Chapter 32
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“I’m not Elena,” I muttered bitterly. How could anyone actually believe that I would do that just to get ahead at work?
“Excuse me?” Peter said, narrowing his eyes at me.
1 said….I did not do anything of the sort.”
I
“No? I have documented proof of these sexual advances.” He tapped his computer screen. “And if you don’t cooperate and help me as requested, I’ll be sure they get into the hands of the higher ups around here,” Peter said, clasping his hands on his desk.
I rolled my eyes. I could see right through him. “Proof? How could you possibly have anything, I would never do something like that and everyone here knows it! Now, if you’ll excuse me I have more important things to do with my time.”
“You would never, huh?” He ignored me. “Then how do you explain these emails?” He turned his computer screen around to face me. On the screen was an email that looked like it was from me to Logan. I read over it, my face burning at its somewhat racy contents:
My dearest Logan,
Meet me tonight in the hall by the men’s locker rooms, I’d love to shower you with everything I’ve been researching for you. Maybe afterwards we can go down and work on those spreadsheets that me about? I’ll bring your favorite wine, you bring that six–pack you know I love. No need to wear anything you asked
special, or anything at all for that matter. ;)
I’ll be waiting.
-H
“Okay, first of all, those puns are terrible. I would never.” I started.
“I also have eye witnesses that have seen you and Logan working,” Peter made air quotes with his fingers when he said the last word, “here after office hours.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “We do work when I’m here late.”
“Is it also true that you’ve started staying in the employee rest area?” Peter said, ignoring my protests.
My face flushed from anger. “Yes, but…”
“My dear, I’m not trying to embarrass you.”
“I’m not embarrassed, I’m pissed off.” I snapped.
He didn’t seem to hear me. “There is a simple solution. If you get me the information I’m looking for I can make sure all of the evidence is destroyed.”
“No one is going to believe that these emails are actually from me,” I said, my annoyance and frustration growing.
“No?” He looked at his screen. “Is your email not [email protected]? Because that is what it says here.” He pointed at the ‘from‘ line.
13
“It is, but anyone could fake something like that.”
“Oh! And I almost forgot to mention the video evidence we have,” Peter said.
Video?
He clicked on an icon on his computer and a video popped up. It was black and white and grainy, but it was pretty clear who was in it, it was surveillance from the night Logan came out of the mens locker room to ask me to put ointment on him. I watched myself in those raggedy pajamas talk to Logan then follow him into the locker room.
God. If I had known I was going to be framed for something ridiculous I would’ve worn better clothes that
night, I thought.
“That’s…that’s not what it looks like,” I said quietly. I knew that protest was in vain. I knew nothing happened that night, but to someone who wasn’t there..it looked like pretty damning evidence that something had.
“Well then, maybe you can explain to the board of directors why you followed Logan into that locker room that night, hmm?”
My heart sank at the thought. I closed my eyes. If I had to stand in front of the board and defend myself, I knew anything I said would just sound like a lame, made–up excuse. I would be fired, a black mark would be on my record, and I don’t know if I would ever be able to find work after that. Peter, it seemed, had backed me into a corner, and I could see no other way out.
I hung my head. “What do you want me to find for you?”
The next morning, Natalie rolled over in Hazel’s bed and laid her head on Chance’s chest. Chance yawned and blinked his eyes open. He noticed Natalie was still wearing the ring she had taken from Hazel. He grabbed her left hand, looking at that giant ring on her ring finger.
“Why are you still wearing this fake ring? What about the ring I gave you? Where is it?” He whined.
Natalie scoffed “When you get me a ring at least this big, maybe I’ll consider it.”
Chance’s eyebrows narrowed. He pushed Natalie off of him and turned away from her. She rolled her eyes at him.
“Oh my god, are you pouting?” She said, sitting up. She looked at the ring herself. The clarity of it…she wondered again if it really was a fake after all? She had seen quite a bit of costume jewelry throughout the years as an actress, this just seemed different to her. She decided at that moment she would use her day off to get it checked out.
“Come on,” she nudged Chance. “You’re taking me to a jewelry store. I’m going to show you what kind of ring a man should actually buy someone he says he loves.”
Chance pulled up to H.G. Jewelers an hour later. He walked around to the passenger’s side of his SUV and opened the door for Natalle. Without a word, she stepped out of the vehicle and walked briskly into the jewelry shop.
“Welcome to H.G. Jewelers!” A chipper middle–aged clerk greeted them as they entered. “What brings you In today?”
“I need this appraised,” Natalie said, pulling the ring off her finger and handing it to the clerk.
His eyes grew wide at the sight of the giant ring. “Yes ma’am!”
The clerk went to the back of the store. Natalie wandered around the store, looking at each display. Chance followed close behind like a lost puppy. She stopped when she found the display with the biggest diamonds. She looked back at Chance and pointed at them.
“These are the only acceptable engagement ring sizes, by the way,” she said. Chance nodded meekly.
“Miss?” The clerk called from the back.
“You stay here and pick out a bigger, better ring for me,” Natalie said to Chance. “Nothing less than this $ 50,000 one here.”
Chance’s eyes grew wide and his face paled. “Fifty… thousand??” He grabbed the edge of the case to steady himself. “For one ring?”
Natalie ignored him and walked back to the clerk. “Well?”
This ring…” the clerk shook his head. “I mean….wow. It is absolutely stunning.”
“Is it real?” Natalie said impatiently.
“Oh yes,” he said. “This is a 10 carat diamond ring. I would guess the value to be between $400 and $
500,000.
Natalie was speechless. She let out a small, “Heh” and shook her head. How did Hazel end up with such a thing?
And who was the man that kept showing up to see her at the studio, the one who said the ring was a
token of their love?