"Monday was a clusterfuck, Julianne." He pulls a hand down his face and suddenly looks very tired. "I was pulled into Vincent's office as soon as I got to work. He told me that they'd received an anonymous phone call telling them that I'd been having an affair with you. He said that they didn't have any proof, so at first I denied it."
"Audrey." I state and he nods.
"It was Audrey. She saw us at the market on Sunday."
"How does she know about the no frat policy?" I ask, confused.
Nate sighs and shakes his head. "I don't know. I have a feeling she's probably made it her business to look into most everything about me. She's a nosy woman."
"So it wasn't Carly?" I'm so confused.
"No, but she was just a ticking time bomb too. After you asked about her in the meeting, Vincent had us do some checking into her computer and office. She had extensive notes on you, Jules. She's the one who sent me that incomplete report in New York. Jenny admitted that she asked her to hit send on your computer after you called that day, and Carly set you up. She was trying to figure out a way to get you fired."
"Why?" I ask.
"Who knows?" he shrugs and shakes his head. "To move up in the company faster, maybe she just didn't like you, the possibilities are endless. When confronted, she denied it, but we had enough evidence to fire her."
"So Carly's gone too?"
"Yes." He exhales deeply.
"What happened that morning?" I ask.
"Vincent told me that he was going to fire you whether I copped to it or not. He said he didn't need proof, which is true. This is a no-fault state. They can fire anyone for any reason. So I called over to HR to have a representative present and I told them that yes, you and I are in a relationship." He swallows and shakes his head.
"Then Vincent told me that he'd let you stay if I broke it off and transferred you to the New York office."
I gasp and feel my eyes go wide.
"I told him to go to hell. I told him that I would stay on with the company if he offered you a severance package and cashed out your sick as well as your vacation time."
"Nate, it wasn't about the money…"
"I'm not finished, Julianne."
Oh, that's right, this is Nate.
"Alright."
"Then I left his office and went to mine and starting making calls. At noon, I was asked to go to the conference room so Vincent could discuss some things with Luis and me about how we'll handle the accounts with you gone."
He looks me in the eye. "It was killing me. The thought of having to fire you, and planning how to divvy up your work was killing me."
"You looked just fine in the meeting, Nate."
"Yeah, well, looks are deceiving. When they pulled you in the room, I wanted to hold you and protect you. But I had a plan, and I couldn't show you any emotion. I knew you'd be strong and that you would tell the truth, and you didn't disappoint me, baby."
"I didn't have any reason to lie. I knew what I was doing when we started our relationship, Nate."
"I know. We both did. But we don't have to worry about it anymore."
"No, we don't."