#22 Falling apart

My heart kept pounding loudly in my ears, a sharp pain pierced through my chest, and my breathing became irregular. But besides all these, my eyes were cast on the two figures in front of me.
My Boss was sitting on the sofa, his head slightly dropped back, his eyes closed. The brunette woman was kneeled in front of him, her head bobbing up and down at a quick pace. Her moans and Sebastian's groans reached my ears, and the tears that burnt my eyes fell freely.
Sebastian grabbed the woman by her hair and fastened her rhythm, backing his hips to match her moves. She gagged but didn't stop nor protested; she kept sucking his cock as her life depended on that blowjob.
Suddenly, Sebastian opened his eyes, his grey orbs piercing directly in my blue ones. He didn't say anything and kept fucking that woman's mouth, a smirk appearing on his luscious lips.
I stumbled backward and closed the door before storming back to my office. I could feel bile rising in my throat, and I barely managed to reach the en suite bathroom in time. I threw up violently in the toilet, my stomach emptying all its contents. This time, it wasn't only my morning sickness; I was disgusted with my Boss. Clearly, this was his payback because I kissed Owen in front of him. He wanted to hurt me, to make me jealous, yet he didn't want to be with me.
After splashing some fresh water on my face, I sat on the closed toilet, trying to catch up my breath.
"Evelyn? Are you in here?" I heard Nickolas yelling.
"In the bathroom," I replied, my voice hoarse.
Nickolas popped his head through the open door and instantly ran towards me, the moment he took in my terrible state.
"What happened? You look like a ghost! Are you sick again?" the man asked, checking my temperature and then my pulse.
"I'm okay…" I whispered, brushing off his hands.
Nickolas sighed and helped me walk to the sofa and then brought me a glass of water.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked after a few moments of silence.
"One of the drugs I take has nausea as a side effect…" I shrugged.
"Don't give me that shit, Evelyn!" Nickolas growled.
I avoided my gaze to look at the blue sky outside the large window. Nick knew me all too well to understand when I was lying… The younger Leclair sat beside me on the sofa and took my hands in his.
"Talk to me, darling…" Nick cooed me.
I took a deep breath, finding the courage to look back at him. "Please, promise me you won't start yelling and that you won't tell anyone about this, at least for now…"
"Now you're scaring me, but I promise," the man replied, eyeing me suspiciously.
"I'm pregnant, Nick," I announced, my eyes not leaving his.
The man looked at me for a few moments, without saying anything nor moving. If he wasn't blinking, I'd have thought he had faint.
"You're what?" he finally asked, looking at my tummy with wide eyes.
"I know it's sudden and unexpected, but it's true."
"When were you going to tell me about this?" Nick exclaimed and stood up, passing around the office.
"First of all, don't yell. I just learned about it a few days ago. Why all the fuss?"
"Who's the father?" he asked, turning to look at me.
"Obviously, you aren't…" I retorted.
"Oh, don't make fun of me right now. Who's the father, Evelyn?" Nickolas retorted, his voice loud again.
"Shh! You promised not to yell!" I reminded him.
"And you're not answering my questions!"
"Alright, if that's what you want. A man I met in Greece is my baby's father. Are you satisfied now?" I replied, glaring at him.
Nickolas sighed and sat back on the sofa. He stroked my hair softly, placing a stray strand behind my ear. "What are you going to do, darling?" he asked calmly this time.
"What happened back there, it was a mistake, and he must not find out about the pregnancy. It will be difficult, especially since the baby might have the same heart condition as I did. But I'll manage just right by myself," I told him, a determined look plastered on my face.
"You're not going to be alone, Evelyn. You have your parents, Sophie, and me. We're going to be there for you, darling," Nickolas muttered, placing a peck on my temple.
"Thank you, Nick. I don't know what I'd have done without you all…" I whispered, giving him a hug.
"Everything will be alright, darling," Nick said as he dried the stray tears that escaped my eyes with his thumb.
I smiled weakly at him and repeated that phrase in my head like a mantra.
"You can leave the office earlier, Evelyn. I'll ask one of the drivers to take you back home," Nickolas said, breaking the silence around us.
"We have a meeting to attend, and your brother will throw a fit if I leave again early…"
"For all I care, he can go screw himself…"
"Oh, don't worry, he already did that today…" I sighed, getting up from the sofa.
Nickolas gave me a questioning look but said nothing in return.
We walked together towards the meeting room, and Sebastian joined us shortly after. My Boss didn't even spare me a glance, and I just couldn't get out of my mind the image of him and that woman.
