Chapter 21
“Alexis, I need you to log into the HR system and cancel her termination.”
“But—”
“This chick is playing hardball like she’s LeBron. I must do what I need to do until I can figure something out.”
Alexis could only stare at the shredded-up letter that was messily spread on Kiara’s floor like some losing lottery ticket.
“I don’t see how you can let her get away with this. You’re the boss. You tell her what to do.”
“You don’t understand.”
“Oh, trust me, I understand. When people have secrets they’re trying to hide, they lose their common sense. I’m not talking about just you. It can happen to anybody. But if you let that nut bag do this to you now, you’re letting her win. People like her can’t win.”
“Okay, let’s think about this. If I insist on the firing, because technically I can still get rid of her even if she refuses to sign that letter, there’s no stopping her from spreading all my business throughout this campus.”
“Is it true, Kiara? You’re having another man’s child?”
“I won’t know till it’s born. That’s all I can say.”
“Regardless, I’m really sorry about all this.” Alexis continued with her indirect apology. “I want Nicole to be out of here so bad you have no idea. She shouldn’t win.”
“And she won’t. It’s just that I know in my heart I don’t have to do anything bad against Nicole. She will get hers eventually.”
Kiara thought about her past actions and the price of revenge.
“It’s all a big mess. The Crips hate the Bloods. One gang member kills another gang member. They retaliate. And the cycle continues. Which one of us can win if we keep up the cycle?”
Alexis couldn’t take it anymore. She excused herself. She immediately logged into the system that would allow her to cancel the termination. Her hands shook with every stroke across her keyboard.
Later, when Alexis was sitting at her desk eating her lunch, Shyla Perry quietly walked up to her. Alexis reached for her iPhone, but Shyla acted like she didn’t care.
“Hey, Alexis. I heard what happened earlier. What you eating? Looks like humble pie. Bwahahahaha.”
“Shyla, please go away. Just disappear.”
“I know you wish we’d disappear. But we’re here to stay. We are bosses.”
Alexis played with her cell phone.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. You know I’m getting married next month. But somehow I accidentally lost your invite to the bridal shower. Well, I’ve decided to take the high road and I’ve had a change of heart. You’re welcome to attend as my special guest. Unless you’ll be too busy taking care of that bastard child you got—”
Alexis pulled back her knuckle and quickly popped Shyla. Her head snapped back. Shyla didn’t know what hit her. She moaned and caressed her jaw.
“Oh, my God! I can’t believe you did that.”
“And I can’t believe what you said. What a minute. Yes, I can believe it. Stupid bitches say stupid things.”
“You. Are about to be. In big trouble.” Shyla rested her hand on her jaw and limped toward Kiara’s office, even though Alexis never kicked her.
“Hold up a minute.” Alexis approached Shyla. She was holding her cell phone.
“Look! Violence is wack. There’s no justification for it. But so is going in on someone’s child.” Alexis placed the play button on her phone and turned up the volume. Shyla’s loud and catty voice could be heard instigating an argument with Alexis.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. You know I’m getting married next month. But somehow I accidentally lost your invite to the bridal shower? Well, I’ve decided to take the high road and I’ve had a change of heart.”
Alexis stopped the recording right before it revealed the sound of her hitting the woman and Shyla screaming.
“You conniving little violent-ass—”
“I was out of order and I am sorry for my behavior. Do you accept my apology, Shyla?”
“I accept it, but you’re still a conniving, violent-ass bitch.”
Shyla pouted, nursed her jaw, and slunk away from Alexis.
Kiara decided to take the rest of the afternoon off. First she checked with Alexis. The termination paperwork has been a pain in the neck to cancel, but it would be done. She knew she’d have to work on trying to give Nicole a raise, but nothing inside of her wanted to do it.
She continued in her vehicle and drove to the store where she’d tried to buy the hair accessories months ago but the cashier accidentally forgot to charge her.
Kiara’s heart felt a lot lighter after she took care of that business. And when she went home, she picked up the duplicate order that Nordstrom sent her, and returned it to the brick-and-mortar store unused and in its original packaging.
“If I keep this up,” she said to the cashier, who barely listened to her, “if I make the wrong things right, there’s nothing I can’t handle.”