Wolf stayed near Azaria's feet, his bowl pushed slightly to the side after he had already eaten most of the ground beef. He nudged it once, then settled down on the floor, watching them with that bored expression on his face.
Azaria took another bite of her lasagne, then looked up at Rowan. "You said you had something to tell me," she said and picked up her mug. "What's up?"
Rowan blinked and his entire face changed dramatically. "Oh my God."
Azaria and Genevieve frowned. "What?"
He dropped his fork onto the plate. "I forgot. How could I have forgotten?"
"You forgot what?" she asked as she and her mother exchanged confused glances. Rowan was a dramatic man normally, but this was another level. He leaned back slightly, staring at nothing for a second.
"How did I forget that? That was the whole reason I called you in the first place and drove here."
Genevieve let out a small scoff. "You drove here to eat."
"That too," Rowan said quickly, then rubbed his forehead. "No, but this– this is super important."
Azaria waited and watched him, as did Genevieve and Wolf. Rowan sat up straight again and turned fully to her. "Okay. Brace yourselves. You too, Wolf."
The dog cocked his head at Rowan.
He pointed at her like he was about to say something serious, then paused again, like he was arranging it in his head. "Celeste Aldrith… got fired," he said finally. "By Sir Theon himself."
Azaria didn't have a reaction at first. She just looked at him with her eyes blown wide like saucers and Genevieve mirrored her.
Rowan continued before she could speak. "And it wasn't just that. Idris is trying to fix everything she messed up in Operations. It's bad. I lost so much work."
"How bad?" Azaria asked.
"Bad enough that we lost a major client," he said. "Like, a really big one."
Genevieve stopped eating all together. Azaria's hand slowly lowered from her mouth. "They lost a major client already?"
Rowan nodded. "Yeah. It's so crazy."
He leaned in slightly. "You know that well oiled machine you built? All the systems you had for everything and everyone? She went in and changed things. She colour coded everything without a word to anyone. We just woke up one morning and everything went to shit!"
"Language, sugar," Genevieve scolded.
"Yes, ma'am."
Azaria stared at him. "Colour coded?"
"I don't even know," Rowan said, shaking his head. "That's what I heard. She reorganized things her own way, alphabetically, too. And it messed every… flopping thing up."
Genevieve looked at Azaria. "That girl touched your work?"
Rowan kept going. "Idris has been trying to clean it up. From what I heard, it's been a mess since she took over your department."
Azaria finally spoke. "How long has this been happening?"
Rowan hesitated. "A few days."
She narrowed her eyes. "And you're just telling me this now, babes?"
"Yeah," he said. "I'm sorry. I've been trying to get more details, but Beatrice isn't saying much."
"Beatrice?" Genevieve asked.
"My office gossip buddy," Rowan said. "She knows everything, but she's also careful. Keeps saying confidentiality and all that sh– stuff."
Azaria looked at him. "So you knew this for days and didn't tell me?"
Rowan winced. "I was trying to get more information first. I didn't want to come to you with half a story. It was biting me to tell you, I swear, but I needed to give you as much as possible. Not even everyone in the department knows what's going on. All they know is Celeste messed up the system. I'm surprised they didn't pin the blame on you and made it seem like you messed the system up before leaving."
She raised a brow.
"And also," he added quickly, "I don't know how I even held on to it this long. This is exactly the kind of thing I would usually blurt out immediately."
Genevieve let out a short laugh. "At least you tried to behave."
Rowan nodded like he deserved credit. "Exactly."
Azaria looked down at her plate for a moment, then she let out a small sound.
Rowan frowned. "What?"
She started laughing suddenly, and at first, it was light, like she couldn't believe it. Then it grew louder. She shook her head, covering part of her face with her hand.
Rowan stared at her, then at Genevieve, then Wolf, then back at Azaria. "Are you okay?"
"I gave them six weeks," Azaria said through her laughter. "Six."
Genevieve smiled, already catching on.
"And it hasn't even been over two," Azaria added. "Not even close."
Rowan let out a breath. "Yeah. I still work there, but can't say they don't deserve it."
Azaria kept laughing, shaking her head again. "I knew they would struggle," she said. "But this?"
She looked up at Rowan. "A major client already?" He nodded. She leaned back in her seat, still smiling. "They really did it to themselves."
Genevieve placed her fork down. "They had no right to treat you the way they did." Azaria glanced at her with a small smile. "They passed you over," she continued. "After everything you built for them."
Rowan nodded in agreement. "Honestly, I still don't get that decision."
