p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Quickly, a daily routine had been established: go to work, bring Erik coffee, do people's work, make Erik yet another coffee (by this point she was sure he had a caffeine addiction) and then she had to do everyone's photocopying. Erik had started to want more coffee at the beginning of January, she wondered if the chill of winter was keeping him up later as he did seem a lot more exhausted than she usually expected for him. But then again, he did own a multi-billion pound company... /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"One morning she had found him asleep at his desk with his face resting on his arms, she resisted all of the temptation to remove his mask. As much as she longed to see the face of such a prodigy, she wasn't going to intrude on his privacy like that. Especially when he had the power to fire her on the spot and evict her from her dorm. Instead, she opted to wrap his coat around his shoulders to keep him warm amidst the cold that seemed to radiated from all of his office walls./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"When he eventually woke up with his coat draped ever so carefully around his shoulders, he knew it had been Christine. Carlotta would have yelled at him to wake him up and any of his other employees would have just left him in fear. It was blatantly apparent to Erik that all of his employees were either terrified of him of intimidated by his sheer height and the presence he brought to a room. But not her. He could sense that she resented him slightly – not that she ever said anything – but she showed him a great deal of respect. More respect than Carlotta had ever given him and she was his girlfriend.../span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"That evening it all came to fruition. A conclusion. On his way out of the office, Carlotta marched up to him, her hair a mess and mascara dripping down her face. "HOW DARE YOU!?" she screamed as she raised her hand against him, slapping him hard across the face. "YOU PATHETIC MAN!" she continued with her screaming and another blow was dealt to his face yet he stood motionless, unsure of what to do./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"He tilted his head questioningly, his bottom lip stuck out in a pout./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"You slept with her didn't you!? Steve from the marketing department saw you with her in your office! This is the final straw Dubois. The final straw. We are through. FUCK YOU!" she yelled and she gave his face one final slap only this time, his mask fell due to the sheer force with which she slapped him. The porcelain fluttered to the ground before smashing just like his heart. The perfect end to their not so perfect relationship. He had loved her, he had adored her and worshipped her but it was not enough for Carlotta. It never was. She always wanted more. More and more and more and he couldn't take it any more. They stood there, he towered over her staring blankly. She had been prepared to fight him to refuse him but he wasn't even arguing back or denying it. That was what stung Carlotta the most. Erik's emotionless yet grotesque face staring at her like a kicked puppy. All of the employees who had been so merrily going home for a weekend of fun paused to stare at the pair. The hundreds of pairs of eyes burnt into Erik's skull as they drank in the sight of such a monstrous face. He had no nose, his transparent skin was pulled taught against his skull like face, veins clear to see./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"I-I... I didn't... I would never... Erik would never..." he whimpered as he took a step backwards, recoiling from her gaze of pure hatred. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Nadir stepped forwards in between the pair, "Hey, Erik... Lets get you sat down somewhere. Erm..." he glanced around at the crowd scanning the faces to find someone to escort Erik away while he dealt with Carlotta. As it would happen, Christine happened to be walking by, he grabbed her wrist carefully. "Miss Daaspan style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"é/span would you please escort Erik to the meeting room?" he phrased it as a request nut she could not say no. She nodded and beckoned for Erik to follow her, she hadn't noticed that he was mask-less yet./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"The primma Donna's eyes glinted green with jealousy when Christine came into sight. "See!? He obviously cheated on me!" she accused. Christine was extremely confused but she bit her tongue. Nadir clenched his fists and stepped forwards to tower over Carlotta./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Go home Carlotta. In fact go home for the whole of this week. You are suspended temporarily. This is gross misconduct. I don't give a damn about your relationship with Erik. This is work and you should not be dragging your personal life into this office! You have caused so much damage already. I could not care less about how much money your family has. It makes no difference. You are extremely fortunate that I am even letting you stay here!" he lectured./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Carlotta sashayed off angrily but she did not yield, Nadir may have won the battle but he had not won the war. