Today was Thursday and therefore my last day of work for this week.

I was starting to get more used to my job, and our department had two projects going on that I needed to work on together with a few co-workers. It was about some agreement with a big company in England.

Luckily, I only had to do the easiest tasks because I was new and wasn't used to these kinds of projects yet.

Also, the others probably didn't want me to mess everything up.

I had finished looking through all the documents with a little help from Emma and Amanda. She had insisted on me calling her by her first name.

Of course, Mr Black had done the same but was the owner of this company, and therefore my boss, and I still felt a bit intimidated by him.

I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to call him by his first name without being embarrassed.

My office was nice and clean now and I had gotten used to my schedule and started doing some research on all the projects that were going on so I wouldn't miss any important details during the meeting.

Emma and I had already had lunch a couple of minutes ago and I only had about an hour left until I would have to leave to pick Charlie up. Even though I wouldn't admit it, I was excited for Saturday.

I knew it was probably going to be pretty boring but dressing up and getting ready with Clary would be fun anyways.

I wished Celia could be here too, though. She had been so jealous when I told her we would be going to the gala. She was really into this kind of stuff.

But to make it up to her, I had agreed on going out with her when she and Derek would arrive in New York. Usually I wasn't the type of girl to go out get drunk in a bar and dance all night in a club but after everything that had happened, that was probably exactly what I needed, and I knew Clary would be thrilled to come with us.

I printed the final proposal that I had just finished typing and made my way to the copying room to collect the copies I had made.

I grabbed the papers and walked towards the office of the senior lawyer who was supervisor of this project.

I knocked and he beckoned me in and hung up on whoever was on the phone with him.

"What is it?", he asked and sounded a little exasperated.

"I have the final contract and thought you might want to recheck it before it gets signed.", I said and handed him the papers. I wanted to leave but he pointed to the chair across his gigantic desk.

"No, wait, just give me a second, then you can take it to the manager and then it needs to be signed by the boss. This project needs to be finished today, otherwise they might back down."

I looked up in confusion.

"You want me to go?", I asked surprised. He nodded without stopping to read.

"My PA is sick today and you are not busy, are you? You just have to get it signed by the department manager and then you can give it to the PA of the boss.

But make sure that it gets signed and then bring it back to me. The representative of the other company is coming tomorrow. I don't even understand why this isn't done yet. This project should have been finished weeks ago.", he muttered and flipped the page.

That was probably my fault. Or more the fault of the pregnant woman. She had just forgotten to hand out some copies and the work assignment.

I bit my lip.

"No problem. Consider it done.", I responded and started sweating a little.

"Okay, good. At least you got it done in time. But it is your job to make sure everybody is on track and we cannot mess up things like this."

"I know. It won't happen again, sir."

He nodded.

"Good."

After he had approved and signed the contract I rushed towards the manager's office.

After his secretary had let me in I quickly got his signature and then I made my way to the top floor.

I held my card against the keycard lock and pressed the button with the 40.

It was just me in the elevator.

The elevator started going upwards and my heart started beating faster. The chances I was actually going to meet Damien were slim. I wasn't even going to get the papers signed personally, I just had to get someone else to do it and then I had to take them back downstairs, make a few copies and give them to back to my supervisor.

And then I could go home with Charlie and watch a movie or something like that.

I took a deep breath before I stepped outside the elevator. There were barely any people around, so I just stepped up to the secretary in the back of the foyer. She looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?", she asked, and I swallowed.

"Uhm... I need a signature from Ethan Black. It is important. The contract needs to be signed today.", I said, making sure she knew I wanted to talk to Damien's father, and not him. She shook her head.

"Mr Black is in Washington D.C. today. Mr Damien Black is representing him today." Great. Just great.

"Okay. Well, do you think I can talk to his PA?", I asked, and she nodded.

"But first I need your ID." I showed her my company ID and after she shortly checked with my supervisor she let me in with her keycard and a pin she had to enter.

"Second door to the left.", she said before she closed the door behind me.

I straightened up and stopped in front of the PA's office.

It was a young guy with glasses, and he was talking to someone on the phone. I knocked slightly and he turned around. He frowned a little when he saw me and turned back around.

"Give me just a second.", I heard his muffled voice before he laid the phone on the table in front of him.

I opened the door carefully and he raised an eyebrow.

"I am sort of busy here. Can this wait?"

"It is sort of urgent. I need a signature by Mr Black. It needs to be signed today.", I said, and he pressed his lips together for a few seconds.

"Just go get it yourself." He took a notepad and wrote something on it before he handed it to me.

"Give this to his secretary and she will let you in."

Was he serious?

This was so not how I imagined this would go.

He rolled his eyes when I didn't move.

