Obsession With My EX-wife

Chapter 15: Back In The Director's Office

Leonard glared at Catherine. He ground his teeth together and said, "I said that I would win your heart back, and that is what I intend to do!" 

Tears filled Catherine's eyes, and she said, "But I don't want to be with you anymore. How many times do I have to say that?" 

When the elevator arrived at the floor where the Director's office was, Leonard pulled Catherine out into the hallway. He planned to drag her into the Director's office and barge right in, and when Catherine realized what his intention was, she cried out: "What are you doing?! Whatever you've got planned, please give it up! You are going to get me into a lot of trouble!"

Leonard looked at Catherine and said, "Quit worrying! I won't get you into any trouble." 

When they got to the Director's office, Leonard opened the door without knocking, and he pulled Catherine inside. The Director looked up, and his brow furrowed. "Why don't you knock before entering?" he asked. Then he realized who it was that had barged into his office, and his tone changed; softened. "Mr. Campbell, What can I do for you?"

Leonard glared at the Director and threw a file on his desk. "Have a look," he said. 

The Director evaluated Leonard's solemn expression and said, "Okay. I'll read it right now." The Director opened the file carefully and began to read it.

Leonard sat down across from the Director, crossed his legs gracefully, and watched the other man read. Catherine sat beside Leonard. She didn't know what was in the file, and that made her very nervous. If this turned out to be another one of Leonard's games, she would likely lose her job.

After reading the file, the Director respectfully handed it back to Leonard, who then handed it to Catherine. Once she had the file in her hand, the Director looked at Leonard and said, "Mr. Campbell, thank you for bringing this to my attention." 

Leonard had checked up on the woman and her husband. As it turned out, the man had cheated on his wife, and she had hired a private investigator to get the details. The private investigator had photographed the man coming to see Catherine in the hospital, so the woman had mistakenly thought that Catherine was the other woman. 

Now that the Director knew the truth, he felt ashamed about how he had treated Catherine, and when she was done reading the file, he said, "I am so sorry for mistreating you this morning. You'll still get your bonus this month, plus an additional five hundred dollars. Let's never mention this again." 

Catherine smiled and said, "Thank you. I appreciate this. If you don't mind, though, I'd like to get going."

The Director nodded and said, "Have a good night," and then he returned to his work. Catherine turned and walked out of his office, and Leonard followed behind her. 

Catherine was so happy about the bonus five hundred dollars that she felt like jumping for joy. In her opinion, all of the day's troubles had been worth it in the end. She looked at Leonard, smiled, and said, "Thank you for what you did for me today." 

Leonard sighed and said, "After you've been bullied, you never know what to do, and you keep all of your troubles to yourself. If you don't start letting people in, it will cause you a lot of heartaches."

I have suffered a lot, primarily due to you – Catherine thought, and she almost blurted the words out, but she caught herself just in time – He has become my hero, and at the same time, the bane of my existence…

Catherine smiled indifferently and said, "You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, so you don't understand how things like this are for people like me." 

Leonard frowned and said, "No, I understand, but you are biased against me, so, when it comes to me, you only see things in black and white." 

"That's the truth," Catherine said quietly. "Anyway, thank you so much. I'm leaving now. See you." 

Leonard grabbed Catherine's hand and said, "Wait." 

Catherine looked at Leonard's hand, but she didn't shake it off this time. "Is there something else?" she asked.

Leonard: "I have done you a great favor, and all you've done is say thank you. Aren't you going to repay me?"

Catherine gave Leonard a contemptuous look and said, "Mr. Campbell, haven't you heard of Altruism or Karma? Altruism is the principle and moral practice of concerning oneself over the happiness and health of other human beings. It expects nothing in return. It is the highest form of morality, and it results in a higher quality of life, both material and spiritual, for everyone who is Altruistic - and according to Karmic traditions, whatever you put out into the world, will come back to you, be it good or bad. Anyway, I didn't ask you to help me, so I don't owe you anything."

Leonard chuckled to himself and said, "That's funny. I am a businessman, so doing favors without expecting benefits isn't my style. And I don't believe in Karma." 

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Catherine asked sarcastically. "Regardless, I have no money to give you."

Leonard: "It doesn't matter. Anyway, I owed you for taking care of Grandpa. In fact, I think I still owe you. Let me take you to dinner so that I can show you my gratitude." 

Catherine: "Fine. But only this time." 

Leonard was happy that Catherine had agreed to have diner with him. He led her to his car. Then, as they got in, he leaned over and asked her, "Where do you want to go? What are you in the mood to eat?"

Catherine shrugged her shoulders and said, "Fast food would be okay. But let's not go too far. After all, I'll have to take a taxi back to the hospital to collect my car."