Emancipation

thirty four

As soon as his eyes meet mine, I almost start regretting not telling him. He looks as pissed as he did when he looked at my bare fingers a month ago. I cross the distance between us as Warren stands up to greet James who just curtly nods at him, his eyes fixed on me and his jaw clenching.

"Let me guess, you can explain?" He arches an eyebrow and a cold shiver runs through me at his tone.

"Not here, please." I breathe and he looks around at his employees, nodding.

"You're right. Come." He extends his hand forward and I put my hand in his hesitantly. When he notices the bare fingers, his eyes turn even darker if that's possible and he momentarily closes them. "You've got to be kidding me right now, Lillian."

For the first time I see him trying to breathe out his anger as he closes his fingers around my hand. He doesn't say another word as he pulls me towards the elevator and presses the button. Some people step outside while some stay in, greeting James who just nods at them in return.

Can they not feel him fuming, or is it just me? When we reach the fifteenth floor, James's steps become quicker. He doesn't even give me a chance to greet Olivia who smiles at me and I hope that she saw me return it back. My priorities are really messed up right now.

As soon as we reach outside his office, I notice Amy standing from her cubicle to reach James who snaps at her. "Don't wanna know at the moment. Whatever meetings I have, cancel them for the next hour."

She nods, her eyes momentarily meeting mine and I don't miss her smirk as James turns to enter his office and I follow behind him. As soon as the door shuts behind me, James puts his hand on the back of the chair as he faces me with the fuming anger.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" He yells loudly, almost making me jump out of my skin.

"James..." I try to begin but his angered look immediately shuts me up.

"No, Ms. Vince. No." He glares at me, and the way he said my name just makes me flinch in displeasure, "You didn't even mention it to me that you had an interview today, let alone show up under your maiden name and without those damn rings. I'm going to burn that shit for real."

His words seem like a punch in my heart but I know he doesn't mean them, at least I hope he doesn't. Those rings mean the world to me and I understand how much I would freak out if I ever saw James's hand without the wedding band.

"Will you please stop shouting?" I try to mumble out in a calm tone but regret it almost instantly at the way he looks at me.

"Do you want to explain why my assistant told me that Lillian Vince is here for the internship interview after I was done with a very important meeting? It made me look like a fool when I had no idea what she was talking about." He isn't yelling anymore, so that's a good thing.

I try so hard that the knots forming in my throat with this entire situation resolve but I just keep up breathing unevenly. "I didn't want the internship under the name favours."

That's as honest as I can be and he grits his teeth, his jaw clenching even more before he turns to the glass wall, slamming his hand against it with his back to me.

"James..." I begin again but he shakes his head.

"Go home. I don't want to talk right now, just please leave."

Oh, god! His words twist in my stomach but I'm not leaving like this. "No."

He turns around with a deep scowl on his face as he studies me. "What happened to giving me space when I ask for it?" He mocks my words from the last time we had an argument big enough to be mad at each other like this.