By the end of Belle's first week, it quickly became apparent that there was an assortment of peculiar relationship entanglements throughout Gold Consolidated. Tavish Gold's only son and supposed heir to the company (though currently, he refused it) was Neal Gold—who apparently was the father of Emma Swan's son.
Belle had suspected that Neal and Emma had had some sort of romantic connection or history, but the fact that they both had a child was mind-boggling. According to Aurora Costa, they were no longer together, due to some kind of fight between their families and an assortment of misunderstandings. Nevertheless, they acted like a couple, though Emma reportedly refused to live with him or even date him officially. She kept her walls up, Rory said knowingly.
In any case, Belle remained curious about Neal's father, whom everyone agreed was a dragon in the workplace. She had mentioned her few interactions with Tavish Gold to Rory, who'd simply shrugged, and stated that she'd never met the man and had no basis to judge. Rory did point out that he was brutally efficient in his work, had little patience for time-wasters, and demanded everyone perform their roles to the best of their ability. Aside from the lack of emotion, Belle didn't necessarily find these bad qualities.
She was still a little perplexed as to why he was so kind to her.
Which is why she couldn't resist listening to Neal and Emma's conversation as she prepared a cup of tea for herself in the office kitchenette. They had apparently not noticed her, too deeply engrossed in their discussion. Belle was not an eavesdropper by any stretch of the imagination, but when she heard Emma mention Gold, she couldn't seem to stop herself from overhearing.
"You know, I told him," Neal remarked, folding his arms over his chest. "I told him over and over she was bad news. That she wasn't what he thought. But he didn't listen, and now look where we are."
"Oh come on," Emma scoffed, sprinkling cinnamon into her hot chocolate. "How could you have possibly known?"
"Because the one and only thing my Dad and I have in common, aside from our beautiful eyes," Neal pronounced with a wink. "Is that we both have terrible taste in women. We get conned right out of our hearts."
"Gee, thanks," Emma said dryly.
"I didn't mean you, sunshine," Neal laughed, taking a bite out of an apple. "But come on. Remember Tamara?" Belle watched out of the corner of her eyes as a very sour expression emerged on Emma's face.
"Do not remind me," Emma said acidly, slamming the cinnamon back into the cupboards.
"A long line of bad decisions before her and you," Neal continued. "And I'm a chip off the old block where Dad's concerned. Remember my mom?" The two shared an expression of equal disgust and Belle became very interested in the nutritional qualities of the sweet and low as she prepared her tea.
"You see?" Neal said triumphantly. "Cora is just another classic example. Dad's really gotta be more careful about this kind of thing."
"Seriously, Neal," Emma said exasperatedly. "You expect me to believe that Tavish Gold even has a heart, and that Cora broke it by showing her true colors? Get real. The man's a frost giant, you can't expect me to think that he even cared. You've said yourself he's hardly said anything about it."
"And that's how you know," Neal sighed, looking tired. "Look hon, I've got a million issues with the man. In fact, I've got the whole subscription. But you gotta believe me on this one—the man is full of love. I hate that he's hurt about it, but I'm glad he's not wasting his time with her. Just wish he'd find someone who's good for him, has a good heart. Brings out the best in him, that kinda stuff."
"You're a better man than I, Gunga Din," Emma said skeptically. "I haven't forgiven him…for a lot of things."
Belle's tea was now perfectly prepared and getting colder by the minute, so she reluctantly took her Jane Austen mug and returned to her desk. Her thoughts were swimming as she sipped her tea. She selfishly wished she were closer to Emma, who seemed to have all this fascinating intel about the Gold family—which made sense, seeing as she was technically a part of it. Belle couldn't quite put her finger on why she was so interested in Gold's tendency to lose his heart to undeserving women, but the image of his soft brown eyes and gentle smile suddenly filled her thoughts—
She blinked, stiffening. Oh no. No, no, no. Off-limits. She was in absolutely no position to nurse a silly office crush, particularly on the head of the company who was good deal older than her, the father of one of her coworkers, as well as being her boss. Absolutely not. She had just broken up with Gene for heaven's sake, this was terrible timing.
Enough of this, Belle told herself sternly. You aren't here to fall in love, you're here to work. She needed this job desperately, if only to create a foundation of work experience. There was absolutely no room for anything else in her life.
XXXX
Aurora Costa had learned a great deal in her six months of working at Gold Consolidated. She'd learned coffee was the lifeblood of all who worked there, and if the pot wasn't at least half full and piping hot, riots would ensue. She'd learned that the color printer had occasional moments of demonic possession, which were usually stifled with a large paperclip inserted in a specific spot. And she'd learned that she would have to put up with Killian Jones for the sake of keeping her job.
