From A Humiliating Bet To The Boss He Can’t Have Chapter 05
Grant’s hand froze.
There was also a forwarded email on the screen, sent from my lawyer to his, with a scanned copy of the lease attached.
He recognized the signature on the last page at a glance.
Mara Ellis.
Clear, complete, not a trace of hesitation.
The body of the email was only a few lines:
[Ms. Ellis has settled in Chicago and will not be returning to Boston.]
[She has signed a one-year lease, first month plus deposit, effective immediately. Attached is the apartment address.]
My apartment in Chicago was already set up.
The company had arranged furniture, a key card, and project materials for me. Outside the window was a skyline of unfamiliar high-rises, but on the desk sat a work badge with my name on it.
During the video meeting that evening, one of my new coworkers asked, “I heard you turned this headquarters position down twice before?”
“Yes.”
“What changed your mind this time?”
I looked at my own reflection on the screen and answered evenly, “I let go of a few personal entanglements and decided it was time to focus on my career.”
The meeting had just ended when a call came in from an unknown number.
I picked up, and Grant’s voice came through at once.
“You’re in Chicago?”
“I am.”
“When are you coming back?”
He didn’t ask if I was doing well. He didn’t ask if I had arrived safely.
He was still certain I was just throwing a tantrum.
I opened the one-year lease on my laptop. “When the contract expires.”
“Don’t use a contract as an excuse. Mara, we need to talk.”
“Was there a line in the spreadsheet that didn’t add up?”
His breathing hitched.
“I’m not calling to settle accounts!”
“But that’s all there is between us now.”
I opened Venmo and sent his assistant my share of the utilities for the final month at the Beacon Hill apartment, calculated by the exact number of days I had stayed there. Then I sent a screenshot of the payment to Grant.
“The last bill is settled. Don’t contact me again.”
“You’re really going to wipe the slate clean on four years together?” His voice tightened. “How long are you planning to keep this act up?”
Holding the phone, I felt the last of my disappointment drain away.
“Grant, you’re the one who told me to stop acting.”
“Now that I’ve stopped, you’re the one who can’t handle it.”