He Accused Me Of Stealing But I Heard The Truth Chapter 17
By the time Derek got outside, I was already on a CTA bus.
He stood on the steps and watched the doors hiss shut. In the end, he didn’t give chase.
[Rachel kept her waiting in the lobby for forty minutes, and I never knew.]
[Erin came here to solve a problem, not to bow to me.]
[Why didn’t she just call? Because in her eyes, I’m just as unreliable as I was six years ago.]
Back in his office, Derek summoned Rachel.
She came in carrying a stack of papers, clearly prepared.
“Erin came to ask about the foundation. The front desk logged her in according to policy. No one gave her a hard time. You were in a client meeting.”
“Nicole says Erin has to go through you to see me.”
Rachel nodded.
“The foundation is under audit. Erin keeps showing up without an appointment, so the front desk has to confirm her purpose. If I handle it first, it also prevents her from running into the media in the lobby.”
Every sentence was perfectly reasonable.
Derek laughed once, a short, humorless sound.
“So now you’re deciding who’s allowed to see me?”
Rachel’s eyes reddened.
“I just know how she consumes your time. The moment she appears, you cancel everything.”
Derek raised a hand, cutting her off.
“If she comes again, send her straight to my office.”
“Derek—”
“Do I need to repeat myself?”
Rachel said nothing.
After a long silence, she answered, “No.”
Derek stood and reached for his coat.
Rachel glanced at the schedule.
“You have a board meeting at three.”
“Cancel it.”
“They’re already here.”
“Send them home.”