"I don't have all day and Mr Black doesn't either. You should hurry before he has to attend the next meeting."

He didn't wait for my answer and picked up the phone again.

I sighed and left the room, closing the door behind me. I didn't really want to talk to Damien, but I couldn't let my personal feelings interfere with my work.

I would just go in there, get the signature, and leave.

Easy.

It took me a while to find the right office, but I finally found Damien's secretary and handed her the note.

She took a quick look at it and nodded.

"It is the very last door down this corridor.", she explained, and I thanked her quickly before I made my way down the hallway.

There were only a couple of rooms and there was a final turn at the end before I reached Damien's office.

He wasn't on the phone, but he was reading something, maybe an email, on his computer.

I bit my lip again. Then I lifted my arm to knock but he turned around on his chair like he had already heard me coming.

When he saw that it was me he froze for a second. I didn't wait any longer but opened the door.

"What the hell are you doing here?", he asked furiously and got up, and I flinched at the sound of his harsh voice.

"What do you mean? I work here.", I said, and his eyes widened for a second.

"What?"

I pressed the folder with the contract closer to my chest.

"Didn't your dad tell you? He gave me a job here."

He shot me a cold gaze.

"No. No, he didn't tell me." He came closer and closed the door behind me, pushing me aside. He leaned against the closed door.

"I told you to stay away from me and my family and the next thing you do is to use my father to get a job here."

His voice was colder than ice while in me, anger started to seethe.

"I did not convince him to do anything. Your father came to me and offered me a job and at first I even tried to decline but he insisted. And you know what? I am really not that bad at it.", I said angrily, and he smiled ironically.

"Really? And what do you have to do? Do you make coffee or are you part of the cleaning personnel?"

I would have loved to slap him in his face, but I didn't.

"Neither actually. And even if I were, there would be nothing wrong with it because I would rather clean toilets all day if than having to take money from you- By the way, I transferred all the money back to your account."

I was trying to sound casual and confident but my voice way shaking with anger and pain.

"You did what?", he asked in disbelief. It took a lot for me to look in his eyes.

"I transferred the money back. And as soon as I can afford my own place, we will move out of the apartment too.", I explained, and it took all my self-control to not scream.

"No, you will not. You are being ridiculous.", he said surprisingly calm, and crossed his arms.

And that was it. I just couldn't take this any longer.

"I am being ridiculous? No, Damien. You are the one that is being ridiculous. Do you really think that I will continue taking money from the one person in the universe that seems to hate me more than anything else?

I have put up with a lot, but I am not stooping that low. Maybe I will have to live in a ramshackle hut, but I don't care. I have come to you for money for Charlie -because I didn't have another choice. But I will not lose the rest of my dignity too, Damien.", I hissed.

"I told you that-", he started but I interrupted him.

"You don't hate me? Really? You are still telling me that after everything you did? Everyone keeps telling me that you didn't mean anything of what you said but I am not buying that!

I am not buying the whole thing with the big dark secret that forces you to do these things because you always have a choice. And sometimes you make the wrong one. I know that better than everyone else.

Tell me, is this still about Charlie? Are you doing this to me because it is part of your revenge plan? Making me pay for keeping you from Charlie?", I asked with tears burning in my eyes. I turned away and walked towards the window front, staring outside. He had seen me cry way too many times.

"No, Ally. This isn't about him."

Without even thinking about it I spun around again.

"Then what is it about? What else have I done for you to treat me like this? Do you have any idea how much you hurt me? I just can't take it anymore.

What you did, it just doesn't add up! Why are you being so sweet to me sometimes and then, just a few minutes later, you yell at or ignore me. And then you tried to kiss me?

Was that part of your revenge too? Making me think that you like me and then treating me like I am just dirt under your shoe?

We both know that I made all the decisions I made for the right reasons.

Maybe I am a liar but at least I know that I am doing it to protect the people I love. I told you that I am sorry.

I still am, and I know what I did was wrong, but I have trying to make it up to you. To all of you! Don't you think that I already feel bad enough? Seeing how great Charlie gets along with everybody, especially you? And also knowing that I will never truly be part of your family because of what I did?"

I squeezed my eyes shut to stop the hot burning tears in my eyes from falling. There was a big lump in my throat but at the same time I felt a little relieved that I had finally told him how I felt.

"Ally...", his voice was desperate, like he was begging me to understand.

But I didn't understand, and I wasn't even sure if I wanted too.

I just wanted to get away from here.

I shook my head and cut him off.

"These papers need to be signed and then go back to the International commercial law department. Today."

I put down the folder on his desk and then stormed out of the office without looking at Damien and he didn't try to stop me either.

A small part of me wished he had. A small part of me imagined him finally giving me a good reason for his behavior, but he didn't even try.