One Wild Night

Chapter 914  That Hurt A Lot

As Harry walked briskly to his office, his mind swirled with thoughts of Jade. He couldn't shake the unease he felt after their brief exchange.

As he reached Tom's office, he knocked twice before stepping in.

Tom looked up from his desk, his expression a mix of curiosity and concern. "How did it go with Jade?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.

Harry sighed deeply, rubbing his eyes. "I don't know, Tom. I just don't know."

Tom gestured for Harry to take a seat. "You said you were going to support her decision, remember?"

"And I meant it. I do support her," Harry said, frustration evident in his voice. "But I don't understand why she's acting this way."

"What way?" Tom asked, his brow furrowing. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"I can't explain it," Harry admitted, shaking his head. "She's struggling with the distance between us between us, I know it, but she's pretending to be okay. She's keeping me at arm's length, and it's driving me crazy. Why is she still doing this even after I apologized and asked that we go back to how things were before? Even if she doesn't want us to go back to our relationship yet, can we just be cool?"

Tom nodded slowly, absorbing Harry's words. "Give her some time, Harry. Just be patient. I'm sure she will come around soon."

Harry sighed again, a weary sound that spoke volumes. "I know she will come around eventually, but it's hard to be patient. As a matter of fact, I've run out of patience."

"I get it," Tom said sympathetically. "Right from childhood Jade has always been the sensitive type. She easily withdraws into her shell at the slightest threat of anything that hurts her feelings. So, maybe you'd like to be more careful in the future."

"This has taught me, I guess."

Do you want us to talk about business? Perhaps it will distract you?" Tom suggested.

Harry took a deep breath, "Yeah. Let's do that. I need a distraction," Harry said,  trying to push his personal feelings aside.

After thirty minutes, they both decided it wasn't working, so Tom asked Harry to get out of his office and go find a way to take care of his problem.

Meanwhile, Jade was settling into her new office in the legal unit. Her office was spacious and modern, with floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a stunning view of the city, with a large mahogany desk dominating the center of the room.

As she tried to organize herself and settle in, a soft knock on the door drew her attention. She looked up to see Dame, her new assistant, standing hesitantly at the threshold.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Ms. Hank," she greeted with a warm smile. "I just wanted to check if you need anything."

"Please, call me Jade. And no, I'm good for now. Just getting settled." Jade replied, returning the smile.

"Alright, Jade. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask," Dame said before stepping back out.

Jade appreciated the gesture. She knew that building a good rapport with her team was crucial, and Dame seemed like a good person to have by her side.

As she continued to organize her office, Jade's thoughts drifted to her new colleagues. She was eager to meet them, to understand the dynamics of the team, and to find her place within it.

Around mid-morning, Jade decided to take a break and explore the office. She walked through the halls, observing the bustling activity. People moved with purpose, their conversations were a blend of professional jargon and casual banter. She smiled at a few who nodded in her direction, feeling a sense of belonging beginning to take root.

A middle-aged woman with short, curly hair stepped forward, extending her hand. "Welcome, Jade. I'm Jenny, head of the legal team. It's great to have you with us."

She made her way to the legal department's common area, a bright and airy space with comfortable seating and a coffee station. A few of her new colleagues were gathered there, engaged in animated discussion.

As Jade approached them, her presence drew their attention.

"Hi, I'm Jade Hank," she introduced herself with a confident smile. "I just started today."

A middle-aged woman with short, curly hair stepped forward, extending her hand. "Welcome, Jade. I'm Jenny, head of the legal team. It's great to have you with us."

"Thank you, ma'am. I'm excited to be here," Jade replied, shaking her hand.

"Jenny is just fine," she corrected and Jade nodded.

The others introduced themselves in turn,  and she smiled when Samson introduced himself, recognizing him from the anniversary party as the guy who had approached Candace.

Soon Jade found herself immersed in conversation. They talked about their current projects, shared a few office anecdotes, and made plans for a team lunch later in the week.

Jade felt a warmth spread through her as she realized she was already starting to connect with her new team.

As they all returned to their offices, Jenny invited Jade to her office, and Jade followed, hoping that now she would receive her tasks.

Once they walked into the office, Jenny turned to her, "I take it you're here to work, yes?" She asked, and Jade frowned.

"Why else would I be here if not to work?" Jade asked in confusion.

The lady shrugged, "I just needed to confirm. With your brother and your man being the CEOs, I wasn't sure what to do when I heard you were joining us, especially since they both specifically asked me separately not to give you any dangerous or tedious tasks," she said, and Jade frowned.

"They did?"

"Yes. And I'm not saying this because I'm upset or because I disapprove. Do not get me wrong. I just want to know if you share the same sentiments with them. They might be my superiors, but you are still my subordinate, and I do not like it when men tell women what to do," she said and Jade smiled.

"So, if you want to just come to the office, sit down, and stare at your nails in admiration, let me know so I don't bother you with any serious assignments," Jenny said and Jade decided that she liked her straight-to-the-point attitude.

"I'm here to work, Jenny, and to work hard. I made a name for myself and worked too hard in Varis to come here and be mediocre. And I also do not like men telling me what to do especially when it comes to my career. The only reason I moved here was because I wanted to be closer to my family, and I was tired of my former workplace. So, please help me," Jade said and Jenny nodded.

"Alright then. Do not expect me to treat you specially though. I expect you to be punctual and to put in your best as everyone else does," she said, and Jade smiled.

