[Bonus chapter] A little chat

Matthew knocked on the door and after I nodded at him to allow him to walk in he sat at the chair in front of my desk.

He took a long deep breath and then rested his head on his hands. He shut his eyes closed and for some instants, I wondered if he was acting as a protagonist of a drama or if he was being serious.

"Miss Waldorf," he started. Many people there called me by my last name, but I don't know if it sounded better than my name.

"I know you may be influenced by your past, I heard you..." he paused for some instant to decipher if his words caused any change in my expression but I didn't let my facial expression reveal any emotion.

So he continued, his voice growing more hesitant and worried, "you experienced something similar but please don't force me to do something like that. I care about my wife and I don't want to cause her any pain."

Wasn't it inconsistent? saying he didn't want to hurt her but at the same time already do so.

I didn't keep my thoughts for myself, "one more reason to tell her the truth." I faked a plastic smile, "I will tell you this once, do tell her, and take one or few days off."

I didn't know why I took to heart something like that but I wanted to be warned earlier about mine and Carl's situation so I thought maybe his wife thought the same.

"I don't think this has nothing to do with work," his voice became more irritated and his tone of a voice raised.

"It does." I rectified, darting my gaze back on the pc. I had still some work to do, why was he bothering me? If he didn't want to face the consequences of his actions then he shall have thought about cheating twice.

"I dont think it does, miss Waldorf. This is personal not working linked." He spat, on his forehead formed lots of short creases and the vein on his neck bloated.

I gave my attention back to him, I tilted my head to the side, now I was pitying him. Yet a mixture of disappointment, anger, and frustration knotted on my stomach.

"I insist. You see, your effort and success in personal relationships says a lot about your personal traits.

If you're an unloyal person in love relationships, you're most likely to be unloyal in work too. Same reasoning about your lack of courage to tell her the truth and your determination on fixing the problem with your wife rather than replace it with something else." I cleared my voice and leaned slightly forward.

"The situation changed completely your profile, according to the facts now you seem like a person who doesn't put much effort and devotion to the things he cares about, who isn't constant and can't commit long term and who cannot even communicate without getting angry as you did now."

He remained speechless at my statement, he wasn't expecting that.

I stood up and walked toward the door to open it. "So I am sorry to inform you but I don't want people with such a bad profile in my company. Do not bother coming back tomorrow."

His jaw dropped and I was sure he wished in that instant that he knew more languages just to know more words to insult me or to express his anger.

Maybe I was taking revenge on him for Carl's behavior but I had my good reasons and I truly didn't want such an unloyal person both around me and in my work habits.

The praxis for firing a person shall have been longer and I should have informed my boss too and then some papers and much other praxis but I didn't care. I only wanted him out of my sight, was I exaggerated?

He stood up, "you will pay for this!" He threatened me pointing his finger against me and frowning his forehead.

He looked so mad that I feared his vein on his neck would explode and his fists would bleed from being clenched so much.

He walked away whispering he would call his lawyers and that I didn't have any reason to fire him. I even hear him murmur that my ex-boyfriend had his reasons if he cheated on me.

He passed by the corridor where all the other workers' offices were and when they deduced what happened they didn't dare to lift their gazes from their computers, maybe they feared I would do the same to them.

Even Lucia who glanced at me through her officed didn't say anything, I was sure she was just hurt by Matthew's behavior. Maybe she cared about him, maybe she even loved him and she understood he wasn't going to face his wife.

I hoped she understood me and my reasons, she needed someone whose attentions wouldn't be intermittent.

The rest of the day at work we remained in a flat silence, the office had never been quieter and the only noises we heard were the noises of the keyboards or the calls every since in a while.

I finished to work almost at dinner time so the time I went back home it was already 8 pm.

While I waited for the water to boil I checked my phone and saw my sister reply to my text.

"I am glad you're fine. I wish you would let your walls down for me. Have a good evening."

That message hurt, I typed back quickly to ask her what she meant but then canceled before sending it.

I wished she would also let her walls down but maybe she wasn't doing so because I inadvertently did the same thing so we ended up in a never-ending vicious circle.

Maybe I could break that circle by a simple text.

I typed, 'maybe you're right. My walls may not be down but my door will be open for you if you want to have dinner together tomorrow.'