Always Be a Wolf

by Mima

  “Maybe men here have a little more respect and actually like the woman as a person and not just tits and ass,” Jolene was clearly growing frustrated. “Do you think I like men staring at my breasts all day? Do you think I don’t know they stare at my bum when I walk away? Do you think we like that?”

  “Oh I know,” Diego rolled his eyes. “Women want to be treated like queens.”

  “Hey!” Jolene snapped. “I treat me like a queen and when you see yourself that way, others do too.”

  Diego rolled his eyes.

  “Whatever, Jolene, whatever,” He mocked her.

  “Chase, what do you think?” Jolene turned in his direction.

  “I think I have a lot of work to do,” He started to rise from his chair.

  “Coward,” Diego accused with a grin on his face. “Go ahead.”

  Chase was happy to leave the office as the sister and brother continued to debate the issue. That was, until he returned to his own desk to find Sylvana sitting behind it.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  “I saw you were behind closed doors with Jolene and Diego and I had to wonder,” Sylvana boldly crossed her legs, as if to show that she wasn’t about to move. Expressionless, her eyes fixated on Chase. “Were you in there discussing how Diego just fired Deb for calling you out on screwing him….or is it Jolene? I don’t even know which one it is, there’s a pretty solid case for both.”

  “Sylvana, get out of my chair,” Chase chose to not dignify her remark. Ignoring him, she merely shrugged as if what his demand was nothing more than a suggestion, her eyes roaming over his body.

  “You know, Deborah has some great stories about you,” She continued, her fingers weaving together, she tilted her head slightly. “Apparently you had no problem using her even though you knew she was a sex addict and her therapist suggested you were a toxic person in her life. It’s like that didn’t matter and now to learn about what is going on with….whichever one you are doing,” She pointed her finger toward the wall between his and Jolene’s office. “Although, you have been with Jolene for a while and she made sure you came to Toronto with her, but at the same time, you live with Diego, so that’s kind of weird too. I can’t quite figure you out.”

  “There’s nothing to figure out,” Chase replied in a calm voice despite the fact that his heart was racing a mile a minute. He wanted nothing more than to pound his fist against the desk but forced himself to stay composed. She was trying to push his buttons, just as she always did and he wouldn’t let her win. “There’s nothing going on and as for Deborah’s sex addiction, maybe she should take some accountability for her own choices.”

  “True,” Sylvana agreed, causing Chase to drop his defenses slightly, if not for long. “But you knew her weakness and played on it for your own selfish pleasures. That’s pretty low if you ask me.”

  “That’s the thing,” Chase spoke abruptly. “No one asked you.”

  “Sometimes these things must be pointed out especially if someone is fired,” Sylvana replied as she uncrossed her legs. “Especially after Diego completely degraded her in their meeting. She called Gracie in the elevator, crying, saying Diego called her ‘the office whore’ and told her to go work a street corner somewhere. A little harsh, isn’t it?”

  “Deborah wasn’t always doing her job, she was showing up late and constantly gossiping,” Chase spoke evenly. “It had nothing to do with anything else. Insinuating, falsely, that I was sleeping with the boss was the last straw for Diego and he fired her.”

  “Please, he fired her because you were sick of having her around now that you’re done with her.”

  “When she was here earlier today,” Chase felt his patience waning, his heart picking up the pace. “She was angry because I wouldn’t sleep with her anymore. You can’t have it both ways, Sylvana, you can’t give me shit for ‘using’ her then turn around and give me shit for telling her that it wasn’t a good idea to hook up anymore. This isn’t even about her, it’s about me. You clearly have an issue with me and always have. What’s your fucking problem?”

  Chase wasn’t sure which of them was more surprised by his comment but he remained stoic, while Sylvana’s eyes widened and for a moment, he thought she was going to admit defeat and leave. However, he had misread the situation.

