Page 79 of The Compass Series

CONNOR

“ P lease stop crying,” I begged of Rose as she sat across from me in my office. I’d been dreading having the conversation we had to have, yet I knew once Monday came, she’d be sitting in my office as this uncomfortable situation unfolded.

“Okay,” she replied, yet she kept at it.

God, her tears.

It was an uncomfortable sight, and I wished she’d stop crying in front of me.

I knew I shouldn’t feel bad for her, but whenever a woman cried, all I wanted to do was comfort her.

Even though Rose was in the wrong, she was still human, and her sobs—even if they were only crafted out of regret and being caught in my home—were still her emotions.

I handed her a tissue.

With a loud blow, she cleared out her nostrils, then sniffled some more.

“I just, I know you’re about to fire me, and, and, well…” More tears. She kept falling apart in front of me, and I pitied her. She was pretty pathetic, after all, the way she sat there with heavy eyes, whimpering lips, and unrecognizable words.

I sat up straight in my office chair as she sat across from me, her shoulders rounded forward with a handkerchief in her right hand.

I felt bad, but then I thought of Aaliyah and what Rose had done to her, and that guilt evaporated quickly.

“Yes. I’m letting you go.”

“You can’t be serious.” She sounded stunned. “I am one of the best workers here! This is bullshit!”

What in the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was that? I blinked, and she became a completely different person. Her whole demeanor shifted. She went from the shy, nervous girl to this moody, uppity persona.

Dammit.

Damian was right.

“It has nothing to do with your work?—”

“You can’t do this!” she scolded. “I am too good for this place, so I quit. I don’t want your stupid job anyway. I’m hot. I can get a job anywhere. That’s what Jason said, at least.”

That’s because he was trying to get in your pants.

“That’s besides the point. What took place over the weekend was inexcusable, especially you entering my home.”

“To be fair, I didn’t know it was your home!” she offered, as if that made it any better.

“Did you know Jason was getting married? Or was that a detail you overlooked while at his celebration the night before?”

Her gaze fell to the floor as embarrassment overtook her. “He said he didn’t really love her.”

“I don’t care what he said to you, Rose. You are grown enough to know better than that.”

“Whatever. I’m over this.” She stood and started off toward the door.

“Rose?”

“Yes?” she asked, turning to look my way.

“What did Jason say to you that made you think it was a good idea to do what you did with him?”

“He said he thought I was gifted, and he believed I’d be successful someday. He told me he believed in me, and I’ve never had someone like him say that to someone like me.”

“He might not have been wrong, but he may have said it to get exactly what it was you gave him. Men are snakes, Rose. Don’t let them taint your future by falling into their lies.”

“Women can be snakes, too, Mr. Roe. I’m grown enough to know what I’m doing.”

As she walked out, Damian was yet again walking in. For the first time since Rose began working there, he spoke to her.

“Bye, Rose,” he stated flatly.

“Fuck you, Damian,” she barked in reply. Once she left, he closed the door behind her.

“I love it when the trash takes itself out,” he commented dryly, taking a seat across from my desk. “So!” He clasped his hands and leaned forward. “Is this the point when I get to say I told you so?”

“Touché.”

“One day, you’ll start listening to me.” He opened the portfolio in his hold and slid some paperwork across to me.

“I knew you were pissed after losing that last property, so I spent the weekend exploring some spots and found this abandoned property. It’s in Queens.

I figured you might be interested in flipping it.

Not many people are looking at it right now.

I searched and called around a bit to get more intel on it. Might work for your dream or whatever.”

He talked so calmly about going out of his way to find me a property to look at as if it wasn’t a big deal, but I knew it was. Damian didn’t straight-up say when he cared about people, but his spending the weekend to help me out demonstrated that he cared about me.

I smirked. “You love me, don’t you.”

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t make it weird.”

“Okay, I won’t, but…” I kept smiling ear to ear. “You do, don’t you?”

He stood from his chair. “I’m done talking to you.”

“I love you, too, Damian,” I called out. Even though his back was to me, I could feel him rolling his eyes.

“Oh, by the way—that woman who got stood up called the office. Said she wanted to meet with you briefly tomorrow. I told her you probably didn’t have time to?—”

“Red?” I asked.

“What?”

I shook my head. “I mean, Aaliyah? She called?”

“Yeah. Said she needed to have a conversation with you if possible, but your schedule is packed and?—”

“Cancel my morning meeting at nine. Call her back and let her know she’s more than welcome to stop by.”

He cocked a brow. “You never cancel meetings.”

“Well, I will tomorrow.”

I didn’t know why, but the idea of seeing Aaliyah again seemed much more important to me than some morning call. Ever since she’d come back into my world, I hadn’t stopped thinking about her. I couldn’t help but wonder if she was doing okay.