As his personal assistant, he'd gotten her an iPhone for consistent communication, which at first, had thrilled her. She and her husband, Phillip, had been living paycheck to paycheck and had dropped their cell phone plan, purely for the sake of keeping current with their student loans. But the iPhone had become something of a burden to her—Killian rarely stopped haranguing her for errands and when he wasn't constantly calling her, he was sending texts that were far from appropriate. She staved him off as best she could, but it was hard, as his advances got more pronounced every day.
Phillip had yet to find a full-time job and had been shuttling between temp positions. They counted on her biweekly paycheck and if she displeased Killian, they'd be evicted in less than a month.
She jumped when the small speaker by her desk crackled, and she heard her boss say smoothly, "Rory, darling, would you mind coming in for a moment?"
Rory sighed, picking up her pen and notebook. She entered his office, giving him a placid smile.
"Shut the door, love," Killian requested, leaning back in his chair.
She hesitated, but her placid smile did not falter as she closed the open door. "Did you want something dictated?" Rory asked taking a seat in the uncomfortably sharp chair in front of his desk.
He didn't answer her, seeming to prefer giving her a onceover instead. "You know, Rory, every time I see you, you just get more and more beautiful." He came out from behind his desk, placing his hands upon her bare shoulders. She cleared her throat, shrugging him off.
"Should we get back to work?" Rory suggested hopefully.
"Always the busy little bee," Killian gave a mock sigh. "C'mon darling, you mustn't be so tense all the time. Just look at your poor shoulders, all full of knots…" He squeezed her shoulders hard and she flinched, biting her tongue. She would bruise, come tomorrow, her delicate skin had never been able to take such ministrations easily, it was why Phillip always took great care in being gentle…
Rory felt his lips suddenly on her neck and she quickly stepped away from him, clearing her throat again.
"Mr. Jones, you know I'm married," She held up her left hand in emphasis.
"Oh, I know, I know," Killian waved a careless hand in reciprocation. "It's crazy, isn't it? How unstoppable attraction is?"
Rory wasn't entirely sure how to answer this without offending so she raised and lowered one shoulder. "Mr. Jones, I really should get back to work if you have nothing for me…"
"Of course, love," He spun her towards the door and gave her a sharp pat on the behind. "Off you go, then."
She bit her tongue hard, tasting blood, and did not acknowledge the gesture. But it came as great relief when she exited his office, sighing into her chair. Her iPhone buzzed and she glanced at it in apprehension.
A text from Killian: I'll be thinking of you tonight.
XXXX
Emma had requested that Belle type and print out several copies of a forty page business proposal on a deal with the Mills Corporation on the color printer, bind it, and ensure that she, Mr. Jones, Mr. Gold, and the rest of the executive had a copy. Strangely enough, this was not a particularly intimidating task for Belle, as she was a particularly fast typist and actually knew how to work an old-fashioned binding machine. She got the proposal typed up in two hours, and had it cleaned up and edited in half that time. Her next challenge was figuring out the color printer, which Rory had warned her about.
She selected the correct printer on her computer, double checked that there was enough paper, and wandered into the lair of the color printer.
It didn't seem that intimidating a creature. It was a fair bit larger than most of the printers Belle had seen, but that should be no trouble. She placed her hands on her hips and stared at the color printer expectantly, waiting for it to hum to life.
The printer did nothing, merely blinked SLEEP.
Belle sighed, pressing the green checkmark button. She smiled in triumph when the contraption whirred but her victory was short-lived. The machine started beeping loudly, its whirrs grinding furiously and Belle glanced around nervously at the obnoxious noise.
Suddenly, it began printing. She sighed in relief, picking up the first page, but frowned when her beautiful proposal was not a clean cut blue—but a violent, neon pink.
"No—stop it!" Belle ordered, mashing the X button with her thumb. The printer paid no heed to her, resolutely printing the proposal in varying shades of pink and violet.
"Cancel, CANCEL!" She said frantically, attempting to turn it off. She snatched the quickly gathering papers out of the slot and tried hitting the X button once more.
To her horror, the printer had finished the first proposal and was now dutifully printing the second. She twisted, attempting to reach the power cord, and promptly tripped over herself, scattering the first proposal all over the floor.
"Damn it!" Belle wailed, scrambling to gather the sheets of paper. But before she could gather them all, the printer's tray had apparently reached its limit, and was now spitting paper at her, dropping even more sheets.
"What the bloody hell are you doing?"
Belle turned to see her boss storm in, stomping across the lurid fragments of the proposal. Killian smacked his hand on the X button—and Belle watched in outrage as the printer meekly complied to his command, stopping the process at once.
"What is all this?" Killian demanded, gesturing to the mess at Belle's feet.
"I was printing something for Emma," Belle answered, throwing up her hands. "It wasn't printing the colors I selected, and it wouldn't stop—"
"I know this proposal," Killian picked up one of the sheets, looking disgusted at the neon pink lettering. "You'd think a college graduate would realize that a proposal of this nature can't look like Lisa Frank designed it!"