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"It was only when they were both safely inside the meeting room that she turned around and saw his face. The colour drained from her cheeks and her eyes were lowered towards the carpet as if it were the most interesting thing in the room./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Is there anything I can-"/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"No. Not from you. I don't want your sympathy. I don't want another person to look at me like I'm a charity case." he spat./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"She furrowed her brow, "Here we go again. The defensive train is at the station. Erik I'm not going to hurt you. I don't pity you. I'm trying to be your friend. But I suppose it was foolish of me to believe that someone with your ego would want to be friends with a stupid and ugly girl like me." she retorted before turning sharply on her heel to leave him to brood. With his cat-like reflexes, he caught her wrist./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Her gaze shifted from his hand to his eyes, "Please... Please stay... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... It's- It's all my fault!" his voice got gradually more choked up and her heart bled for him as he began to cry. This is definitely not what she envisioned happening but she would just have to deal with it. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Erik it isn't your fault. I don't know why she did what she did but I doubt it was you that caused it."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"She thinks I slept with you..." he sobbed./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Christine's stomach did a flip, "She what!?". He opened his mouth to repeat himself but she shook her head, "I'm sorry I guess I just can't believe that she would think that. You are my boss and that is highly inappropriate. If anything I would much rather be your friend because you need one right now."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"She reached out and gave him a hug, her hand stroking his hair to attempt to comfort him at least a little bit. His hands trembled but he hesitantly returned her embrace and leaned his head into her hand. Christine closed her eyes and smiled, "It's all going to be okay. Do you live with her?" she asked./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"He shook his head, no he did not. At one point he had asked her to move in but apparently his house was much too small for her. Looking back, that was a huge red flag but Carlotta had been the only woman to ever look at him in the eyes without being petrified. That was until Christine came along./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Nadir found the pair embracing each other and blood rushed to his cheeks; he cleared his throat. Christine jolted and pulled away, "Oh! Nadir! How did it go?"/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Carlotta is suspended for next week for gross misconduct. Am I interrupting something here?" he drawled./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"One murderous look from Erik and the colour of Christine's cheeks said otherwise and that matter was cleared up swiftly. "Nadir? What am I going to do? When Carlotta comes back she will murder me... She warned me not to be around Erik. I was a threat to your relationship apparently..."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"If she so much as gives you a dirty look she will be fired." Erik interjected, their eyes met and she gave him a small smile./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Thank you..." she trailed off and looked down at her watch, "Oh dang! I have date in half an hour! I've got to go!" she exclaimed. Christine picked up her handbag and dashed out of the office. Rain poured from the heavens as her feet carried her as quickly as they could. Erik could only watch from the window as she ran from him, one of his hands rested on the glass as if he was reaching out for her. Nadir raised an eyebrow but he did not comment./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Lets go out and get drunk. I know of a great pub, it's called Gaston's." he suggested, he placed an arm around Erik's shoulders to guide him out to the car park. He may as well try to ease his friend's suffering. Perhaps a night of getting drunk may be what he needed to relax and get over Carlotta. Nadir had always had a distaste for the woman. He could never stand her and how she mistreated Erik. She was always telling him that he wasn't good enough. That he was lucky to have her. Nadir was secretly glad that Erik and Carlotta's relationship had ended. It was so toxic that even being near them may pollute rivers. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Meanwhile, Christine hurriedly took a shower not even letting the hot water soothe her. She couldn't let Sorelli down, she had organised this date for her and Christine was going to be grateful and put in as much effort as she could. This time she donned a blue 1950's housewife style dress, the neckline gave a nice show of cleavage and the short skirt also left little to the imagination but the style of the dress was overall very innocent making it appear less risquspan style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"é/span. She dowsed herself in her signature rose perfume and she was ready. There was a knock at the door and a grin spread across her face, he was here. Christine had been looking forward to this all week. She was ready to make her debut in his eyes. Meg and Sorelli swarmed outside her door, in unisons they wolf-whistled at their friend so Christine gave them a twirl and a curtsy. She opened the