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I scrambled to my feet as quickly as I could, which was difficult, as my bump was already twice the size it was. I had done my best trying to cleverly conceal it, but was still surprised no one had noticed. Maybe they were just being polite.
Hurriedly, I followed Daniel out into the hallway, but he was already at Brian’s door. I felt everyone’s eyes on us, even though they were trying their best to be conspicuous. I tried to walk calmly with a forced smile across my tightly pressed lips, but my heart pounded against my chest. Daniel was already in Brian’s office.
I opened the door and quickly closed it behind me.
“Please. I can double the donation,” said Daniel.
His back was turned to me and Brian sat at his desk with his fingertips pressed together. He didn’t bother looking at me when I entered the room.
“You mean the donation you’ve already doubled this morning?” asked Brian, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes. Whatever it takes.”
“Don’t you think that will raise some questions?”
“Not if it’s kept private.”
“Mr. Jacobs, nothing with you is private,” replied Brian, his tone harsh.
I leaned against the wall, feeling like a child who wasn’t invited to the adult table. I didn’t know what to say. I just let it all unravel in front of me.
“Yes, I agree that questionable choices I’ve made in the past have found their way to the pages of the press. But never with my business practices. Those are held with the highest morale. Please don’t let my reputation skew the standards I have for my company or skew your opinion of Heart.”
Brian looked at him questioningly.
“I mean, Addison,” said Daniel quickly.
I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment as I realized how this situation had gone from bad to worse.
“Mr. Daniels, while I admire the business you’ve built for yourself with the morals you are trying too hard to convince me of, I can’t allow Ms. Heartly to continue working here. If, and when, this gets out to the press, the nonprofit would have to close its doors. I can’t have that happen.”
I swallowed hard. He was right. If word got out that Leading to Learn was getting donation money through questionable practices, it would be forced to close. There would be lawsuits. It would be incredibly messy. I couldn’t let that happen. Even though I was losing my job, what we had built still meant so much to me.
“I understand,” I said, finally saying something.
I pushed myself from the wall and took a step next to Daniel.
“Brian, I want to apologize for putting you in this compromising situation based on my poor choices. I hope you know that what transpired between me and Daniel, while it was wrong, it was real. It had nothing to do with furthering my position here at Leading to Learn.”
Brian studied me for a moment before speaking. “I’m sorry to see you go, Ms. Heartly. But it has to be done.”
I gave him a solemn nod before turning toward the door.
As I left, I heard Daniel say behind me, “You’re making a big mistake letting her go.”
I ignored it and walked toward the elevators. I didn’t have any of my things with me. I just had to get out of there. If only for a little bit.
As the elevator doors started to close, Daniel put his hand through and pushed his way inside. I didn’t say anything. Didn’t look at him. We rode in a silence that seemed loud because all the words that had been exchanged were bouncing off each other in my mind.
When we were on the first floor, I quickly walked past him and out onto the sidewalk. There, I finally felt like I could finally breathe. I sucked in the fresh air and closed my eyes, feeling the sunlight on my face.
“I’m sorry,” said Daniel, stepping beside me.
I shook my head and kept my eyes closed.
“Can I take you back home?” he asked.
“I don’t have any of my things.”