Chapter 59: Chapter 59

I finally arrive in front of K’s apartment. The taxi parks in front of the building, “Here, please take a ten-dollar tip,” I give my card and instruct the driver.

“Thank you, madam, I hope you aren’t so famous,” he teases me, I get my card and winks at him.

I walk to the entrance and ride the elevator as calmly as I am. Little did I know the disaster waving at me and my future.

Once the elevator dings, I walk out and then go straight to K’s unit. I look for her unit number, and there it is.

So I ring the doorbell, and then her voice, which sounds like a spy is heard through the intercom, “Who is it?” she whispers.

So I whisper back, “It’s me, your bestfriend, Avery Anderson, over,” then I giggle.

I hear the locks being opened. I am about to greet her but the moment the door opens narrowly, she pulls me without any finesse and then looks outside as if I’m being followed.

Then she immediately shuts the door and then sighs deeply. She points at me with her finger looking extremely upset.

So I begin to think if I did or say something wrong to K.

I open my mouth to ask but she starts her machine gun nagging, “You have a lot of explaining to do, Avery Anderson.”

“Okay? Then, will you explain what the hell am I doing at your unit instead of working this morning?” I cross my arms while looking down at her who’s sitting on her sofa.

“You wish as if Manhattan Heights would accept you after this?” she pronounces upset. And I didn’t like the way she said it so I raise my voice at her.

“I don’t like the way you said it, did I upset you or something? Tell me, but don’t talk about my work here. Just so you know, I was the one who got them the pitch on Dmitri’s company. Thanks to me,” I slap her with my achievement.

But she stands up and claps her hands on my face, “Huh?” she snortles, “And you think your officemate would believe you that it is all clean work? Wake up!” K’s accusations go overboard.

We haven’t fought since college but I think this will come to that, “Kendra, watch your mouth. You know my work and the quality of it,” I scold her.

“Yes, I do. I know and I believe, but what about the others? This will be the end of your career, A, what were you thinking?” K’s steaming off, and I don’t even know where the hell she is coming from.

I turn around and try to cool off before I could say something I would regret. I take a deep breath,

“Look, K, I don’t know what you are talking about right now. All I knew is that I went to Key Largo, okay? I did my research, I toured there, I met Jeff and-”

“-And had sex and made out with Dmitri in the elevator,” she cuts me off with a sentence that takes me aback.

“-And I had sex with, wait, what?” my eyes widen from what I’ve heard from her. “How, did, you, know, about-” I even speak slowly to make it clear with her.

“How I wish I was the only one Avery, but I wasn’t!” she scolds at me.

“Will you speak my language, please, because I don’t understand you right now?” I touch my forehead. K is giving me a headache right now.

“You didn’t know, did you? You haven’t seen it? Where’s your goddamn phone?” she searches through my stuff. She thinks it doesn’t have any charge.

“Talk to me, Kendra,” I ask her.

“Wait, I’ll get my phone,” she says and goes to her bedroom.

And just in time, somebody enters the code,

“K? Are you expecting Nik? Someone’s opening the door, should I be worried?” I ask her but she must have not heard me.

So I distance myself and find something I could use for defense. My heart beats faster, I hear at least two distinct voices talking on the other side of the door.

And when it opens, it reveals two familiar faces. I finally could breathe upon seeing Nik and Dmitri.

“Hold on, what the hell is he doing here? And how did he get here so fast?” I ask myself.

Then K goes out of her room, “I can’t find my phone, so we can use-” she stops when she sees the two males inside her apartment.

“Oh, great you’re here. Now would you care to explain to her what’s happening Dmitri?” she raises her voice towards him.

Kendra’s attitude is getting into me, “Hey, chill! You don’t have to be rude to Dee,” I defend him.

“Really, wait until you hear him, and once you watch it, let’s see,” K continues to bicker. Thank goodness, Nikolai is there to comfort her, in whatever ordeal she is in right now.

