Me Against Her (Cate Blanchett x OC)

Apex

Why.

Why would you do something so dumb. You're so dumb, Cate. I was right about you all along. 

This is not how things were supposed to go. 

You could've told me. I would've chosen us over the job. Any job. 

Locked in my room at night, the letter spread out before me, I muttered to myself over and over again. Anyone who saw me in this state would've thought that I belonged in the madhouse. 

Then, repeating in my own head, without saying out loud: 

I miss you. 

I did a spur-of-the-moment search of theater administrator job listings in the greater Sydney area. Sadly, there were none. All they had were intern or contract positions that led to dead ends. The economic downturn was real. Maybe Cate wasn't so stupid after all. I needed this job a lot more than she did. 

I had dreamed about being the Artistic Director of the Sydney Theater Company for years. This was not how I imagined things would go. The immense feeling of accomplishment, like I was on top of the world after pulling myself up by my own bootstraps, was nowhere close to be felt. 

Ding! A new email in my inbox. I clicked it open. It read: 

"Title: Pitch invitation - Monday 4PM

Dear Edith,

On behalf of the board, we're excited to hear your pitch to be Artistic Director this upcoming Monday. We have received the most glowing recommendation for you, and look forward to the potential next step that you're taking with our company. We hope that you'll see this pitch as a valuable opportunity to take the company to the next level. 

Best,

STC Board" 

It was the invitation that I worked my whole life for, and this time, I had no competition. It was basically a formality. But all of the words rang empty, and I had every impulse to turn it down. 

"Are you gonna do it?" Abby came into my room with a cup of hot tea.

"I have to at this point, don't I? It's either this or unemployment."

"You won't be unemployed. You can always pivot to a more lucrative industry, you know. You're smart enough to land somewhere else."

"Should've had this talk at our college graduation, Abs. A couple of years too late." 

"Look, maybe this is a blessing in disguise. This kind of opportunity doesn't come to you everyday. And having Cate around was distracting you from work, and you know this." 

"You're right," I nodded, but tears started flowing in my eyes again. 

"Whatever happens, you'll still have me, okay?" she gave me a big hug. 

-----

The next two weeks flew by in a blur. Everyone at work was talking about Cate and Andrew's divorce, which they thought was the main reason for her resignation, and I was fortunately left out of the spotlight. Andrew didn't show up to work very much anymore, so naturally, everyone depended on me for guidance and leadership to keep the company running. 

Thankfully, Harge never showed up at the office again, and the letters stopped coming. I walked around the office being able to breathe freely again, though the sight of Cate's empty desk gut punched me every time. 

One morning, a two million-dollar check landed on Andrew's desk. No terms or conditions attached. Just a simple, clean check made out to the company. And it was all that anyone could talk about that day. People started humming and playing music during lunch break again; they started grabbing beers together after work again. A joyous and hopeful atmosphere gradually replaced the old anxious one.

When Andrew finally showed up to work again, he looked like he had lost at least 5 pounds. His bulging beer belly had found ways to retract a bit more into his torso, and his contorted features seemed more haggard than usual. He wanted to discuss how to spend two million, and how to pick up where we left off after Cate's departure. There was surprisingly little animosity hanging in the air when he invited me to his office. 

"The board was quite impressed with your pitch. They haven't sent out an official announcement yet, but you got it." 

"Thank you, Andrew." 

"I've informed...Harge of your succession as my co-Artistic Director. He sends his congratulations." 

"Are you being ironic?" 

"No, why would I? I've had my fair share of irony for a lifetime. He's the first major investment I brought in for the company, and turns out, he's infatuated with my wife. Well, ex-wife." He said gruffly. His emasculated despondence almost made me laugh, but for the first time in my life, I felt a bit sorry for him too. It was clear that he missed her. 

"How's Cate doing, by the way?" 

"Haven't really heard from her. I've mostly been in contact with her lawyer." He said, "Did she...mention anything about me before she left?" 

I wanted to tell him the truth, but for once my professional self got the better of me. "Yes...she said that it was a tremendously difficult decision that pained her deeply."

A faint smile lit up his face for a brief moment before he continued, "Anyway, the board insists on throwing a party for you after the official announcement. We need to plan out the logistics." 

"Sure. Should I invite all friends and sponsors?" 

"Yes. Oh and one thing, Harge has asked to come as well." 

"What?"

"I don't want him there any more than you do. But his company just gave us the biggest check we've received this year, and I couldn't turn him down." 

"What could he possibly want to do there? Blackmail me out of this job too?" 

"He said that he wanted to congratulate you in person." 

"Damn right he does."

"Look, you have a bigger job now, and that comes with it more responsibility."

"I don't think I can do this, Andrew..."

"Whatever happened in the past is in the past, now you have to suck it up and pretend to like him. It's not just about you anymore. Got it?"

I took a deep breath. Looked like the nightmare had just begun.