One Wild Night

772  Back To Work

After spending the last couple of days alone with Tom in his house, having fun and being naughty together, Lucy was feeling very satisfied and well-rested when they arrived at the office on Monday morning. Follow current ᴏᴠʟs on N(o)vl(ꜰ)ire.nt

“Feeling reluctant to get down? Want to go back home with me so we can spend some more time together alone?” Tom teased when Lucy remained seated in the car minutes after he had parked in his private parking lot.

Lucy giggled, “Can we do that?” Lucy asked, and Tom chuckled.

“I thought you would protest,” Tom said, and Lucy sighed.

“I think I spent so much time with you that I’m not so enthusiastic to get back to work. I’d rather spend every second with you than sit behind a desk thinking of you. What have you done to me, Thomas Hank?” She asked, and Tom chuckled.

“The feeling is mutual,” Tom said, and Lucy shook her head.

“We better get back to work mode, Mr. CEO. I love having a wealthy boyfriend,” Lucy said, and Tom arched a brow.

“I thought you loved me better when I was just your broke driver?” He asked, and she shrugged.

“I thought so, too, but I’ve come to realize that I love the real you more. It’s not my fault that the real you is so wealthy, is it?” She asked with a grin, and he laughed.

“We better get out of the car now before I’m forced to reverse it,” she threatened.

“You’re not the one driving. You can’t put it on reverse,” Tom pointed out.

“But I can put the driver on reverse, can’t I?” Lucy asked with a wink, and Tom chuckled as he unlocked the doors.

“You can, but since I have a lot to do today, I’d better take your advise and get going since I don’t want you to have a broke boyfriend,” Tom said before getting out of the car, and Lucy laughed as she did the same.

“So, we are going on a date after work today, remember?” Tom asked since they had both settled for their weekly dates to be on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

“Sure. Where are we going today?” She asked as they got into his private elevator.

“Do you have somewhere in mind you’d love me to take you?” He asked, and she shook her head.

“I’m not sure. You know what? Surprise me,” she said, and Tom smiled.

“I like the sound of that,” he said as they got into his office.

“Alright. I should head to my office now. If you need your part-time secretary, let me know,” she said with a wink.

“You can just work from here as a director, you know?” He asked, and she smiled.

“If I do that now that everyone knows the nature of our relationship, they will all assume that I’m just here to warm your desk and get promoted, not work,” Lucy said, and Tom chuckled at her use of desk instead of bed.

“I could resign and give you my position if you do a good job warming my desk,” Tom joked, and they both laughed.

“I guess I will see you during lunch break. I love you,” Lucy said as she stepped forward to kiss him.

She broke the kiss and stepped back quickly before Tom could deepen the kiss, “Bye,” she said as she headed for the door.

“I love you more,” Tom called to her.

As Lucy walked into her office, she saw Amy organizing some files on her desk, and she smiled, happy to have her back.

“It’s good to have you back,” Lucy said, and Amy turned to her.

“Good morning, Director Perry,” Amy greeted politely.

“It’s Lucy, Amy. Good morning. How are you?” Lucy asked, remembering what Tom had said about it being strange that Amy would leave her best friend’s side just because she had her family with her.

“I’m fine. You look relaxed and happy,” Amy observed since she had never seen Lucy looking that way before.

“That’s because I am relaxed and happy,” Lucy said as she took off her blazer and hung it on the coat rack before taking her seat behind her desk.

“I took the liberty to look through all the documents and highlighted the important parts and attached notes at the side so you wouldn’t have to go through it all. All that is required is your approval and feedback,” Amy said while Lucy watched her face.

“It’s good to have you back,” Lucy said again as she watched Amy, and even though Amy had a smile pasted on her face, Lucy didn’t miss the sadness in her eyes.

“Is something wrong?” Lucy asked, and Amy’s brows pulled together in confusion.

“What?” She asked, not understanding what Lucy was asking her.

“Please sit down for a moment,” Lucy said, and Amy did as she requested.

She couldn’t help wondering what Lucy wanted to discuss.

“How is your best friend doing?” Lucy asked, and Amy’s heart skipped a beat.

Her first instinct was to lie and say Miley was fine, but she couldn’t lie about something like that, so she sighed, “Not good,” Amy confessed without meeting Lucy’s gaze.

She wondered how much Lucy knew and how much Lucas must have told his sister.

“Then why are you here right now? Didn’t you say you wanted to be with her until the end?” Lucy asked in concern, and Amy nodded.

“She has her family with her. She needs them more now, not me,” Amy managed to say.

Lucy frowned, unable to understand the logic, “How does her family being with her stop you from staying beside her? They are her family, and you are her best friend. You all have different roles. Are they here in Ludus?” She asked, thinking that her action would make more sense if her best friend was admitted in a hospital here, and while her family spent the day with her, Amy spent time with her after work.