door and beamed at her date. "Hello there!" she greeted warmly. He flashed her movie star grin and she felt herself swoon, tonight's date at the Gaston pub was going to be very pleasurable for Christine./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"One morning she had found him asleep at his desk with his face resting on his arms, she resisted all of the temptation to remove his mask. As much as she longed to see the face of such a prodigy, she wasn't going to intrude on his privacy like that. Especially when he had the power to fire her on the spot and evict her from her dorm. Instead, she opted to wrap his coat around his shoulders to keep him warm amidst the cold that seemed to radiated from all of his office walls./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"When he eventually woke up with his coat draped ever so carefully around his shoulders, he knew it had been Christine. Carlotta would have yelled at him to wake him up and any of his other employees would have just left him in fear. It was blatantly apparent to Erik that all of his employees were either terrified of him of intimidated by his sheer height and the presence he brought to a room. But not her. He could sense that she resented him slightly – not that she ever said anything – but she showed him a great deal of respect. More respect than Carlotta had ever given him and she was his girlfriend.../span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"That evening it all came to fruition. A conclusion. On his way out of the office, Carlotta marched up to him, her hair a mess and mascara dripping down her face. "HOW DARE YOU!?" she screamed as she raised her hand against him, slapping him hard across the face. "YOU PATHETIC MAN!" she continued with her screaming and another blow was dealt to his face yet he stood motionless, unsure of what to do./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"He tilted his head questioningly, his bottom lip stuck out in a pout./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"You slept with her didn't you!? Steve from the marketing department saw you with her in your office! This is the final straw Dubois. The final straw. We are through. FUCK YOU!" she yelled and she gave his face one final slap only this time, his mask fell due to the sheer force with which she slapped him. The porcelain fluttered to the ground before smashing just like his heart. The perfect end to their not so perfect relationship. He had loved her, he had adored her and worshipped her but it was not enough for Carlotta. It never was. She always wanted more. More and more and more and he couldn't take it any more. They stood there, he towered over her staring blankly. She had been prepared to fight him to refuse him but he wasn't even arguing back or denying it. That was what stung Carlotta the most. Erik's emotionless yet grotesque face staring at her like a kicked puppy. All of the employees who had been so merrily going home for a weekend of fun paused to stare at the pair. The hundreds of pairs of eyes burnt into Erik's skull as they drank in the sight of such a monstrous face. He had no nose, his transparent skin was pulled taught against his skull like face, veins clear to see./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"I-I... I didn't... I would never... Erik would never..." he whimpered as he took a step backwards, recoiling from her gaze of pure hatred. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Nadir stepped forwards in between the pair, "Hey, Erik... Lets get you sat down somewhere. Erm..." he glanced around at the crowd scanning the faces to find someone to escort Erik away while he dealt with Carlotta. As it would happen, Christine happened to be walking by, he grabbed her wrist carefully. "Miss Daaspan style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"é/span would you please escort Erik to the meeting room?" he phrased it as a request nut she could not say no. She nodded and beckoned for Erik to follow her, she hadn't noticed that he was mask-less yet./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"The primma Donna's eyes glinted green with jealousy when Christine came into sight. "See!? He obviously cheated on me!" she accused. Christine was extremely confused but she bit her tongue. Nadir clenched his fists and stepped forwards to tower over Carlotta./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Go home Carlotta. In fact go home for the whole of this week. You are suspended temporarily. This is gross misconduct. I don't give a damn about your relationship with Erik. This is work and you should not be dragging your personal life into this office! You have caused so much damage already. I could not care less about how much money your family has. It makes no difference. You are extremely fortunate that I am even letting you stay here!" he lectured./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Carlotta sashayed off angrily but she did not yield, Nadir may have won the battle but he had not won the war. