Chapter 56

“Mr. Kotler, actually, I’ve been meaning to tell you that I’m handing in my resignation. I won’t be here past the end of the month,” Teresa said, her voice steady.

“Resigning? You’re never here full-time, and I’ve looked the other way, but now you’re just quitting on me?” Wayne’s voice rose in disbelief.

“It’s my choice where I work,” Teresa said with a shrug. “You dock my pay for my hours, end of story!”

“You…” Wayne sputtered. “Fine, see HR by month’s end. But let me tell you, no other company will take a chance on someone like you, always slacking off and showing up late.”

Teresa pressed her lips together and walked out, not bothering to respond.

A while later, a guy meandered in, and Wayne shot him a look of annoyance. “One of the chicks in our department is driving me up the wall. She’s not just lazy; she’s got no get-up-and-go, and now she’s bailing on us.”

The man’s eyebrow arched in surprise. “Shouldn’t that be a relief? What’s got your panties in a twist!”

Wayne sighed with a tinge of regret in his voice. “She’s a looker, and her voice is like a melody. Whenever she’s on the phone, she’s the only one in our department who can really hold her own.”

As soon as “looker” left Wayne’s lips, the man’s curiosity was piqued. “How hot are we talking?” he asked, leaning in for a glimpse.

Wayne whipped out his phone. “Let me show you,” he said, scrolling through his photos.

“You got it,” the man agreed, craning his neck for a peek.

In the meantime, Teresa was tidying up her desk, counting down the days until she could leave this place for good.

As the shift was almost over, Wayne summoned her again. Teresa didn’t overthink it; her day was already in the books. She took the elevator up.

When she arrived, Wayne’s office was deserted. She scanned the room, and from the break room stepped a familiar face.

“Teresa, did you miss me?” Jason said, his face splitting into a cocky smile.

Teresa’s eyes squinted in disgust as she faced Jason, her ex, the biggest creep ever.

Suddenly, Jason grabbed Teresa’s wrists and pushed her against the table.

“So you’re at NewEdge Media. My uncle’s your boss! Should’ve known, and could’ve dropped by sooner,” Jason said, his voice oozing with arrogance.

Teresa, with her stunning looks and figure, had Jason second-guessing his decision to let her go.

With a crack, Teresa slapped Jason across the face and kicked him away with all her might. “I’m through with NewEdge Media. Your uncle or whoever doesn’t mean anything to me.”

“You’re quitting?” Jason asked in surprise.

As she turned to leave, Jason grabbed her wrist. “Where are you headed after this? I saw your resume. You’re divorced. I knew you and Jonathan were history. So why was he helping you out last time?”

The thought made Jason seethe. In the past two years, Jonathan had taken the reins at Nareigh, and Jason couldn’t figure out how he’d pulled it off.

“You were supposed to be mine,” Jason said, lowering his head to go in for a neck kiss.

“Get away from me?” Teresa snatched an ashtray from the desk and smashed it over Jason’s head. He crumpled to the ground, out cold, with blood seeping from his head.

Teresa bolted, her heart pounding. She hurried out of the office, but before she could even make it home, her phone rang—it was the cops accusing her of assault.

Chapter 36

She didn’t want them at her place, worried about scaring Michael. She told them she’d come down to the police station and explain that Jason had made a move on her, and she was just standing her ground.

The cops nonchalantly said that without any footage, her story was just that—a story.

Teresa was stumped, thinking about why a high-profile office like that would lack cameras. Then it dawned on her—Jason had mentioned Wayne was his uncle.

Meanwhile, some colleagues from work showed up to give their statements.

A co-worker who had it out for Teresa spoke up. “Teresa dresses to kill. No one’s perfect. If she hadn’t been asking for it, Jason wouldn’t have made a move.”

Sherry, who hadn’t been there that day and had no idea what went down, was now on the scene, rushing to Teresa’s defense. “Sir, Teresa and I are close. She’s not the type to cause trouble.”

“Right, because you and Teresa are roommates. Of course, you’ve got her back,” the co-worker sneered.

“It’s not about living together! Teresa’s a good egg,” Sherry retorted, her anger flaring as she squared off against them.

The police told them to pipe down; they were there to help, not as witnesses.

Now, on Jason’s end, he’d just come to with a concussion, and he was demanding Teresa pay for his pain.

Teresa insisted that she was just defending herself and that they could take it to court if they wanted because she had nothing to hide.

“You can take it to court, but you’re not getting away, and you still have to stick around for this investigation!” the co-worker said.

Sherry couldn’t be the one to vouch for her, and she was through with the petty bickering. She slipped into the ladies’ room and dialed Miriam.

Miriam was on edge when she heard the news, saying she’d come back to get Teresa out. But she was stuck on a business trip.

“Miriam, what should we do? This is on me. I should’ve let Teresa quit sooner,” Sherry said, her voice laden with guilt.

“I’m to blame, too. I should be there for her. She must be scared out of her mind,” Miriam said, her voice filled with regret. Miriam and Sherry were both kicking themselves.

Then Miriam had an idea and told Sherry to hold tight. She’d make a call.

“Who is it?” Sherry asked hopefully.

“Mike’s dad,” Miriam replied.

“My Mike’s dad? Who is that? I’ve never met him, and Teresa never talks about him,” Sherry said, her curiosity piqued.

Miriam said, “Let me reach out to him, and I’ll get back to you.”

Sherry quickly agreed. She hung up, her mind spinning with questions about Mike’s dad.