"I didn't—this wasn't—" Belle stammered. "I didn't format it this way, the file is—"
"Look, I'll make it plain," Killian snapped. "If you can't manage your workload, if you can't realize that your girlish typing habits aren't appropriate, I can find another girl to replace you in a minute. Clean this mess up now, or you can consider this your first and last week." He strode out of the room and Belle glared at him, enraged.
XXXX
"Say that again," Emma said dangerously.
Killian Jones rolled his eyes. "Please, Emma love, spare me the dramatics. I really wanted to avoid a scene."
"Oh, this isn't a scene," Emma balled up her fists. "We're not at that point yet. I want you to repeat what you just said to me. Look me in the eye, and say that again."
Killian's eyes bored into hers. "I said, I gave the promotion to Sidney Glass."
"You know," Emma folded her arms against her chest. "That's what I thought you said. Tell me something, Jones, how long has Glass worked here?"
Killian sighed. "A year and a half."
"And how long have I worked here?"
"Ten years, but—"
"Ten years," Emma remarked in sarcastic surprise. "You know, I think that's a little bit more than a year and a half. Which is hilarious considering I was the one trained Sidney. And you. And pretty much everyone on this damn floor."
"Look, no one's denying you're not qualified," Killian ruffled his hair. "But—Glass gets on better with the clients. They take him more seriously than they do you."
"Why?" Emma asked icily. "Because he's male?"
"Oh, don't turn this into some feminist thing," Killian rolled his eyes. "I've made my decision, Emma. Don't make me remind you, once again, that this isn't up to you, it's up to me."
"Oh, you," Emma remarked snidely. "The man who can't even fix his own goddamn cup of coffee, the man who takes my proposals, deletes my name and adds his, the man who has little to know idea what's going on internationally and relies on my reports, probably because he's too busy fucking his secretary!"
Right as the words flew out of her mouth, something fell to the ground, and both of them turned to see Aurora looking shocked and angry.
"What did you say?" She screeched, looking appalled and Emma rolled her eyes. She had so busy yelling at her dick of a boss, she hadn't heard Rory's entry.
"Oh give it a rest, princess," Emma snarled at the younger woman. "Everyone knows what you two do behind closed doors. Your boyfriend has made no secret of that." She stomped out of Killian's office, slamming the door behind her.
"I'm leaving early," She announced to the floor. "And getting a drink. Lock up when you're done." And with that, Emma Swan exited.
XXXX
Rory prided herself on being a lady. She was from a wealthy family in New England, her mother a concert pianist, her father a governor. She had been raised with privilege and grace. She was the last person to make a scene.
But the time for ladylike sensibilities had come and gone.
"How dare you, how dare you!" Rory shrieked in decibels only dogs could hear. "You've been telling everyone I've been fucking you?!"
"C'mon now, get a hold of yourself," Killian cleared his throat and looked almost nervous at his usually sweet-tempered secretary's wrath. "I can't stand a hysterical woman…"
"Well, no fucking wonder everyone here treats me like shit! Thinking that I would cheat on my husband for a narcissistic sociopath, as if I would ever degrade myself for you!" Rory cornered him behind his desk, about ready to pound his face in.
"You're overreacting love, you—" Killian tried to say.
Rory smacked a pencil case off his desk for emphasis. "You learn right this instant that I am not nor ever will be your love!" She snarled at him. "The only person allowed to call me that is my husband and you're lucky I've had the discretion not to tell him, or you'd have a bullet in your gut by now!"
"Well, I—" He tried to laugh at that but Rory was far from finished.
"And you! You just love it, don't you, you get some kind of sick power fantasy about it, sending me texts and pictures all the time, knowing it makes me feel uncomfortable, never mind that I've asked you to stop a thousand times!" She shook her fist angrily.
"Rory, you need to calm down—" Killian pleaded, actually looking terrified, placing his hands on her shoulders, but that turned out to be a fatal mistake.
Rory slapped him hard across the face, staggering him slightly. "Get your filthy hands off of me! Now you listen to me. I've been completely upfront with you since the day I met you, and I put up with your disgusting texts and forced presents and panting and innuendos, and I did that because I need this job, but this is the last straw!" She jerked a finger under his chin as he stood against the wall.
"I've got a concealed carry license and I am a proud member of the NRA," Rory hissed. "And I've been forgiving and forgetting because of the way I was raised, but if you cannot find it within yourself to be a gentleman, I shall happily make you a lady!" And with that, Rory stormed out of his office, leaving her terrified boss to contemplate the immediate enforcement of metal detectors in the lobby.
XXXX
"I'm leaving early, Belle," Rory announced. Belle glanced at her in surprise and took in her pink cheeks and gripped fists.
"Everything okay?" She asked cautiously.
"Oh, it will be once I have a few drinks in me," Rory said darkly and Belle watched her friend carefully.
"Maybe I better come with you," She said decidedly, grabbing her coat. "You can tell me all about it."