CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Astra's head banged and she struggled to open her eyes. The pain and discomfort of a hangover had almost become a norm to her, she was almost used to it. Astra tried to stand up as she had the familiar feeling of warmth around her. It was Nicholas, she was sure of it. The embarrassing moments from the previous day began to come to her slowly. Astra cringed internally. She could not believe she actually invited the bastard to her house and she even told him that she loved him.
With a strong push, she moved Nicholas' hand from her body and even managed to move him off the bed. He sounded on the ground with a resounding twat.
A very unNicholas sounding ooff came from the body that was on the floor. Astra stilled, she had no idea what was happening. She was pretty sure it was Nicholas she called. And it was Nicholas that would definitely stay, but it was not Nicholas' voice she was hearing.
'Ouch. What the hell Astra?" A voice that sounded too much like Jared's said. Astra just covered her face with her hands and groaned. What the hell had she gotten herself into?
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Astra repeated as she hit her head. She could barely register when Jared stood up and put his arm around her.
At the foreign touch, Astra immediately shifted from his arms, and to the other side of the bed. Astra still buried her face in her hands as she heard him move further away.
'Just leave me alone," she said. She could die out of embarrassment. Questions like how, why, what the fuck, flew threw her mind. Astra wondered why she called him in the first place, she wondered what she told him. Astra closed her eyes even more as she remembered the kiss. She probably told Jared that she loved him. Or even worse, she told Jared that she loved Nicholas. For fuck's sake!
'Astra calm down. It's me," Jared said. I have already figured that out, genius, she replied in her head. It would have been easier to deal with Nicholas. A few insults here and there, swearing that she did not love him, and he would be gone. Besides, if it was Nicholas, he would be drunk too. That would have been easier to deal with.
'I know last night must have been embarrassing for you but we have to talk about it," he said. It was clear that Jared was not reading the signs that said he should leave. Astra did not want to talk about anything. She was still trying to process the fact that Jared had slept in her bed and she had cuddled with him till morning. She was still trying to process that she had kissed Jared.
'I don't know what Nicholas did this time, but he is a bastard for putting you in this mess again, making you feel down. I don't want you to think about him too much. He doesn't deserve you, Astra. Even though you love him," Jared said and Astra bent even more. She wanted to die. She had told Jared she loved Nicholas. Why was her mouth so reckless? What did her mouth not have sense? The only thing she agreed with was the first part of his sentence. Nicholas was a bastard for putting her into this mess. She needed to call him and cuss him out. Right after she got Jared to leave.
'I just want to be alone," Astra said to Jared finally. She heard him sigh, long and hard and hoped that it was a sign that he would soon leave.
'I understand that Astra, but I am scared for you, I am scared about what you would do if I leave," Jared said and Astra felt like rolling her eyes. He probably didn't know when she would invite him over again and did not want to leave.
'I would go to work," Astra replied since silence was not working.
'Oh," Jared said. It was obvious he forgot that it was a work day.
'I would have to get going then," he replied and Astra nodded her head still covered in her arms. Astra sit still as she heard him quickly pick up his things and only opened her face when she was sure he had left.
'God!" She said to herself as she went into the bathroom. Her mind went over the things that Thompson had told her in the coffee shop and also the things she had noticed about Thompson. She believed that there was truth in what Thompson said but she did not totally believe him. She did not believe that Nicholas was a fraud. If Thompson had evidence to show that, he would have brought it forward himself, especially as Nicholas was suing him.
Astra's mind went back to the man that called her, claiming he had evidence on the Thompson case. She wondered if that was a trap or a prank call. She wondered if the person had evidence but had been stopped before she was able to meet her.
Astra went over the second part of Thompson's story as she took her shower. Thompson hinted before that Nicholas was cheating on her while married, and now he was saying Nicholas was also married to this woman and they had a child together. It did not sound right to her, but she planned to confront Nicholas about it. She only had to get to work first.
Astra knew that she was going to be late to work as she put on her grey dress and black pumps.
The drive to her office was slow because she wanted enough time to think. She was thinking about starting to apply to other places for work. She needed peace of mind. Astra did not come back to town to get double of the drama she left town because of.
