Link wrapped his arm around Debbie's. "I can't wait to show you around. I'm hoping Enrichment will become a second home to you. I like to think of my employees as my family."
Debbie smiled warmly at the old man. "Well, you must treat your family very well."
Lincoln offered her a deceitful nod. "I guess one could say that."
Everyone in the lobby of the building had their eyes on the two. Lincoln rarely came into the business. The few times he did, he made a spectacle of himself. He puffed out his chest, walking proudly in front of Debbie.
He made a sweeping gesture with his arm. "What do you think of my lobby, Ms. Clifton?"
Debbie looked around in awe. "Oh, it's beautiful, especially the chandelier. That's exquisite."
Lincoln led the woman to the elevator. "I got in on a trip to Rome. I couldn't pass it up. Now, your office will be on the top floor."
The elevator door opened, and Lincoln motioned for Debbie to go inside.
"I'm sorry, and I may be going crazy, but did you say top floor?" Debbie asked.
The unabashed man let out a chuckle. "Well, you're certainly not going crazy. Of course, I did."
Debbie didn't know what to say. "Oh, wow. That's really kind of you."
The elevator reached the top floor of the building, and the two exited. Lincoln took Debbie to her office. It was a huge, open space that had a view of the whole city.
Debbie, while in a state of shock, covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, Link. This is beautiful."
After a few moments of looking out at the view, Debbie sat down in the massive, leather chair in the middle of the room. She looked up toward Link. "So, now that I'm the chief financial advisor, would you mind telling me about Enrichment's portfolio? What are your goals for the fiscal year? What problems are you facing?"
The corners of Lincoln's mouth turned down. Once again, he wasn't prepared for her inquiries. "Uh, you don't need to worry about that."
Debbie's eyebrows gathered together. "I don't? You do want me to be your financial advisor, correct?"
After he loosened his collar, Lincoln sat at the edge of Debbie's desk. "Yes, of course. But things are different here. We don't handle our finances the same way Ambrose Pharmaceuticals and Realty handled theirs."
With a confused expression, Debbie scratched the top of her head. "Yeah, I guess so."
Lincoln leaned forward. A sly smile danced across his face as he looked Debbie directly in the eyes. "How did Ambrose Enterprises handle their finances, Ms. Clifton?"
Debbie raised a concerned eyebrow. "How did Alex handle his finances? Why do you need to know?"
Picking up on her uneasiness, Lincoln softened his gaze. "Oh, well I was just wondering how you did things before. Starting any new job is a learning curve."
Debbie nodded hesitantly. "Oh, okay. Well, I guess when I started, I looked through all of Alex's tax returns."
A hungry look flashed across Lincoln's eyes. "Did he ever commit tax fraud?"
For a moment, Debbie pondered whether or not taking this job was a mistake. "Alex never committed tax fraud."
Lincoln muttered under his breath. "Well, we can't all be perfect now. Can we?" He cleared his throat. "What else, Debbie? What did you do for Ambrose Enterprises?"
Although Debbie's loyal to Alex had dissipated over the past few days, she wasn't willing to sell him out so quickly. She gave Lincoln a generic answer. "I created spreadsheets, detailing their budgets and spending. I also helped them diversify their portfolio in the stock market."
Lincoln pursed his lips. "Anything else?"
Debbie shrugged. "Not really."
Lincoln's expression changed as his welcoming nature slowly disappeared, revealing the erratic, bitter man beneath the surface. "Fine. Well, someone will be in to start your training. Until then, sit tight. You aren't going anywhere."
With that, Lincoln stormed out of the room.
Debbie quivered as she watched the door slam behind Lincoln. Her stomach did somersaults. "What have I done?"
***
"Yvonne, wait," Alex said as Yvonne sauntered back down the stairs. His attempt to rekindle the flame of their romance was an unequivocal disaster.
Still, Alex was not one to give up. "Yvonne, please."
The woman didn't even turn around. "Come on, Alex. Save your breath. It's over now."
She didn't make it halfway down the stairs before Alex grabbed her by the arm, yanking her back to him. "It didn't seem over a few days ago."
Yvonne pursed her lips. "But it is now."
Alex shook his head. "I can't accept that, Yvonne. We have history. Don't you remember?"
Yvonne did remember. She remembered every second she spent with Alex from the first moment she met him.
Yvonne pursed her lips. "Of course, I do."
Alex gently touched her shoulder. "We met in a coffee shop. The barista got my order wrong, but I was too afraid to say anything, but you marched up to her and told her exactly what she was supposed to give me. You were fearless."
Yvonne crossed her arms. "You thought I was pushy."
