Unbreak Me

Chapter 34

Avery Adley

It took about a week for us to fix the problem in the warehouse. Unfortunately, it was going to be a while for it be completely solved.
A worker had gotten hurt and was suing Adley Corporations for having an unsafe workplace.

The lawyers had said he doesn't have any grounds for a lawsuit considering he wasn't supposed to be there in the first place.
We did our own investigation and found that the scaffolding had been tampered with and were reported to be safe and within code beforehand.

Mr. Adley had been in a bad mood all week. Not just because of the accident, but also because Oliver had corrected him many times in meetings.

Leah's appearance at the engagement party had been plastered in the tabloids. I ended up having to tell multiple magazines to take it down and refrain from publishing any more stories about her.

Mr. Adley had of course taken his anger out on me. If I wasn't being yelled at and belittled I was being pushed around and hit.
It wasn't anywhere visible but, I had to wear pants at home incase Oliver saw my thighs.

I hadn't really seen him much over the last week. He did say he would be late home and I'm sure this issue didn't help much. However, I did miss his company.
I kept thinking about his soft lips and kisses on my skin the night after the party. It was enough for my body to heat up and miss his presence.
His acceptance towards me and the sense of security I had with him made me smile.

But, it's odd having a place to go where I'm actually welcome. It made me feel just a little normal. I could pretend that things were okay.

I was also afraid of the unknown. Afraid of being rejected. Just afraid.

I walked out of my office to give some files to Mr. Adley.

"That boy is going to lose his mind when he finds Wilson & Co left for someone better." Mr. Adley boasted. "I got one of his top earners to move." He laughed. "All I had to do was blackmail them into leaving. It's funny what you can do with a few secrets."

My eyes widened considerably. The Wilson's were known to be good friends with the Blacks and even better business partners. They had prospered from the alliance with each other over the years.
This would not only affect Black Industries but also the relationship between the two families.
Both businesses would suffer a large loss.

I entered the office and placed the files on his desk.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to eavesdrop?" He growled after hanging up the phone. "Oh wait! No, that's right, she's dead." Mr. Adley laughed cruelly.
I stood frozen in my spot.
My hair was gripped and I was pulled backwards. "You know what happens if you tell a soul, yes?" He whispered in my ear.

When I took too long to answer my legs were swept from under me. I fell to the floor and landed awkwardly on my left ankle.

"You understand, don't you?" He asked with a dangerously low voice.

I gulped my fear down as I looked up at the man standing over me. "Y-yes sir."

He let go of my hair and told me to get out.
I used the desk for support and limped out. I sprained my ankle, for sure.
It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.