Chapter 30: Claire’s POV
It had been a few days since my dinner with Jordan and that cryptic call with Leonardo. I couldn’t believe that he would resort to slandering Jordan just to get me back. I asked Jordan about these accusations over dinner and he had assured me that they were not true. Since that night, we had been spending a lot more time together and I felt more and more comfortable with the idea of being with someone who wasn’t Leo.
I was at my desk working on some new structural designs and blueprints when Jordan asked me into his office. I get up with a smile and head over. This had become our private time where we would steal moments together..
“What can I do for you, Boss?” I tease as I sit down on the chair across his desk. Jordan rises from behind the desk with a smile and comes behind my chair and slowly tips my chin back and leans down slowly to kiss me.
He stops after a moment and spins my chair around to face him and deepens the kiss. I feel more pressure and yearning behind it and it was full of passion. He slowly draws back and smiles at me. He then sits down in the chair next to me.
“Claire, these last few days have really been something. I never thought we would be in this space or that I would have any chance with you.” He says as he grabs my hand and rubs circles on the back of palm with his thumb.
“Me either. But I really like you, Jordan.” I wanted him to know that this wasn’t about hurting Leo or rebounding. I genuinely liked Jordan. He had always been someone I could trust and a friend. And they say that the most successful love stories come from being best friends.
“I also wanted to talk to you about something important.” I see his smile fade and a vague stern look appeared.
“What is it? Is something wrong?” His mood shifted so quickly.
“Well, I may not have been a hundred percent honest at dinner the other night.” He said while dropping his head down in shame.
“What weren’t you honest about?”
“The company is having a crisis, mainly because I failed to make the right decisions and I pissed off a few clients.” He lied to me? Was there truth to what Leo was saying? He continues while I sit in silence – questioning.
“But with your designs and putting you as the listed architecture, I think I can save my business. A lot of wealthy people want to buy the blueprints to your architectural designs and I can put a stipulation that my company is the only one permitted to build off of these blueprints. The company would bounce back tenfold.” He says this and smiles at me. I start to ponder about what Leo had said. Jordan was admitting to things that Leo warned me about. He wanted to use my name and growing popularity in this industry to obtain more contracts in which he could sway the finances in his favor. What would happen to me once his name was
slanderent?
“I don’t know, Jordan. You lied to me.” I say in a mall voice. I felt naive for not believing Leo and ashamed that I allowed myself to be misled.
“Claire, I know I didn’t tell you. I was embarrassed that I would fail and you’d regret being with me. But I already drafted the contracts and I’d like to read them. I plan on sending them to potential buyers on Monday.”
“But I don’t think that’s something I can do, Jordan.” He would drag me down with him and destroy my career.
“Well I have your architectural designs and you are my employee so it’s only fair I have the last say.” He smirks.
“But you’re trying to use my name and reputation to save your business. I didn’t agree to that.” I was in shock at his dismissal. This wasn’t the Jordan I knew.
“I’m going to do what I need to do in order to save this company, Claire. I have no choice.” He looks at me seriously as he gets up and sits behind his desk and crosses his hands. It was a power move to make feel inferior and at this moment, I felt small and unheard.
How could I have been so stupid?