"And you won't get anything less," Jade promised and Jenny nodded with approval.

"From your details which were submitted, I see that you've been practicing criminal law," she said, and Jade nodded.

"That's right."

"Alright then. We will start with the easy ones and ease you slowly into how things are done here. And now that I-Global has an entertainment subsidiary, maybe you'll have to be the legal representative of some of them," she said, and when Jade nodded, Jenny gave her some case files before dismissing her.

Returning to her office, Jade felt a renewed sense of purpose as she sat down at her desk and began reviewing the case files she had been given.

She knew that making the move from being a criminal lawyer to a corporate lawyer was going to be a tedious process, but she was glad now that she had taken the time to specialize in both areas.

Hours passed as Jade lost herself in her work. She analyzed contracts, drafted legal opinions, and prepared for upcoming meetings.

Her legal mind was sharp, and she navigated through the complexities with ease. It was in these moments, buried in the details of a case, that she felt most alive and confident.

Jade raised her head when a knock sounded on her door, and she was surprised when Harry walked in.

"Harry," she said, not bothering to hide her surprise.

"Not entirely. I'm waiting to move my stuff over. My books and… talking about moving my stuff, I need to give Aurora a call," she said and Harry watched her, amazed at how different she looked seated behind her desk.

"I see you've settled in," he said stopping in the middle of the office as he looked around her office wanting to make sure everything was in place and it was okay for her.

"Not entirely. I'm waiting to move my stuff over. My books and… talking about moving my stuff, I need to give Aurora a call," she said and Harry watched her, amazed at how different she looked seated behind her desk.

He had seen her in her work mode several times in the past and had even worked with her and been a sounding board for her, but seeing her dressed this way and behind a desk hit differently.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Jade asked when she noticed the grin on Harry's face.

"You're glowing," he said, and she grinned.

"Am I?" She asked, momentarily forgetting the emotional distance she had created between them.

"Yeah. And it's beautiful to see you this way. It's a first for me," he said and she nodded.

"I guess so," she said as she watched him.

"What brings you to my office, boss?" She asked, and Harry met her gaze.

"I came to see how MY WOMAN, has settled in," he said, emphasizing that part.

Jade sighed, "Harry…"

"No, you listen Jade. I'm doing my best here. Yes, I made a mistake and hurt you unintentionally because I was hurting too, but I have apologized for it. And I won't keep letting you push me away this way. I want to be patient with you as I've always been, but I've ran out of patience. You want to work on yourself? That's fine by me, but I won't let you keep up with this thing you're doing…"

"This thing I'm doing?" Jade asked with a raised brow.

"Yes. This thing you're doing. Life's short, Jade. Too short for us to be doing what makes us unhappy. If you're eventually going to be with me after working this out, then why not just be with me, and let's work it out together? We don't know if we have thirty years, twenty, or even just a year together. What if you're told that I'm dying or suffering from a terminal disease right now? Will you still keep this up? I could drop dead in a year…"

"Shut up, Jonas. No one is dropping dead or having any diseases," Jade said, not wanting to imagine the picture he was painting.

"Maybe not. But you get the point, right? I've been out of my mind all day unable to focus on work. And you know how much I love work, right? But right now I love you even far more than I love my job," Harry said and Jade felt butterflies flutter in her stomach.

She cleared her throat, "Why are you telling me all this in the middle of work?" She asked weakly.

"You said I should let you know when I make up my mind. This is me doing that. Stop with the attitude. You can move into your own place if that's what you really want, and you don't have to visit me if you don't want to. I will visit you, take you out on proper dates, and drive you to and from your therapy sessions, and we can go on couple counseling together and have lunch together during lunch breaks when either of us is not too busy. I want to do all of that with you, so, can you please stop frustrating me? I need to be in a good emotional state to function properly and right now I'm unable to do it. So, can you compromise and meet me in the middle?" He asked, still standing where he was.

"Are you saying all that simply because you need to be in a good emotional state to function at work?" She asked, and when Harry glared at her, she pressed her lips together to keep from laughing.

As Jade rose from her seat, she cursed herself for being weak as she walked up to him, and when she stopped in front of him, she shrugged, "I'm in the middle now, so what?"

"You're in the middle?" Harry asked, and when she shrugged, he narrowed his eyes.

"Prove it."

"How?" She asked, and Harry smiled.

"Hug me and kiss me," he said, and she rolled her eyes as she embraced him.

Harry let out a deep breath as he wrapped his arms around her, feeling very relieved that she had listened.

As they pulled apart, Jade met his gaze, "Never threaten me with a breakup or say you regret doing anything with me. That hurt a lot," she said, tears gathering in her eyes.

Harry nodded as he cupped her face with his hands, "I'm sorry. I lost my mind when I saw your packed bags," he said and she nodded.

"I won't do that ever again. I will fight out whatever with you instead of packing up," she promised and Harry nodded as he leaned forward, touching his forehead to hers.

"I love you, esquire. I love you so damned much and too much. I would never hurt you intentionally. I'm sorry I didn't put much thought into the proposal plan and I left room for you to misunderstand things. I promise to do better going forward," he said and she smiled.

"I'm sorry for not trusting you enough too and for everything I said," she said and Harry nodded.

"Can we forget it all now?" He asked, she nodded.

"Yes. Let's move on. I don't want us to go back to how things were. I want us to be better, for ourselves and for each other," she said, and Harry nodded.

"Let's do that," he agreed, and they sealed it with a kiss.