Then Dee pulls me and we go to the kitchen, a little meter away from them.

“Why didn’t you go to my office? And why aren’t you answering my calls?” Dee calmly starts.

“Why? Tell me what the hell is happening?” I ask him.

“Look, I’ll fix this, okay. But, it is better you see it first,” he tells me.

I ask myself confused, “See what?”

Then, he takes out his phone and shows me a video. At first, I couldn’t get what they meant, but when I look closely, I finally figure it out.

Two people inside the elevator were making out. A man and a woman were about to have sex and even continued in the hallway. The elevator looks familiar, and so is the hallway where they almost got naked.

And when I look closely, even the clothes are familiar. I pause the video and take a deep breath.

Only then, did I realize, that the people fucking each other in the video were me and Dmitri.

I cover my mouth feeling ablaze from the inside out. I almost lose my footing when Dmitri pulls me to him, “Hey, you okay?” he worriedly asks.

I sit down on the counter table while Dmitri holds me.

“Avery, it isn’t only one video,” he takes the courage to bring me another bad news.

“What do you mean? Don’t tell me there are cameras inside the suite?” I shockingly question him.

“No, but this isn’t better either. They edited out the video and manipulated it to make you look bad,” he warns me then shows me another one.

This time, I am looking at myself acting out and belittling a mere employee. With their good editing skills, they took out the whole context and made me the next face of “Karen” in Key Largo.

I couldn’t do anything but laugh. I couldn’t cry, so I’ll just laugh.

“I’ll fix this, Avery, I promise. I’ll make them pay, whoever did this,” Dmitri says sternly.

“What for? Everybody’s seen the video, right? You said you would take care of the CCTV, what happened Dmitri?” I weakly ask him, as if all my strength escapes me.

“I did, I swear, but someone made a copy even before I could delete it, and I’m sorry we couldn’t take it down before it spreads, it all happened when we were asleep,” he explains.

I take a deep breath, “Just take me home, please?” I beg him.

He hugs me and kisses me.

Then Kendra approaches me, she’s still in a bad mood but I know that she’s only looking out for me.

“Cindy’s calling again, will you answer it?” K gives me her phone.

I reach for the phone with a trembling hand, and answers it on speakerphone,

“Hello? Cindy?” I weakly say.

“Thank God, you finally answered,” she says with sarcasm in her voice, “Avery, what happened, I told you, I don’t care how you get the pitch, but you should have done it discreetly, now what? We can’t even use it, and you’ve tarnished Manhattan Heights.”

Suddenly, tears fall, the career that I’ve been building for a long time, my works in the past, now all gone in just one misunderstanding,

“Cindy, this is a misunderstanding. You know me, you know how I work. What happened was, just outside work.”

Then Dmitri snatches the phone from my hand, and then turns off the loudspeaker, “Hello, Ms. Cindy, this is Dmitri Sullivan, yes, hi. Avery and I knew each other back then, so it really has-”

I could hear Dmitri explaining everything to my boss, but who would believe me now and my work.

I feel that my heart is about to burst.

And the only one I could turn to is mad at me, she even questions me, “Avery, I thought you met that half-Japanese guy there? Was it a lie?”

“No, I met Jeff, there,” I insist to her.

“Then how the hell did you end up with Dmitri, if you said you were attracted to that Jeff?” she throws a question that puts torn not only to my throat but to Dmitri as well.

I look at his reaction, and I know that look. I couldn’t answer anymore. I am ashamed to face him now, and I’m even ashamed of myself, just because of that stupid sex cravings, everything I have is about to crumble.

Without listening to them calling my name, I bust out of her apartment and run away. I know that Dmitri chases after me, but I am able to trick him.

I made it look like I ride the elevator, but I took the emergency stairs instead. I know that he would use this, too, so I hide until I see him run downstairs.

Once I assure he’s gone, I go out of the building and ride the taxi,

“To Peter Memorial Park, please, hurry.”