  “You’re right, I don’t like you,” Sylvana agreed and finally stood up and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “You’re their pet. You don’t have to do a damn thing around here and meanwhile, I’m doing two people’s jobs and Diego just calls me ‘the Italian’ all the time as if I don’t even have a name. So it’s pretty clear you have special treatment for some reason.”

  With that, she finally left.

  It was unsettling that Deborah was still spreading office gossip and even more unsettling that people thought he was getting favouritism at work. Then again, was he? Did he get special treatment from Diego and Jolene? True, they considered him family but in everyone else’s eyes, he was merely another employee, so maybe Sylvana wasn’t completely wrong.

  Unfortunately, his attempt to explain the truth behind Deborah’s stories was to no avail. Although the office was small, the stories spread through like rapid fire; everything from how cruel Diego was to Deborah when he fired her, to the alleged affair with one of the two bosses in the workplace, but the last straw came when he found out that Deborah was planning to sue the company for wrongful dismissal. As soon as Chase learned this story, he went directly to Diego with his concerns.

  Diego laughed.

  “Yeah, our lawyers will knock her on her ass over that one” Diego grinned from ear to ear. “Considering she is spreading gossip throughout the office about these wild affairs you are supposedly having with me and Jolene, not to mention that I have a record of all the times she was late that I made her sign….she’s got nothing, Chase.”

  Shortly after, Beverly found a new administrative assistant, an older lady in her 50s named Verna. Unlike the younger people at work, she had little interest in office gossip. Everyone seemed to like her, she was a good fit and most of all, Diego thought she was perfect.

  “We need more Vernas and less of these young kids,” Diego commented airily one day in the staff room when it was just him, Chase and the newest edition to the staff. Sitting at the table, enjoying her lunch break with a cup of Diego’s coffee and a muffin, she let out a little laugh. “People who actually understand professionalism.”

  “It’s a different world now,” Verna insisted as she swallowed her food, sharing a smile with both Diego and Chase. Pushing a strand of her dark, curly hair behind her ear, her blue eyes seemed to dazzle when she spoke. “When I started out, there was no Internet or smartphones to distract everyone. You had work to do and you did it because you needed the job. Now, there’s a different attitude with young people. I find my son is the same way. I practically had to push him out the door to get a job and we certainly didn’t raise him to be like that.”

  “Well, they aren’t all like that,” Diego pointed at Chase as they both made their way to the door. “But many are, unfortunately.”

  Although Chase would’ve like to get to know Verna better, he immediately had the sense that Diego preferred he didn’t and at that point, perhaps it was best to steer clear of any personal conversations at work. That’s what got him in trouble in the first place.

  Things were getting back to normal and everything appeared fine until one morning when Jolene came roaring into Diego’s office, abruptly closing the door behind her, she looked as if she were about to explode.

  “That puta Deborah, I want to kill her,” She raged, immediately causing Chase to jump up from his chair and Diego’s eyes to widen as his sister approached the desk. “I just get off the phone with our lawyer, he claim that her lawyer call him and say we fire her illegally because she knew about sketchy things we were doing here and if we do not pay her off, she will go to t
he CRA and get us audited.”

  “What? She doesn’t have a leg to stand on,” Diego shook his head but appearing a little mortified at the same time. “We fired her cause she was always late, I have the proof.”

  “It don’t matter, Diego,” Jolene snapped at him. “The point is that she is threatening to cause shit for us unless we give her money. She wants revenge and even though our lawyer, he say we would probably win in court, that it don’t matter because it would bring too much attention Diego, we can’t get the government and police in here snooping around.”

  “Jolene, that’s not going to happen,” Diego assured her. “We need to talk to our lawyer, set up a meeting.”

  “I did,” Jolene sat down. “It is in the morning. Oh, Diego, what will we do?”

  “Look, guys, we aren’t doing anything illegal,” Chase started to speak as he walked toward Diego’s desk and sat beside Jolene. “Benjamin is taking care of the books and our parties are legal.” They both gave him a long look and he remembered Hernandez. “Look, regardless, she has nothing. I think she’s trying to milk this situation.”

