Damian Pov
I sat at my desk and picked up the phone. This needed to end today. No more delays. No more excuses. I dialed security.
"Yes Mr Roberts" the security chief answered on the first ring.
"Come to my office right now" I said. "Bring two of your guards with you"
"Is there a problem sir"
"Just get up here" I said and hung up before he could ask more questions.
I stood up and walked to the window. I looked down at the parking lot below. Karen's car was still there in her usual spot. She was somewhere in this building right now. Probably spreading lies about me to anyone who would listen. That ended today.
Someone knocked on my door.
"Come in"
The security chief entered with two large guards behind him. They looked serious and ready for trouble.
"What can we do for you sir" the chief asked.
"I need you to find Karen Tyler" I said. "She used to be my secretary. Find her and escort her out of the building immediately"
"She is being terminated" the chief asked.
"She was terminated days ago but she keeps coming back" I said. "I want her removed and banned from this building permanently. She is not allowed to return for any reason"
"Understood sir" the chief nodded. "We will take care of it right away"
They left. I sat back down and tried to focus on the reports in front of me. The numbers blurred together. I could not concentrate. All I could think about was Bella. Where she was. What she was doing. If she was okay.
Twenty minutes later my phone rang.
"Mr Roberts we found her" the security chief said. "We are bringing her down now. She is...not cooperating with us"
"I do not care if she cooperates" I said. "Just get her out of my building"
"Yes sir"
I stood up and walked to my door. I opened it and stepped into the hallway. I could hear yelling coming from the elevator area down the hall.
"Get your hands off me" Karen screamed. "You cannot do this to me"
"Ma'am you need to calm down" one of the guards said in a firm voice.
"Do not tell me what to do" Karen yelled louder. "Damian. Damian where are you. Get out here"
I walked down the hallway toward the noise. Other employees were peeking out of their offices to see what was happening. I did not care who saw this. Let them all watch. Let them all know what kind of person Karen really was.
I reached the elevators. Karen was standing between the two security guards with one on each side. Her face was red and her hair was messy. She looked out of control.
"Damian" she said when she saw me walking toward her. "Tell them this is a mistake. Tell them you did not mean to fire me. Tell them"
"This is not a mistake" I said calmly. "You are banned from this building Karen. If you try to come back the police will be called and you will be arrested for trespassing"
"You cannot do this to me" Karen said. Her voice got even higher and more shrill. "I gave you everything. I helped build your company. I made you successful"
"You helped destroy my marriage" I said. "That is what you did. That is all you did"
"Your marriage was already broken before I came along" Karen said. She tried to pull away from the guards but they held her firm. "She was never enough for you. That is why you came to me. That is why you wanted me"
I felt anger rise in my chest like a fire but I kept my voice steady and calm.
"Get her out of here" I said to the guards. "Right now"
"No" Karen tried harder to pull away from them. "Damian listen to me. We can still fix this. We can still be together. Just send Bella those divorce papers and we can start over. We can"
"I do not want to be with you" I said loud enough for everyone in the hallway to hear. "I never wanted to be with you. You were a mistake. The biggest mistake of my entire life"
Karen's face changed. The anger turned into something else. Hurt maybe. Pain. But I did not care anymore. I was done with her. Done with her lies. Done with her games.
"You bastard" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "You used me. You told me you loved me. You told me we had something special"
"I never said that" I said firmly. "Not once did I ever say those words to you"
"You are lying" Karen yelled. "You said it. You said it when we were together. You said it when we"
"Enough" I cut her off before she could say more. "Get her out now. I do not want to see her face again"
The guards grabbed her arms tighter and pulled her toward the elevator. Karen fought against them but they were too strong for her. She could not break free no matter how hard she tried.
"I will ruin you" Karen screamed as they pushed her inside the elevator. "I will tell everyone what you did. I will make sure Bella never takes you back. I will destroy you the way you destroyed me. I will"
The elevator doors closed. Her voice cut off mid sentence. Silence filled the hallway. It was so quiet I could hear people breathing.
I turned around. At least twenty employees were standing in their doorways staring at me. Some looked shocked. Some looked uncomfortable. Some looked like they wanted to say something but did not dare.
"Anyone else have something they want to say" I asked loudly.
No one answered. No one moved. They all just stared at me with wide eyes.
"Then get back to work" I said. "All of you. Now"
They scattered like roaches when the light comes on. Doors closed one by one. Within seconds the hallway was completely empty again.
I felt empty too.