand at her door and ringing the bell when she wasn't there. I knew that somehow, I had to make her understand what I had really done and why so she could understand and let it go.

I had left two women left in my life and both of them sadly favored Allison.

One was Christa and the other was Dolores, both wanted Allison back. I have no idea how come she became more important than me in their life. I rang the bell and waited. The door opened and she peeked out. Seeing me a frown covered her face.

"You again," I could her distaste at seeing me.

"Yes," I replied. She opened the door wider and stood in the doorway. She was dressed in shorts and tank tope with her hair in a top knot.

"Wasn't yesterday enough for you?" she asked sarcastically.

"Can we talk?" I asked.

"What if I said no?" She questioned.

"Then I would ask again," hearing the reply she looked at me for a minute and heaved out a sigh. Stepping away from the door she signaled for me to come in. I stood there for a minute thinking was it a good idea to go in.

"I'm really not in a mood to talk to you at my door. If you want to talk come in if you don't you know your way back," she said. Breathing out a sigh I walked inside her condo. Not knowing where to sit down I waited for her to come in. She moved past me to sit on the chair

"Sit," she said pointing at the couch.

"Thanks," She rolled her eyes at my thanks.

"Why are you here?"

"I need you back at the firm," I said out loud and clear. She laughed at this.

"Didn't I told you yesterday that I really wasn't coming back," she pointed out.

"I know," I took a deep breath as I looked at her. "But things are in a mess and Dolores wants you back, Karen needs you and the firm can use your help," I told her to which she looked at me with a raised brow.

"I'm really sorry about what happened between us Allison. If you want I can give you that in writing with promising that I would never again do such a thing. I will even get it notarized but I really need you at the firm," I told her. She looked at me for a few minutes before breathing out a sigh in defeat.

"I might think about it only if you explain to me your story clearly and please make me understand," she told me. "Because all this chaos is being caused due to something I have no idea about."

"Forgive me but it feels like I had landed into some soap opera and being assigned the role of villain according to you," I just stared at her words. Did it make it awkward that I wanted to laugh at her words which somehow depicted a bit of truth?

"If you promise to come back I will tell you," I bargained.

"Don't ask for more than you can bargain for. I told you I would think about it and I might come back if I could understand your reasoning behind doing the shit you did to me," she spoke her mind.

I heaved out a sigh and sat straighter. Did it make my heart hurt remembering the worst part of my life? It did and maybe I should stop hurting now.

"I was married three years back. I loved my wife, Cheryl, a lot, did until a few weeks back. There wasn't anyone else for me. We had loved it young and it was good. What you woman usually say, it was a fairy tale love," I smiled remembering the good times with her.

"She had a male best friend, Richard. I never had a problem with it. They were close so I understood. They were childhood friends. Everything in my life was heart and roses until it was Richard's birthday, her best friend. We had a disagreement. She wanted to stay for long and I wanted to go. The agreement quickly escalated and she decided to stay at the party with him. I waited and watched her for a while with the hopes that her anger would go down and she would come home. I had too many drinks and it was late. I had realized that Cheryl wasn't going to come with me so I left with my driver, Karl. I directed him to drop me at home and come back to pick Cheryl up. I remember going up to my room, stripping down to my boxers, and laying down. As soon as my head hit the pillow I was out like a light. I have no idea what happened afterward until I heard Cheryl screaming," I took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling.

"I jolted awake and found her standing at the door with tears running down her face and betrayal written all over it. My head was pounding but all I cared about was Cheryl. I stood up from the bed and walked towards her. She screamed at me not to come near her. I put my hands in front of her trying to tell her to calm down and then I saw it. My hands were coloured in red. I was shocked to see it. She screamed at me that I was a monster pointing towards the bed. I turned around and found someone bloodied on the bed. It was her sister,Christa. She had scratches, whip marks, dried blood, bruises all over her body. I had no idea she was there. I had no idea what was happening. Cheryl was screaming at me that I was a monster, calling me names. She ran away and I ran after her crying trying to make her understand but she left me while I was on my knees begging her to hear me." I heaved out a sigh and rubbed my hands over my face.

"I tried to wake Christa up but she didn't wake,"

"You mean Christine?" Allison asked with shock on her face. I nodded to her and closed my eyes.

"I called a doctor and he checked her telling me the horrible thing that she was drugged and physically abused. As the morning sun came up my parents and her parents were at my house. Christa was taken away and my parents were out there telling me what a big, mistake I had made. They said I had raped her, abused her but I knew I didn't. I always saw Christa as my sister and I would have never done anything like that. Days went on I tried to call Cheryl to reach out to her but no answer from her. Then I got a call from Christa telling me that she knew that I hadn't done anything and on the suggestion of Richard they were pressurizing her to press charges of rape on me. She didn't do it."

"She revolted against them and didn't hear them so they kicked her out. Cheryl never heard me out. All I got was divorce papers. I was threatened I would be sent to jail if I didn't sign. My dad was scared of his reputation so they forced me to sign. I never talked much to them after that. Gossip spread out that Christa was kicked out of the house because she had an affair with me and it was the reason behind Cheryl and my divorce." I breathed out as I spoke it all.

"She married Richard six months later and I was forgotten. I concentrated on my company. Richard opened a company rival to mine with his brother and Adam. I'm sure that it was Richard behind all of this but I can't prove it anyhow. It was him, Jayce and Adam." I had more faith in my findings than anyone else's.

"And seeing me with Adam you thought I was the rat when the information about your new research was leaked from your company," she said and I nodded to her. She sat there reeling in everything I had told her.

"So, you did it so I would go on and do the same they pressurized Christa to do," she stated and I nodded again. We sat there in silence for more than ten minutes.

"All women aren't the same, Noel. Maybe you should judge someone so quickly," her words made me realize what kind of character I had shown to her of myself.

"Anyone would if they had been burnt like me," I just sat there looking at my entwined hands. For the first time realizing how alone I was in life.

"I want my separate office and you not bossing me around," she said out of the blue catching me off guard.

"You coming back?" I asked

"I'm if you fulfill these two conditions or else I won't come back," she ordered making me smile.

"Dolores will tell you your new duties when you come. Will I see you tomorrow?" I asked.

"Definitely seeing Dolores tomorrow," She said with determination. I stood up and walked towards the door.

"Noel," she called out making me turn around.

"I understand," she said with a small smile and I knew what she meant. I walked out of there with a problem solved and a lighter heart.

Trying to right a wrong done by me.

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