  “Milk? I do not understand,” Jolene shook her head, suddenly appearing exhausted.

  “Take advantage,” Chase replied and glanced toward Diego, who appeared tense. “Right?”

  “We can’t talk about this now, Chase,” Diego replied. “I think the three of us need to go out and have a calming lunch.”

  Diego was insistent that they never speak of anything shady in the office, so it was clear their lunch was to discuss details that were best not spoken about at work. Did they think that the walls had ears? Chase decided it was best to not ask.

  Calmly, the three of them left the office, announcing that they had a meeting and would return a little later. Verna gave a short nod as they walked out the door and to the nearest elevator.

  “I don’t trust her,” Diego announced as soon as they were inside, the three of them alone.

  “Verna?” Chase asked.

  “No, I don’t trust anyone but there’s something off about her,” Diego shrugged and made a face.

  “You said how great she was just the other day,” Chase recalled their conversation in the staff room.

  “I say a lot of things, Chase,” Diego replied while Jolene quietly listened, her face full of worry. “You’re the only person we trust at work and to be honest and that’s why we never talk about anything much at that place. We act as if all is normal.”

  “No, we do trust Benjamin,” Jolene quietly added.

  “He does the books,” Diego shrugged as the door opened and the three walked out while a group of strangers walked in.

  Chase didn’t ask for an elaboration.

  “He’s paid…very well,” Jolene muttered to Chase as the three of them made their way toward Diego’s car: another place they weren’t allowed to speak of anything about work.

  Once at a restaurant that was known for its chicken, more of a family establishment, the three sat at the back of the room and Jolene immediately ordered a glass of wine. After the waitress left, Jolene closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “Bad day.”

  “So here’s what we are going to do,” Diego started to speak immediately, ignoring the menu in front of him. “We talk to the lawyer and find out our options then we take it from there.”

  “What does she know exactly?” Chase asked just as the waitress returned with Jolene’s wine. Diego and Chase ordered the special while Jolene shook her head and said she couldn’t eat.

  “Don’t pick at my food,” Diego insisted after the waitress left. “I hate when you do that.”

  “I will not do,” Jolene moaned. “Diego, what are we going to do? Our lawyer, he say that she might have us in a bad situation. Even though we do nothing wrong, she can still pull us through the mud.”

  “But what does she know?” Chase repeated his earlier question.

  “I think she know about drugs,” Jolene barely muttered, as if speaking into her drink. “She applied with us after one of the parties she attended. She saw the drugs and maybe know something was going on. That is what she told her lawyer but ours, of course, said no, that was not going on.”

  “Maybe we need to get Hernandez into this,” Diego spoke cautiously. “He might have to step in.”

  Jolene made a face and her body tensed up. “I don’t think it come to that, do you?”

  “He won’t like this,” Diego’s eyes blazed. “I could also speak to her.”

  “We cannot,” Jolene said with a shrug. “Not if she has legal issues with us, we cannot because it will look bad. Like we are harassing her, you know?”

  “Do you think Hernandez can talk to her?” Chase asked but immediately felt naïve when both Jolene and Diego gave him a look.

  “If he steps in,” Jolene traced her fingers along the edge of her wine glass. “She might be in a lot of trouble. He works for people who do not mess around, Chase. They don’t like problems.”

  Diego frowned and shook his head.

  “And neither do we.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  It amazed Chase how food had the power to lighten the mood at work; People automatically dropped their defenses as their eyes lit up at the sight of anything covered in icing or with the aroma of something fresh out of the oven. Knowing Diego as he did, Chase sensed that their impromptu meeting with a supply of donuts and cheap pizzas was merely a way to lure the sheep in before a mass slaughtering, since he was completely infuriated with at least two of their small staff.

