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Nervously, the receptionist picked up the phone, dialed a short number, and spoke in a hushed voice to so the receiver Jessie hovered by the reception area and, within minutes, an attractive blonde wo pleasantly at the self-proclaimed mistress
“I'm Heather Bryant, Mr Harwood's personal assistant” She extended a hand to shake Jessie's, but Jessiedefiantly back at the woman “If you would follow me, Mr Harill see you in his office,” Heather Bryant continued as she turned and headed towards the elevators Jessie followed, scowling at the receptionist who stood with hera hand to her chest as if she couldn't breathe
They quietly rode the elevator up to the top floor, both staring straight ahead at the brushed stainless steel doors After what felt like an eternity, the doors finally parted with a ding and Jessie's first thought was that she had entered an art gallery rather than a place where people conducted business Marble floors and pillarsthe hall on stands of varying heights Large plants grew out of decorative pots, and is lined the walls Heather Bryant's heels echoing along the hallere a stark contrast to Jessie's squeaky sneakers
They caany double doors and Heather Bryant opened the She stood aside to motion Jessie in, and closed the doors behind her before leaving Jessie stood in a vast office with a huge desk situated in front of a floor-to-ceilingthat was just as wide as the spacious room The vieas incredible, and the ht that the overhead bulbs likely didn't serve a purpose until sunset She took a breath and looked over her shoulder at the closed doors What was she supposed to do now, just wait here?
“Coh the silence
Jessie's eyes darted around the roo the voice had eed to whoiantShe took two steps towards the desk as the chair began to swivel around until the voice that had startled herwith it
She recognized him instantly from the pictures in the papers and from his countless television appearances This was John Harwood hi in the mail room and had worked his way up to owner and executive chairman of Harwood Finances His quick ascension was likely due to his father, Mark Harwood, being the founder of the coe role in John's quick rise to power
“So,” he greeted “you'reus drinks” He stood up, revealing hiestured towards the two chairs that sat in front of his excessively large desk She waved a hand at him dismissively
“I won't be here long enough to require any hospitality I just cae to your wife formy life, and to stay away from me”
“Excuse h the blue eyes shined Without the ja
w his handsoh he must have been in his mid-thirties, the forhtly more mature
“Did you know she ca an affair with you?” Jessie asked in irritation
“I heard I'm sorry My wife can be rather… erratic… at times She made it her mission to track down the source of those crazy tweets” He sat back down and added, “It turns out the IP address was traced to that diner you work at, so if you didn't make them then somebody there did Either a customer or coworker Either way, she shouldn't have come to your workplace, and for that I'm truly sorry”
“First of all, no, I didn't tweet any of that nonsense Anyone who knowsHell, I don't even have a Facebook account And you're sorry? No one is more sorry thanthe news and got fired” Jessie wanted to co, but up close and personal John Harwood actually see but polite to her so far
“What? Why would your boss fire you for that?” he replied skeptically “I can't iine anyone actually believes that ridiculous story That doesn't make sense”
“Well, I did just squirt a bottle of ketchup all over a pervert at the diner who seemed to think that the story was true, so there's that”
“I see,” John Harwood said with a chuckle, placing his elbows on the table and resting his chin on his fists as his voice grew serious again “So, it wasn't the story that got you fired, it was you basically assaulting a patron” He nodded
“Don't mock me” Jessie squinted her eyes “I was pissed I couldn't help it All of those lies caused this, and they all ca about us online Why would I? I don't know you and, no offense, I don't care to know you Like I said before, I don't even use social media Take a look at my phone,” she insisted as she fished it out of her pocket “Look at what an antique this thing is It can't even get online, so there's no way I could have posted any of that crap from my work I didn't do this”