“No. They are in Heden,” Amy said, and Lucy shook her head.

“I’m sorry for asking so many questions. But why are you really here? Did you think that I would give your job away if you are away for too long? I remember how upset you were when you found out about her condition, so I can’t understand why you would choose to come back to work when she is still fighting for her life,” Lucy said, and Amy looked down at her hands which were now clasped on her thigh as she tried to fight back her tears.

“I don’t have a choice,” she managed to say.

“Why do you mean? Why don’t you have a choice? Did something happen?” Lucy asked with a concerned frown, and Amy, who had been trying hard not to give in to her tears, broke into a sob, startling Lucy, who had not expected that.

Immediately, Lucy rose from her seat and went around her desk to console her, “I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to pry. You just looked so sad, and I couldn’t help but ask,” Lucy said as she gently patted her shoulder.

“You don’t have to say anything if it’s a painful topic,” Lucy assured her as she reached for the box of tissues on her desk and handed it to Amy.

After Amy had exhausted her tears, she looked at Lucy, who was still seated beside her, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to….”

“You don’t have to apologize for your tears, Amy. It’s okay to cry. Tears are a healthy way to reduce the pressure on the heart,” Lucy said with a kind smile.

“I came back because her parents won’t let me go anywhere close to her. They are mad that I kept Miley’s health a secret from them. They think I didn’t tell them about Miley’s condition because I wanted to dupe Miley,” Amy said, and Lucy frowned.

“What about Miley? Can’t she tell them the truth?” Lucy asked, and Amy looked up to blink back the fresh tears that had formed once again.

Even though Amy wasn’t the type to share her problem with others, she was dying instead and needed to confide in someone about what was going on with her.

“I don’t think she can do that. She is in a critical condition now and can’t even speak,” Amy said and went on to tell Lucy all that had happened and, how Miley had collapsed before they could go see her parents and how Malone had told Miley’s parents about everything so they would give him money.

“Oh, dear! You didn’t have to come back to work in this state! How can you even concentrate on anything here with all that  is going on with you?” Lucy asked, and Amy shook her head.

“I need the distraction, else I’m afraid I might go crazy,” Amy said, and Lucy sighed.

“The pregnancy is not confirmed yet, right? Don’t you think you should consider an abortion like your mother suggested? The odds do not favor you. Apart from the fact that the baby’s father turned out to be such an asshole, and he’s not someone I think you will want to be tied to through a kid forever, I don’t think you should ruin your relationship with your mom over this. Miley’s family has made it clear that they want no part in this. Do you think you’d be content with being a single mom? Carrying a baby that isn’t related to you biologically?” Lucy asked with a concerned frown.

“But the baby would be biologically related to Miley. I made a promise to her. I don’t want to break it simply because the odds do not favor me. And who knows? Maybe after the child comes, Miley’s parents might want to meet him or her since it would be all that is left of Miley apart from her memories,” Amy said with a sniffle, and Lucy sighed.

“It’s a tough decision, though. But if that is what you really want, then I guess you should go for it. If you need someone to talk to or you need anything. Anything at all, don’t hesitate to come to me, okay?” Lucy said, and Amy’s eyes swelled up with tears again.

“Thank you so much, Lucy. This means a lot to me,” She said, and Lucy waved it off.

“It’s the least I can do. You were here for me twice when I had no one else on my side,” Lucy said, remembering how Amy had been the only one in her team to give her the benefit of the doubt over the scandal the last time.

Amy had also been the one who had picked her up from the hospital and taken her home to fix breakfast for her after Tom abandoned her at the hospital the first time she told him about her experience with Jamie.

As Amy rose to leave, Lucy looked at her and could tell she had something to say, “Do you need me to do something?” Lucy asked, and Amy hesitated for a moment.

“If it’s not too much to ask, can you please keep our conversation away from Lucas? I don’t want him to know about my situation and how things turned out,” Amy said, and Lucy nodded.

“Sure. But speaking of Lucas, wouldn’t it be helpful if he knew about this development? He could help you speak with Miley’s parents and explain things to them since he knows….” Lucy stopped when Amy shook her head.

“No. I don’t want him to know anything about this,” Amy said quickly, and Lucy raised a brow.

“Are you saying that because you think he must still be mad at you? If he knows about your situation, he won’t hesitate to help you straighten things out,” Lucy said, but Amy shook her head.

“I don’t want his help. Please do not tell him anything about this,” Amy pleaded, and Lucy sighed.

“Alright then. If that’s what you want, my lips are sealed,” she promised, and Amy gave her a nod before walking away.