  On the outside, this pre-Valentine’s Day meeting was a way to thank the staff for their diligent work during their busiest season since opening the office. It was a way to thank everyone for their efforts and of course, they fell for it; gorging on food, casually chatting, as if the work day had already ended. Meanwhile, Diego drank his coffee, ate his one slice of pizza while watching everyone carefully. Jolene did the same, occasionally exchanging menacing looks with Diego. Sylvana and Gracie chatted enthusiastically, completely unaware of the tension in the room, while Beverly and Benjamin had a quiet conversation and Verna ate her food, saying nothing.

  It was about the time that Chase finished his second slice of vegetarian pizza that he noticed that Diego’s eyes growing darker, his expression more fierce by the moment, much like an animal about to sink his teeth into a victim. It carried the same intensity as he saw the day Diego attacked the man with a baseball bat and more recently, the day he learned of Luke Prince’s death. It was a look that was unforgiving, uncaring and ferocious.

  Slowly rising from his seat, Diego’s eyes scanned the many faces that sat around the table, immediately grabbing Verna and Jolene’s attention. Opening his mouth as if to speak, he closed it again and continued to watch everyone, his face tense. Chase exchanged apprehensive glances with Jolene who shook her head no, as if to tell him to not say anything.

  “I have something to say,” Diego started in his normal tone, attempting to gather everyone’s attention. This time, he captured a respectful nod from Benjamin as he turned his chair slightly and Beverly did the same, her face serious and calm. Meanwhile, Sylvana and Gracie continued to chat away as if their boss hadn’t spoken.

  Diego’s grim face grew darker by the second and with one sudden move, his hand abruptly came down on the table with a loud bang, causing Gracie to jump, her eyes full of shock as she turned around while Sylvana looked slightly alarmed by the unmistakable anger behind the action. Everyone turned their attention to Jolene as if expecting her to tell Diego to calm down but she remained tight-lipped, apathetic and ignored their glances.

  “I said,” Diego’s voice had risen to express anger as his cold glare fixated on Gracie, who was blinking back tears in reaction to his hostility, “I have something to say and I would appreciate it if everyone would listen.”

  Standing upright, he was silent for a mome
nt before continuing.

  “This lunch was a little treat to thank everyone for the extra efforts you’ve all taken during what has been our busiest season yet,” Diego stood taller as he spoke, ignoring Gracie as she casually wiped away a tear, he stepped away from the table, his black eyes inspecting each of their faces as he spoke. “I appreciate all the effort made and I want to thank you.”

  He ended with a relaxed tone that momentarily sent a brief serenity through the boardroom that perhaps lowered everyone’s defenses: but it shouldn’t have.

  Diego didn’t speak for a moment as if he were weighing words in his head. He walked around the table to close the conference room door and returned to the head of the table. Rubbing a hand over his face, his eyes darted toward Sylvana and Gracie and just as quickly jumped to the back of the room.

  “As you know, we recently had to let Deborah go.” He hesitated and his lips curled into an angry pout, “I know you all know because you’ve been gossiping about it non-stop.”

  “Lots of stories going around,” He continued. “Lots of fucking bullshit going around. Insinuations she was fired for anything other than not doing her job, which she didn’t do well. Often late, sometimes not coming in at all, leaving Beverly to cover for her, therefore putting her own work behind. Fucking a delivery guy in our staff washroom. But the day I walked in on her making false accusations about other staff members, I said that’s it.”

  His nostrils widened as fury continued to fill his face, while Chase noted some hints of his accent creeping in. Diego had everyone’s full attention.

  “I have no tolerance for gossip. I have no tolerance for disloyalty. I have no tolerance for anyone trying to tear down this business or each other,” He hid no anger in his voice. Shaking his head, he pointed around the room. “This here, this is not high school. This is a business. It’s work. If any of you want to spread rumors, tell lies around the office, then you should get off your ass and get the fuck out of this office right now!”