Chapter 10

AURORA. How dare he? My chest heaved with unabashed anger as I walked to my desk opposite Doris’. How dare he embarrass me like that? But even as I exhaled in anger, I reminded myself that he was the boss; surely I wasn't the first employee in the history of the company to see him upset. Still, why would he talk to me that way in front of his friend? Ugh, if I didn’t need this job so badly, I would walk right back in there and tell him to his face that he was a giant pain in the ass. First, I’d rescued him from probably getting robbed at a bar at midnight, taken him home though he’d smelled like the toilet floor of a rundown club and even dragged his sorry ass through an elevator, which I was certain was not in my job description and he still had the mind to talk to me like that. Men were such ungrateful brats sometimes. I plopped down in my chair, sighing. The day hadn’t even started and I was already dealing with drama. A second later, Winter came marching through Nathaniel’s office and to my desk. His expression softened as he neared me. “Are you okay? Your boss might be my best friend but he can also be an—” He mouthed the word "asshole." I chuckled at that. Winter had the ability to make one feel like they were special. I liked that about him. “Yes, I noticed. I’m okay, thanks for asking.” He nodded, “Just wanted to make sure. I have an engagement in a few minutes so I have to leave but hopefully, I’ll get to see you again.” I smiled. “Hopefully.” He gave me one last grin before turning on his feet and heading for the elevator. At least he was kind, which was more than I could say for his friend. Once Winter was gone, Doris cleared her throat dramatically. “It’s true then?” I glanced up at her confused. “What is?” She had her head lowered over the desk and there was a knowing look on her face. Doris was probably somewhere in her late thirties and while I could tolerate her most of the time, today was not one of those times. If this was some sort of joke, I wasn’t interested. “That you’re sleeping with both the boss and his friend, even though you’re married.” Ice washed over me and I froze. “Excuse me?” Who on earth had said such a thing? Doris shrugged, her rectangular glasses shifting down her nose at the action. With two fingers, she pushed it back up. “It’s what I heard. Apparently, someone from marketing saw you at a bar last night with the both of them.” My heart sank further. It was possibly the worst thing I could’ve heard and at the worst time and given my experience, I knew how much damage rumors could cause, especially the untrue ones. Once upon a time, it had nearly ruined my life. It was why I’d decided to answer Aurora instead of Ysabel here in New York. I’d wanted that put that life behind me and start over. “Who started it?” I asked it, already panicking. If it got out of the office… It would be déjà vu all over again. I couldn’t go through that a second time. I just couldn’t. It would kill me this time. “Doris, tell me who started it.” Doris’ eyebrows furrowed in a frown. “I don’t know actually. I heard it when I went to the lounge for coffee. It’s on everybody’s lips. Hard to know.” I was full-on panicking now. I felt like I was back in high school, where a different rumor seemed to float around every day. What could I do? I knew from experience that explaining myself would not do much in the way of helping but I had to try. Now, who would I explain to? I sighed, feeling a painful pinch behind my nose. Then it hit me. Getting up, I marched into Nathaniel’s office, not bothering to knock. His dark head was buried in a pile of documents. Glancing up at the interruption, he met my eyes. “What is it, Aurora?” “They’re saying I’m sleeping with you and Winter.” I bristled as I said the words to him. Who in their right mind would even think to say something so stupid? I hadn’t even been with anyone in my life so why on earth would I sleep with two men who were friends in fact? His expression hardened. “Who? Where?” “I don’t know.” My eyes were brimming with unshed tears and I had to fight to keep it under control. “Apparently, someone saw us at the bar last night and now the rumor has spread through the entire building.” When he watched me intently, I began to feel self-conscious. What was he thinking about? Why wasn’t he saying anything? “It’s just a rumor, Aurora,” he murmured. “People who don't have anything interesting going on in their own lives like to talk about others. It’ll die down.” “I’m married, Nathaniel.” I raised my tone just a little then released a breath to calm myself. “What if it gets back to my husband? And it’s not true so you have to do something.” The tears flowed freely now. How could I tell him about what had happened to me years ago? Would he understand? I’d had to live with the shame for almost half my life and it was the reason I’d left Mexico. Now that I was in a different country, how could I let it happen again? Then Nathaniel was in front of me. I hadn’t heard him get up from his chair. His hand hovered in the air for a few seconds before awkwardly placing it on my shoulder. “It’s okay. I’ll get to the bottom of it by the end of the day. I promise.” It was enough for me. I sniffed, accepting the tissue he gave me to wipe my eyes and then my nose. Till the end of the day, he’d said. I would just have to trust him. **** NATHANIEL. He hated to see her cry. When she’d walked into his office, his anger from earlier had not dissipated. But the second he’d noticed her earnest concern about the rumors and the tears that had gathered in her eyes, all feelings of anger had flown out the window. It physically hurt just to see her cry. He wondered what it was that bothered her so. He’d been serious when he’d told her they were all rumors because it was true. He’d grown up in a world where people thrived because of rumors. Celebrities and rich people alike loved the attention. He hadn’t become a billionaire by standing on the sidelines and watching the rest of the world. Even though his life was pretty low-key, he had been the recipient of a few fake stories that had gone viral. It was a part of the world. Why was it so important to her? He figured there was an underlying story here and everything in him wanted to know what it was. Nathaniel reminded himself that it wasn’t his business whatever had happened but just like when it came to Aurora, he couldn’t seem to think properly. And what if her husband got wind of the rumors? His own wife’s infidelity was like a blow to his face and he’d confirmed it with his own eyes. What would happen if all it took to tear Aurora and her husband apart was a rumor? Regardless, he had promised her to get to the root of it and, even with all the out-of-character behavior since his wedding, his word was still his bond. Whoever had started those ugly rumors could consider themselves fired.