'Good morning, Astra," one of her coworkers greeted her. She sounded to cheery. Astra knew something had to be going on. There were no flowers at her table that morning so that was out of the question, but gossip was flowing.
Astra ignored the side talks and focused on her work, typing away on her desk. Astra wrote down that she would drop Nicholas' case, it was not healthy to keep on working with him.
'Hey, Astra, I like how you are always keeping us on our toes with office romance. I am wondering if you are still with your ex-husband or you have moved on with our very own Jared," Regina, a fellow lawyer said to Astra. She literally just walked into her office space to insult her. It was the most daring gossip that Astra had heard and to be frank she did not know how to react.
'I think you should learn how to mind your business, and your love life too," Astra said to her coldly. The painful part was the fact that she did not know anything about the said Regina and so she had nothing to use against her. The fact that someone she did not even know was bad mouthing her made Astra angry. She did not stand up from her chair though, she just ignored the girl and continued typing on her laptop.
'When you bring your love life to the office, you can't complain if people talk about it," Regina said and Astra lost it.
'If you put as much attention as you have in my life in your job, you would not have to sleep your way to the top," Astra said. She heard a few rumors about her but debunked them as they were rumors. She did not know that the girl was so rude.
Gasps echoed round the office at her words.
'Hmm, pot calling kettle black. Everyone knows you are sleeping with Trevor Abbey, Jared and even your ex husband," Regina said and walked out of the office. It was obvious she wanted to have the last say at the end of it. Astra was angry, she was pissed. Not only because someone sashayed into her office, insulted her and left on her two legs, no bruises incurred, but the fact that it was a blatant lie. Astra could not even remember when last she had sex. The last almost sexual encounter she had was with Nicholas. Even if she slept with all of them, it was her own fucking business.
Astra was livid, she was mad. She could hear gossip all around her but she ignored them and focused on her work. Typing away on her laptop. She as not going to let the bitch get away with that, she was going to report her to HR and she would get suspended at least, she just needed to calm down first.
Astra was still typing when she received a call from her boss. Astra wondered why they felt she was sleeping with Trevor Abby. He was way older than her and she was not even getting a raise or the best cases in the firm.
Nicholas' case was the only high class case that she got. Her first case was the one she won at the beginning, but it did not change her situation much. Besides, she won the case by herself.
'Hello, Sir," she said.
'Please come up to my office," her boss replied.
'Yes, Sir," she replied. Astra wondered why he was calling her to his office. Her first guess was that Regina had beat her to HR, but it had not been so long. Maybe it was Regina sleeping with Trevor Abby after all she thought as she went up to his office. Her second guess was that it was because of Jared. Maybe her boss had figured out that there was a relationship of sorts between them. Their HR had a strong policy against employees dating. But as far as the departments did not interrelate it was okay.
'Good morning, Sir," Astra said she entered the office. Astra was relieved that she saw neither Regina nor Jared as she entered the office. Her boss was inside alone.
'Good morning, Astra. So Mr. Michealson called me today. He wants you in his office immediately," her boss said and Astra frowned. She was pretty sure her boss did not call her there just because of that.
'I was at his house yesterday Sir," she said. She could not be going to see Nicholas every blessed day. She did have something she wanted to speak to him about today though.
'Yes, but he still has more to talk about," her boss said and she nodded.
'Is that all Sir?" She asked and her boss said, 'Yes, Is there anything you wanted?" He asked. But Astra shook her head. HR would be better to state her case.
'Okay, you can go," he said and Astra went out of his office. She only stopped by her desk to pick up her things before leaving the office. She made a mental note to speak to Jared and HR the next day.
She drove directly to Nicholas' office ready to release all her anger on him. In his next life, he would never mess with someone names Astra again.
Astra was taken up to Nicholas' office, no stress involved as some of them recognized her, and Nicholas was already awaiting her.
'Finally, you are here," Nicholas said. He was standing behind his desk. Astra did not reply his words, she just walked into the room and close enough to him before she threw a punch at him.
'You fucking bastard!" She shouted.