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"It was only when they were both safely inside the meeting room that she turned around and saw his face. The colour drained from her cheeks and her eyes were lowered towards the carpet as if it were the most interesting thing in the room./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Is there anything I can-"/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"No. Not from you. I don't want your sympathy. I don't want another person to look at me like I'm a charity case." he spat./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"She furrowed her brow, "Here we go again. The defensive train is at the station. Erik I'm not going to hurt you. I don't pity you. I'm trying to be your friend. But I suppose it was foolish of me to believe that someone with your ego would want to be friends with a stupid and ugly girl like me." she retorted before turning sharply on her heel to leave him to brood. With his cat-like reflexes, he caught her wrist./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Her gaze shifted from his hand to his eyes, "Please... Please stay... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... It's- It's all my fault!" his voice got gradually more choked up and her heart bled for him as he began to cry. This is definitely not what she envisioned happening but she would just have to deal with it. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Erik it isn't your fault. I don't know why she did what she did but I doubt it was you that caused it."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"She thinks I slept with you..." he sobbed./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Christine's stomach did a flip, "She what!?". He opened his mouth to repeat himself but she shook her head, "I'm sorry I guess I just can't believe that she would think that. You are my boss and that is highly inappropriate. If anything I would much rather be your friend because you need one right now."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"She reached out and gave him a hug, her hand stroking his hair to attempt to comfort him at least a little bit. His hands trembled but he hesitantly returned her embrace and leaned his head into her hand. Christine closed her eyes and smiled, "It's all going to be okay. Do you live with her?" she asked./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"He shook his head, no he did not. At one point he had asked her to move in but apparently his house was much too small for her. Looking back, that was a huge red flag but Carlotta had been the only woman to ever look at him in the eyes without being petrified. That was until Christine came along./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Nadir found the pair embracing each other and blood rushed to his cheeks; he cleared his throat. Christine jolted and pulled away, "Oh! Nadir! How did it go?"/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Carlotta is suspended for next week for gross misconduct. Am I interrupting something here?" he drawled./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"One murderous look from Erik and the colour of Christine's cheeks said otherwise and that matter was cleared up swiftly. "Nadir? What am I going to do? When Carlotta comes back she will murder me... She warned me not to be around Erik. I was a threat to your relationship apparently..."/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"If she so much as gives you a dirty look she will be fired." Erik interjected, their eyes met and she gave him a small smile./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Thank you..." she trailed off and looked down at her watch, "Oh dang! I have date in half an hour! I've got to go!" she exclaimed. Christine picked up her handbag and dashed out of the office. Rain poured from the heavens as her feet carried her as quickly as they could. Erik could only watch from the window as she ran from him, one of his hands rested on the glass as if he was reaching out for her. Nadir raised an eyebrow but he did not comment./span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;""span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Lets go out and get drunk. I know of a great pub, it's called Gaston's." he suggested, he placed an arm around Erik's shoulders to guide him out to the car park. He may as well try to ease his friend's suffering. Perhaps a night of getting drunk may be what he needed to relax and get over Carlotta. Nadir had always had a distaste for the woman. He could never stand her and how she mistreated Erik. She was always telling him that he wasn't good enough. That he was lucky to have her. Nadir was secretly glad that Erik and Carlotta's relationship had ended. It was so toxic that even being near them may pollute rivers. /span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" /p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"Meanwhile, Christine hurriedly took a shower not even letting the hot water soothe her. She couldn't let Sorelli down, she had organised this date for her and Christine was going to be grateful and put in as much effort as she could. This time she donned a blue 1950's housewife style dress, the neckline gave a nice show of cleavage and the short skirt also left little to the imagination but the style of the dress was overall very innocent making it appear less risquspan style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"é/span. She dowsed herself in her signature rose perfume and she was ready. There was a knock at the door and a grin spread across her face, he was here. Christine had been looking forward to this all week. She was ready to make her debut in his eyes. Meg and Sorelli swarmed outside her door, in unisons they wolf-whistled at their friend so Christine gave them a twirl and a curtsy. She opened the door and beamed at her date. "Hello there!" she greeted warmly. He flashed her movie star grin and she felt herself swoon, tonight's date at the Gaston pub was going to be very pleasurable for Christine./span/p