Chapter 2
But now that things had settled down, going public wouldn't cause much of a stir.
"Why?" I asked, confused.
"Wasn't it you who suggested this in the first place? Why are you asking me now?" Elliot looked at me, clearly more lost than I was.
I remembered then that I was the one who brought it up first.
"Let's not do that anymore. Going public isn't a big deal," I said.
Every department recognized my work, and everyone knew what I'd accomplished over the years.
People's opinions didn't affect me anymore.
If we went public, at least I'd have a solid reason to be there for Elliot during emergencies instead of always feeling like an outsider.
Elliot scratched his head. "Why the sudden change of mind?"
There was a hint of anxiety in his expression.
He said, "I'm used to keeping my distance from you for so many years. It's pretty good. Is this all because of Macy? Just because I hugged her today?"
He chuckled, clearly amused by my silly jealousy.
"Seriously, there's nothing between me and her. I'm the CEO, and since the accident happened at work, it's only natural for me to help out," he explained.
"Shelby, after all these years, you're still so petty," he teased, sounding a little helpless.
He gave my nose a gentle pinch. "You wanna go public just because of something this trivial? Isn't that kinda lame?"
Elliot said I was being petty.
Honestly, he had a point.
When I first joined the company, I didn't really get all the unwritten rules and tricks in the workplace.
Every day, I'd stroll through the office in a plain white tee and jeans, surrounded by all the glamorous city girls dressed to impress.
No matter how chill I tried to be, people always judge the outfit before the person, and that rule wasn't about to change just for me.
On my very first project, I ran into a real pain in the ass of a client.
He was a total slob himself, but he nitpicked every little thing about how our project team dressed.
I was the one in the simplest outfit, so of course, I got the most flak.
Back then, Elliot had just taken over the company. He saw me getting called out for no reason, but didn't say a thing.
There was a trace of embarrassment in his eyes, maybe even a bit of distaste.
Elliot probably didn't even notice it himself, but I was sensitive and sensed the humiliation.
That was when I made up my mind to keep our relationship under wraps.
Honestly, after a few years went by, it barely even crossed my mind anymore.
By now, all these years with Elliot had long washed away that tiny bruise to my ego from back then.
Watching Elliot brush off what happened today like it was nothing, I couldn't help but feel a little unsettled.
For the first time in ages, I found myself wondering if I'd lost myself after being stuck in this comfortable routine for so long.
*****
The issue with Macy was simply brushed off.
Work went on as usual.
With the year wrapping up, there were tons of business dinners and social gatherings.
Elliot was swamped, and so was I.
One night, the company group chat was blowing up with messages.
I pulled out my phone to see what all the fuss was about.
To my surprise, the hot topic was a pretty racy photo.
In the photo, Elliot looked totally out of it, his shirt half-unbuttoned.
The woman draped over him had her face hidden. All one could see was her long, wavy hair.
The photo was so obviously fake, it was almost laughable.
But that didn't stop everyone in the group chat from jumping right into the gossip.
[Damn, which hacker is such a jerk to blast this photo to the whole company?]
[Whoever made this, screw you. But not gonna lie, the photoshop is kinda hot. There's some real sexual tension.]
[Ugh, this is nasty. Sure, I've shipped them forever, but this isn't some web novel! The girl must be mortified.]
The photo totally blew up the office and everyone was talking about it.
Everyone had it on their phone.
Word even got out to outsiders, and some business partners started cracking jokes, shooting Elliot knowing looks and teasing him about his luck with women.
Elliot was furious. "This is so gross! They can't win the bid, so they pull a dirty move like this?"
After Elliot found the culprit, the hacker ended up behind bars.
Macy was super embarrassed at the office.
She was gentle and soft. Whenever she tried to explain herself, she'd just end up crying even harder.
In the break room, a male coworker was making crude, lewd remarks, mocking her for throwing herself at Elliot.
She just stood there, not knowing how to defend herself.
One of the other women glared at him and fired back, but he just sneered, saying she was just kissing up to the boss's unofficial girlfriend.
Just then, Elliot appeared behind them, his face dark and fuming.
Elliot rarely ever showed this kind of emotion at the office.
This was the first time, and the guy who'd been mouthing off was instantly silenced.
"You're fired," Elliot said icily. "We've got every word you said on camera. I'm gonna sue you for slander. Expect to hear from my lawyer soon."
The guy crumpled to the floor, looking totally wrecked.
Elliot didn't even spare him a glance.
He frowned, turning to Macy, who stood there quivering, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Come to my office," Elliot said.
Elliot's dramatic stand for Macy set off a storm of gossip throughout the office.
Everyone came to the same conclusion: Macy was the last person to cross.
Back when people used to badmouth Elliot behind his back, he always handled it with cool-headed professionalism.
He knew it was all because of unfair credit distribution, so he'd just redistribute the project recognition based on everyone's actual contributions.