After the End: Book 4

69. A Real Honesty

A/N: someone sent me the meme above and told me it made them think of what I do to Harry and I feel called out lol
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Louis POV

She called me as soon as I left the tower. I had literally only just reached my car. It was eery actually, like she was watching me. Maybe she just knew my schedule well enough mixed with knowing me well enough to know I'd be out the door as soon as I could justify it. After the past two days we'd had, I wasn't in any hurry to hang around more than I had to. I'd only half smiled at Elliot when I rushed out the door.

"You're freaking out, aren't you?" She asked me as soon as I picked up the phone.

"Obviously," I agreed. "I can feel my blood pressure fluctuating. I might die actually."

"You have my sympathies," she responded sarcastically. All of the earlier anxiety in her voice was gone. She was back to sounding sure and focused as ever. "Only partially though. I've reserved some for myself considering the walk of shame Melvin gave me when he had me escorted out of the building in-front of all my friends. I was lucky I cleaned out my own office first."

"You planned ahead," I commented.

"Always."

"You didn't tell me goodbye this morning. You didn't even tell me you took the video Becca."

"Are you still at the tower? I need you to not be there while we talk. I don't trust anyone not to overhear you."

I hadn't even bothered to start my car yet. With the way my entire body was floating in the wake of the days anxiety, it almost seemed like a step too far. I genuinely couldn't talk and drive at the same time.

"I'm in the car park," I said.

"Leave."

I started my car without hesitation, and pulled out of the lot like she'd requested.

"You said he threatened you?" She asked after sufficient time had passed. "Are you okay?"

"Me?" I asked incredulously. "Becca he fired you. I am much more interested in that. He brought up the NDA. Is he about to sue you? Is that what it was about?"

"No," she assured me. "No, he isn't going to do anything. You've noticed that the label didn't release any statement about that video?"

"The video you didn't tell me about," I stated.

"Louis, focus," she whined a little bit. "He isn't going to acknowledge the video. If he wanted to sue me, he'd have to throw the fact that he's a liar into the limelight. It already looks bad. Suing me would only make things worse for him. He didn't fire me for the video. It literally didn't even come up in my meeting with him this morning. He fired me for misconduct instead. It's a much quieter charge."

"Misconduct?" I asked confused.

"Sexual harassment actually," she confirmed. She didn't even sound upset. She'd clearly had hours to process it, but I nearly crashed my car when the words left her mouth. "He fired me for being such a slut. He pulled out the security footage of me trying to jump your bones in an elevator which was both hilarious and humiliating to be honest. I always meant to remove that. I just forgot about it after you and I got to the security room. It was a stupid oversight."

I remembered exactly what she was talking about. It was just a few weeks prior. Harry was meeting his band for the first time, and Becca was being faux desperate and teasing. I remembered it fondly, and Melvins claims attached to it didn't make any sense.

"That's not sexual harassment. That's bullshit!"

"It wasn't just that. I know I didn't sexually harass anyone, but I have a reputation there Lou. I told you that I... I got around, okay? And people know that, and it's really easy to push a fake narrative, and if you remember correctly, you were rejecting me in that elevator, and he just edited out the more friendly parts—"