Alex tightened his grip on her shoulders. "Then our first kiss. We snuck into your father's factory late at night. It felt like we were the only two people in the whole entire city."
Unable to recall any of the good aspects of their relationship, Yvonne shook her head. "You never really liked my father or his business. You said you didn't understand it, and when I decided to take over, you said it was a terrible decision."
In a desperate attempt to win her over, Alex cupped his hands around her face. "What about when we said I love you? Do you remember that?"
Meekily, Yvonne glanced down at her feet. "Of course."
Alex smirked, noticing a glint of nostalgia in her eyes. "Where were we?"
Yvonne took a deep breath. "In that small bookstore on Main Street, you were flipping through old encyclopedias, and I was looking for a collection of Ralph Waldo Emerson poetry."
Alex smoothed over a piece of her hair, feeling as if he had won the lottery. He was getting through to her. "You love poetry. You always have."
Tears welled up in Yvonne's eyes. "I bent down to look on the bottom shelf of the bookstore, and I glanced up at you. In the light from the window, I could see dust in the air, swirling around you. You looked perfect, almost like a dream."
Alex nodded eagerly. "And then?"
Yvonne smiled. "Then I said that I loved you."
Alex brought her in for a hug, but when he did, she pushed him away.
"But wait," Yvonne said as her eyes grew wide with clarity. "You didn't say it back."
Alex's smile disappeared. "What?"
Yvonne held her arm out, creating distance between herself and her ex. "You didn't say it back. You wouldn't." She scoffed. "You told me that I was overreacting. You said that I couldn't possibly love you. We hadn't been together that long."
Alex tossed his head back. "Yvonne, I told you eventually."
She nodded decisively. "Yeah, because I told you if I didn't I was going to leave you."
Alex reached out his hand. "But I did love you. I was just too afraid to show it then."
Yvonne swatted his hand away. "No, Alex. It was always me. I chased after you like a sad lost puppy, and all you did was string me along until you had a better option."
Alex shot up at the accusation. "You broke up with me. Don't act as if I left you high and dry for another woman."
Yvonne threw her hands up in a fit of rage. "You wanted me to give up everything! My father's business, my career, my life. How was I supposed to do that? I had my own dreams. My life couldn't revolve around you. You knew that, too. You knew that I couldn't give you what you wanted."
Aware that he was losing the argument, Alex clenched his fingers. "I wanted you. I do want you, right now."
Yvonne rolled her eyes. "No, you don't. If you truly wanted me, you wouldn't care about whether or not Debbie is in the picture. You only come running back to me when she wants nothing to do with you."
Alex took her by the hand. "I know that we can make this work, Yvonne. We did it before."
Yvonne pulled her hand away. "I was miserable before! And, for the first time in my life, I'm no longer miserable. I finally feel appreciated and loved, and I'm finally not agonizing over whether or not I'm worthy of you, but you just can't let that happen for me! You can't let me be happy!"
Alex's body tensed. "Are you saying I make you miserable?"
Yvonne bit her lip. Her heart pounded in her chest. "Yes, Alex, and it isn't your fault. But, I'm begging you to just let me go. There's no more what if. I'm finally getting over this. I can move on with my life. I suggest you do the same."
She whipped around and walked down the stairs. Slowly, Alex ascended the staircase, giving her the space she so desperately wanted.
Alex didn't chase after her. He stood at the top of the staircase, upset and embarrassed. He wasn't used to being rejected, especially by Yvonne. Someone else, he thought. What does she mean by someone else? She just confessed that she loved me on national television. What's with the change of heart?
He bit his lip as anger started to overshadow his discomfort. And who is someone else? Who could she have found to replace me in such a short amount of time? Was it Ken Stokes? It can't be. He has a family. Louis? She's always been annoyed by Louis. She hates his conspiracy theories, and karate bores her to death. I swear, every time I talked about martial arts it practically put her to sleep.
Then, it hit him. Alex remembered the sight he had walked in on moments ago. He remembered how cozy Yvonne and Christopher were on the couch, as they giggled with each other.
It was almost as if he connected the pieces of a complex puzzle. Christopher and Yvonne had always gotten along very well. Christopher's glances toward her would linger a little too long. Yvonne had always been impressed by his scientific knowledge. Despite the fact that the two had spent very little time together, they had an undeniable connection.
Alex scoffed. It's Christopher. This is unbelievable. She never showed any interest in Christopher before. Christopher…my friend. How could he do this to me? Is it the memory loss? That's no excuse.
Without hesitation, Alex stormed down the stairs. "I'm putting an end to this right now."