Unsurprisingly, I was first into work on Monday morning. I figured his Friday night bender would've turned into a weekend bender, as he was known for it. It did give me a chance to get ahead of my work that morning though.
An hour after Clarke was due in, he finally stumbled into the office, like normal, barely acknowledging me as he passed my desk. I was almost used to it by now and I didn't really let it bother me. So with a sigh I picked up the files I had been working on and followed Clarke into his office. As he sat at his desk he sighed a little when he saw me.
"You can't even give me second once I walk in, can you?" he asked me.
"Well not when you're an hour late, no," I told him simply. "Be on time and I won't have to harass you."
"I didn't miss any meetings," he pointed. "I checked my schedule. I have one in half an hour."
"Yes, but I need you to sign these," I said slowly, walking up to his desk and handing him a file, "before you can go into this meeting. You need to approve the accounts to confirm your investment in the company, otherwise they'll just think you're playing."
He didn't say anything as he looked at the documents, scanned them slightly but then proceeded to sign them as I instructed. At least it didn't seem like he was in overly argumentative mood today.
"Anything else?" he said, looking back up at me, handing me the file.
"Yes, actually," I told him firmly. "You should have an email I sent through about your business trip Paris next month."
"I have to go to Paris?" Clarke asked surprised.
"Yes, I'm pretty sure I sent you an email about this weeks ago," I sighed impatiently. "Pierce Martin is one of the company's most important clients and every year he holds a gala for his shareholders, and as a majority shareholder you are expected to attend, and maybe even get another client while you're at it."
"Pierce Martin...you mean the guy that opens Global Tec, right?" Clarke frowned, as I could see he was trying to think.
"Yes, the largest phone providers in Europe," I sighed slightly. "Your father attended every year, and managed to get a client or two each time. It's quite easy for him to find a small company that need some finical help to invest him. It's was his most successful business trip all year actually."
Clarke didn't answer me and I realised he was starting at his computer, but he didn't seemed to actually be looking at the screen, rather he was lost in thought. I frowned slightly as I wondered what exactly he could be thinking about.
"Clarke?" I said slowly.
He snapped his head back to look at me. "Right, sorry, what do I need to do to confirm it then?"
"Um, just your flight details and the hotel," I answered him. "I went ahead and booked the same airline and accommodation your father used, as they're still quite accommodating to your name."
"Course," he nodded thoughtfully. "Now, is that it?"
"Yes, actually, it is."
"Great, thanks."
I could fell his coldness with every word he spoke. He didn't want me in the room anymore than I wanted to be there, but for some reason today his rudeness was definitely bothering me. I tried to let it go as I walked to the door of his office, but then I remembered what Ava suggested. What Clarke had told me about his father's will still bothered, and had all weekend, so I needed to ask him, and I figured no matter there would never be a right time with Clarke, so it was now or never.
"Actually, no, it's not," I said suddenly, spinning back around. "Friday night at the club, you mentioned something about Henry's will. I want to know what you meant."
Clarke just rolled his eyes at me. "Trust me, you don't."
"You're the one who brought it up," I reminded him. "What did you mean when you said he left instructions in your part? Cause I wasn't asked to be at the reading of the will, nor did I want to be left anything."
"That's probably why my father left it for me to do," Clarke muttered, barely paying attention to me as he looked at his computer.
"Clarke," I said firmly.
He turned to look at me this time, surprised at how I spoke no doubt. "He left me a note, about you."
"A note, what are you talking about?" I frowned.
"I don't have it with me, but if I remember it correctly, it went something like... I had to look after you, I wasn't allowed to fire you under any circumstances, you could only quit on your own free will. I had to keep paying you the wage my father set, and I had to pay off all your college fees and make sure there was some set aside for law school when that came about."
For a minute I was stunned. Henry had offered to pay my college debts more than once, but I refused time and time again, so I thought he had given up, but I guess I was wrong. It also explained why I still had my job.
"You didn't....do all those things, did you?" I asked him slowly.
"Well, you're still here aren't you?" Clarke muttered.
I started to shake my head. "Take the money back."
"What?" Clarke frowned.
"My college debts, un-pay them," I demanded.
Clarke laughed a little. "Even if I wanted to, Rory, which I do, I can't. Once they're paid they're paid. You are a debtless college student with a rather generous wage. Rare, I might add."
I felt myself groan. "I never wanted Henry to do any of that."
"Well, my father could be a generous man," Clarke shrugged.
"So, this is why you hate me?" I asked him. "Because your father left me money?"
"Well, that and I can't fire you," Clarke reminded me. "You are particularly bossy and I don't tend to respond to that well."
I groaned again, shaking my head once more. "I didn't ask for this."
