Chapter 26 (Mason's POV)
I was a walking zombie.
Yesterday, once I reread Rachel's message a thousand times, I called Brandon.
He helped me get drunk, and made sure I came home safely.
And yes I told him everything once I was half drunk.
And let me tell you he didn't pass up the chance to tell me I was an idiot and that he told me so.
But no one could curse me as much as I cursed myself.
Why didn't I tell her everything about those recommendation letters once we got closer?
Why couldn't I for once make things right instead of fucking up?
But guess it was just my motto.
I have had a crush on Rachel since I knew her.
But with her beauty, she was just out of my reach and out of my league.
Once we got older I didn't want anyone to know I had a crush on my younger sister's best friend.
Come on.
Every guy dreamed about having an older girl, not a younger one.
So I started acting like an asshole to cover things up.
Once we finished school it got a bit easier, since I didn't see her every day but I guess she was always present in some part of my subconscious.
And when life threw us together into the same house and later the same company, I took it as a sign to try things out with her.
But guess what?
This plan backfired as many before it.
But what's done is done.
So now I was heading to Aron's office before that stubborn woman lost her job because of her pride.
As I walked inside Aron's office he motioned me to take a seat while he finished his call.
I was getting more and more nervous as the seconds passed.
I was just hoping he would end his call soon, or my nerves would give me away before I got a chance to admit anything.
Or maybe I would even bolt out of his office.
And that was something I couldn't afford to do right now.
Thankfully he ended his call after a minute or so.
He turned my way with a huge smile on his face.
"Hey, Mason. What can I do for you? I hope the new game is not giving you headaches again?"
I chuckled at his words even though I didn't feel like laughing, but it still was funny how our friendship consisted mostly of me moaning about our newest updates.
"Ah no. Not this time. I am afraid I have to admit to something awful."
At my words, his face fell but still, I could detect a small part of amusement and curiosity.
"Ok. Continue please."
I took a deep breath. Ok. Here goes nothing.
"A few weeks ago, Rachel lost her job, lost her apartment, and someone even stole her purse. All that happened in one day. You see, she is best friends with my sister, so they made a deal that Rachel could move into her house until she gets back on her feet. You know my story at that time with plumbing. But since I am the owner of half of that house, I also decided to move there so I don't have to pay for a hotel room or something."
Believe it or not, I said all that in one breath. So I needed a few gulps of air before I could continue.
I could see Aron was also getting impatient for me to get to the real problem.
"So we both moved into the same house. And it was a disaster since we hate each other like forever. But when I came home one evening and found her shit-faced she told me the whole story about her former boss and How he was sexually harassing her, but later when she reported him, he turned the story around. I later discovered he also wrote her a shitty letter of recommendation that stated how she was harassing her co-workers. So I decided to take matters into my own hands, and wrote all these women a new letter of recommendation that was based on their good work ethic and not on lies."
After my little speech, I just sat there, looking at Aron for any kind of response.
But what came out of his mouth shocked me more than I could ever expect.
"Ok. Now let me put you out of your misery. I knew all that the moment I received her application. You see, as soon as I saw who her former boss was I dug a bit deeper and found everything, even security camera footage. And what I saw was not good, at all. But not for Rachel, for her former boss. Because it was obvious he was harassing every female worker in his office, but once they complained about him they mysteriously lost their jobs, for things that they reported to HR. They took those reports and made them look like someone reported a co-worker. But the day of the interview I suddenly didn't find any evidence of those reports anymore and there were only nice letters of recommendation So I dug a bit deeper and found out someone from my company did what I was about to do. But it still is illegal Mason, you know that."
I was surprised at his admission, but I guess I shouldn't be. After all, he was still a hacker even though he was a CEO now.
"I know. And I am willing to offer you my resignation if you promise to not fire Rachel."
He looked at me with curiosity.
"You love her that much?"
Well, he always observes well…
"How long do you know that?"
He put a finger on his chin like he was thinking hard about it.
"Since that day, when I joined you two in the elevator."
A chuckle escaped me, but it lacked humor.
"Well, I only realized it yesterday. Or should I say I was willing to admit it to myself.?And now it's too late because she hates me again."
"How do you know it's too late? I didn't peg you as a quitter. You always pushed past all the obstacles and fought until you won. Now, why would you give up so soon when your heart is on the line?"
At his words, I thought hard about what he just said. And he was right. I was not a quitter. And I won't become one now.
"Boss, can I have today off?"
A huge grin spread across his face.
"Get out of here Mason, and get your girl! And just so we are clear. You both still have a job in my company. "
A practically ran out of Aron's office.
I had a plan in mind, but I will need some help.