"They chose Celeste," Genevieve said. "So let them handle the consequences."
Azaria exhaled slowly, the laughter had faded but the smile was still there. "They said she was a good pick. I guess she did handle the position well," she chuckled.
Rowan snorted. "Yeah. Straight into disaster."
Azaria picked up her fork again. "Aldrith Corp deserves it."
Genevieve gave a small nod. "They do."
Wolf suddenly let out a small yip from the floor. All three of them looked down at him. He wagged his tail, then nudged Azaria's leg.
Rowan blinked. "Did he just agree?"
Azaria laughed again. "Looks like it."
Genevieve shook her head, smiling. "Even the dog knows what's right."
Wolf gave another small sound, then sat down again and looked up at Azaria.
Azaria reached down and patted his head. "You're on my side, aren't you?" His tail wagged faster.
Rowan leaned his elbow on the counter. "I'm just saying, if things are already this bad, it's only going to get worse."
Azaria shrugged slightly. "Not my problem anymore."
He looked at her. "Does it feel strange though?"
She paused for a second. Then shook her head. "No."
Rowan raised a brow.
"I did my part," she said. "I gave them everything they needed to keep things running. If they decided to ignore that, that's on them."
Genevieve smiled softly at her. "Exactly."
Azaria took another bite of her food. "I'm not going back there to fix anything."
Rowan held up his hands. "Hey, I didn't say you should."
"Good," she said.
He watched her for a moment, then nodded. "You seem… fine with it."
"I am," she said simply, but deep down, she felt a little uneasy, but she chalked it up to the wine. Wolf rested his head on her foot.
Rowan picked up his fork again. "Well, I'm glad I finally told you.
Azaria gave him a look. "Only took you days."
"I said I was trying to get details," he replied.
Genevieve laughed softly. "Next time, just tell us. I like office gossip too. What else am I supposed to do here? You keep me more entertained than the soaps these days."
Rowan pointed his fork at her. "Noted. This is delicious, by the way!"
They went back to eating. Azaria still had a small smile on her face. Every now and then, she shook her head again like she still couldn't believe it. Across from her, Rowan kept sneaking looks at her. He was taking this back to Beatrice for sure. On the floor, Wolf stayed close, his tail tapping lightly against the floor.
The three of them continued their meal, talking about smaller things, but the news still lingered in the air.
__________________♤♤___________________
Later that evening, the plates were cleared and the kitchen lights dimmed a little. Genevieve refused to let either of them leave.
"You've both had wine," she said. "You're not driving anywhere."
"We're not even drunk," Rowan argued with a laugh.
"I don't care," she replied. "You're staying. You have clothes here anyway, go change."
Azaria didn't argue. She was already a little tired anyway.
So they moved to the living room after everyone was changed. Genevieve put on one of her favorite soaps. Rowan sat on one side of the couch, slouched, while Azaria sat beside him with her legs tucked under her and one of the bags of crisps Rowan bought in her hands. Wolf sat by Genevieve, enjoying the little scratches she gave him.
"This is what you watch every night?" Rowan asked, shoving his hands into Azaria's snacks.
Genevieve gave him a look. "Don't start."
"I'm just saying, this man has been crying for ten minutes straight. He literally can do that for less time."
"It's called emotion," she said.
Azaria let out a small laugh, her eyes on the screen. She wasn't really paying attention though. Her mind kept drifting back to what Rowan had said earlier. Aldrith Corp was already struggling.
It still didn't feel real at all.
The show went on as dramatic background music and overexaggerated emotions filled the room. Then Azaria's phone buzzed. She reached for it and pressed in her password.
"Who is it?" Rowan asked without looking away from the TV.
"I don't know," she said.
She glanced down at the screen and saw an email notification. She opened the app. It was probably Aldrith Corp finalising her final pay, but the moment she saw the sender, her chest tightened and her heart started to beat faster.
She sat up a little straighter, stating at the phone in disbelief.
"What?" Rowan asked, now looking at her.
Azaria didn't answer. Her eyes moved across the screen, reading the words slowly. Then she swallowed. "It… It's from Rhodes Industries," she said quietly.
Genevieve turned toward her. "Rhodes? That company you wanted to apply to?"
Azaria nodded slowly.
"They…" she paused, her grip tightening slightly on her phone. "They want me to come in for an interview."
Rowan blinked. "Wait– what? You actually applied?"
"Yeah… they said monday morning," she added.
The room went quiet for a second and Azaria stared at her phone, her heart pounding still.