"Oh, I'm sure you didn't," Clarke said, now turning to face me. "I'm sure you acted all innocent and then conned him into this."
"You think...I...You think I would've done that to Henry?"
I was genuinely shocked. I cared about Henry, almost like a father. He was the closest thing I had to family in New York, considering my family was hundreds of miles away. I never wanted to take advantage of Henry's wealth which was why I never accepted his money. I realised I was getting really angry at Clarke now. I felt my eyes burn as I thought I was about to cry, from rage though, because I was offended Clarke could think that about me.
"I cared about Henry," I said softly and slightly aggressively. "He looked after me, he was almost like a father to me. I would never...ever do anything like that to him, and how dare you say that to me. How dare you presume that about me. You don't even know a thing about me, you've never bothered to try either. So don't you ever say anything like that to me ever again."
I didn't let Clarke say anything back to me because I walked out of the room before he could get a word in. I considered running to the bathroom like a child, but realised how pathetic that was and instead flopped down at my desk, fighting back tears. I was offended that Clarke could think that about me. He hadn't even taken the time to know to me, so how could he even begin to think those things about me? He thinks I would take advantage of Henry?That man helped me, gave me my start here in New York. Without him I couldn't afford school, my apartment, in fact without him I don't think I could still be here. I would probably be at home, at a local college, barely getting anywhere with my life.
After sitting at my desk for maybe fifteen minutes, fighting my tears, and forcing myself to calm down by convincing myself that Clarke was just asshole, and that asshole decided to come out of his office. I didn't say anything as he stood in front of me desk, but he eventually spoke.
"I'm sorry," he said immediately. "I didn't mean for any of it to come out of the way it did..."
"Sounded like you did," I scoffed slightly.
"Well, I didn't," Clarke sighed. "I mean, I don't want to fire you. Without you I'd be...more lost than I am. I get you cared about my father, so I'm sorry for implying all of that. I don't think that about you, I know what you do for me."
"You mean what I do to keep this company alive," I muttered slightly.
Clarke groaned a little. "I get you don't think I'm trying, but I am...I just don't show it like you think I should. Plus, I mean you're not better."
"What are you talking about?" I frowned at him, ready to yell in anger.
"You judge me, without really knowing much about me," Clarke told me.
I wanted to laugh and I did a little. "It's different, I've heard about you, read a lot about you..."
"Read and heard, you've never personally known me," Clarke interrupted. "What you don't know if that this was the plan...one day, I was meant to take over and run the company but when I was thirty-something and had lived a little. My dad and I had an agreement. I agreed to go to college and I finished it, and then I could travel for a while, let loose. I'll admit I was a little more...out there then my father would've liked or expected but I was just trying to live because I knew I'd be here. I'm twenty-five, Rory, and I'm already here and I'm only here because my father died. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. I would've done this gladly, one day in the future, and even then my father would beside me guiding me and teaching me, and instead I don't have anyone to teach me what he did, I have to figure it out from what I know. I'm late because I freak out and I'm trying to catch up on paperwork and read a contract so I can learn more and not look like an idiot once I'm here, but that's obviously useless. So whilst, yes I'm sorry for saying those awful things just now, but I'm not sorry for the way I go on, because I'm trying but this is hard and not at all how it should've been, okay?"
I didn't speak for a moment, mainly because I was stunned. I had never thought of it the way Clarke said. I mean, I expected him to be sad about his father, but I didn't know he planned to take over. I felt guilt fill my stomach as I realised he was right. I was no better than him presuming everything he had been doing was because he didn't care, when in fact it was the opposite.
"Right, well, okay," I stuttered slightly, straightening up. "Apology accepted. I'll try to be...less judgy then, I guess."
"That's...better than nothing," Clarke shrugged slightly as he started to walk towards his office, but then paused and turned to me. "Those things for Paris, they look fine by the way. Thank you."
"You're welcome," I said slightly surprised.
He smiled at me before he disappeared back into his office.
I sat there for a minute still in shock. Clarke seemed so black and white to me. I thought I had him figured out from the way Henry acted. Henry made it seem like they never had a deal. He made it seem like he had no control over Clarke, like he didn't care. Maybe I had it all wrong, and maybe everything Henry told me about Clarke was wrong. I doubted it though because I trusted Henry, and I didn't think he would lie to me, but maybe he would pretend, because he was embarrassed.
I turned my head to look into Clarke's office. He had the blinds open today so I could see he was now sitting at this desk again, looking at his computer and then glancing back and forth between the files I had given him. I felt guilt still swell in my stomach for how harshly I had treated him. I didn't think I was all wrong though, he had his moments. He was still rude to me and he still lacked some effort, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. I wondered, after today if things would change, and I kind of hope they would.