Switching my attention towards the presentation helped to empty my mind from all these unwanted memories. They were discussing the promotion of the new gadgets that were going to be launched next month.
I couldn't hold back my snicker as I saw the campaign the marketing team had come up with. The ad started with a man sitting in a bar and working on his phone. Then a woman, dressed in a short, tight, red dress, approached the man and flirted with him, so she could take a selfie with his phone. The motto of the ad was combining work with joy and pleasure...
"Is everything alright, Miss Russell," Sebastian asked, not caring to glance my way.
"Sure is, sir," I replied, my voice laced with irony I couldn't hold back.
"How about you enlighten us about what is so funny with this campaign?" Sebastian countered back, glaring at me this time.
I bit my lower lip and clenched the pen in my hand. "Judging by the way half men in here look at the ad, I'd say they're pretty satisfied. If you ask me, I'd never buy that phone," I replied with a shrug.
"And why's that?" Nickolas asked, frowning at my answer.
"I'm not an expert, but I don't think that this is the image your potential buyers should have about your company," I replied in a firm voice.
"Please, elaborate, Miss Russell. We don't have all day," Sebastian sighed with an eye roll.
"This ad is sexist and offensive towards the women's population. Your ad suggests that any man who uses your phone can attract beautiful, sexy, but may I add superficial women. What will the independent, strong-willed, and powerful women of our era think seeing this ad? What will the simple housewife and the naïve teenage girl see in this ad?" I asked.
My voice became louder with every word I uttered. I looked around me and noticed that all the people in the room had their eyes cast on me. Some were looking astonished by my remark, some doubtful. The other two women in the room simply nodded in agreement.
"What will they think, Miss Russell," the man that did the presentation challenged me.
"They'll see that only men can be successful in this world. They'll think that looks and beauty are the only things that matter when it comes to love, or relationships, or sex," I stated, glaring at him.
"And what do you suggest then, Miss Russell? Have a naked man do the campaign just because you're a feminist?" another man asked, chuckling.
"Do you think you'd be sitting in that chair if you didn't have balls?" I countered back, making the man turn red from embarrassment, while some others started laughing.
Nickolas clapped his hands, making everyone present look at him. "Actually, Evelyn is right. Look around you, this room is filled with ten people, but only three women are present. We're supposed to live in a free country that values equality between men and women. Yet, the majority of our executive members are men, and I blame myself for that. But rest assured that I'll personally change this," the younger Leclair brother announced.
A small smile spread on my lips, hearing Nickolas' words.
"Who thought of this campaign?" Sebastian asked, his tone harsh and demanding.
"I… It was teamwork, Mr. Leclair," the man who presented the idea answered.
"I want a list with every single person that worked on this project by the end of the day. And don't bother coming here tomorrow morning; you're all fired," Sebastian declared.
Silence fell on the room, and I was afraid that everyone could hear the erratic beating of my heart. I never imagined that my remark would lead to so many people losing their jobs.
"This is absurd, sir. We worked for months and analyzed people's opinions to bring this result here today…" the man complained.
"Obviously, you've done an excellent job," Nickolas retorted ironically.
"You can't fire us just because a mere secretary doesn't like the campaign," the man shot back, pointing at me.
All the blood left my face, my ears started buzzing, and my chest tightened.
"Say one more word, and I'll make sure you'll stay unemployed for the rest of your life," Sebastian hissed, banging his hand on the glass table.
It was the man's turn to become white from fear and shock. Sebastian kept glaring at him, and if looks could kill, the poor man would have been six feet under already.
I should have felt relieved that Sebastian had at least the decency to support me because all my previous courage was long gone. I just felt numb, tired, and dizzy. I should have listened to Nickolas' advice and headed back home.
"Ms. Kim, you're taking over the Marketing Department. I want a brief presentation of the new campaign on Thursday morning. Any other objections?" Nickolas said.
No one dared to utter a single word. Sebastian was still glaring at the man like a wild predator, causing him to literally cringe on his chair, barely breathing.
"That'd be all for today, then," Nickolas announced, and I sighed in relief.
Sebastian finally stood up and turned to look at me. "In my office, now…" he said.
I nodded since I had no other choice and immediately stood up. I tried to follow Sebastian's pace, but it was impossible since everything was spinning around me. My vision became blurry, and the voices sounded distant. I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out. My breath hitched at the back of my throat, and all I wanted was to give in to that darkness that threatened to consume me.
The last thing I remembered is landing on something hard and a man calling my name desperately…

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A.N. Thank you for reading! As always, let me know your thoughts in the comments!