He was standing there waiting for a response, anything. Something. Her face hadn't even moved, he was getting nervous and Paul never got nervous.
"Don't you have something to say, Violet. I want to know that you understand what I'm saying. I love you and I want you to tell me something. That you love me or trying to love me, I need something."
"Hmmm that's so interesting Paul. Yes I do have something to say. The same thing I told you this afternoon but after this conversation, you've confirmed it. We are done. No one and I do mean no one will manipulate me ever again" she shouted at him. "I cannot believe that in one breath you would say you love me and then with your actions try to humiliate me. How dare you come here with that sorry excuse, I want you the hell out of my house and out of my life," Violet was seething.
"But Violet, you have to understand..." he pleaded.
She jumped up from her chair and in a burst of anger told him, "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE. NOW!!" Violet didn't recognize the roar coming from her soul; she was taken aback by her anger. But there it was all the anger she had built up over past heartbreaks she'd just released on Paul.
Paul was shocked, he stepped back. He couldn't believe it, she was breathing heavily and tears were flowing freely from her eyes. She was mad and unbelievably hurt and there was nothing he could do to rectify this situation, he told himself he never wanted to do this to her again and here he had broken her heart. He'd hurt her all to try to make her jealous, all because of some childish game.
His words rushed out but he wanted to say them before he left her life for good, "I'm sorry Violet, I'm just so sorry." He felt like a ton of bricks hit him when she looked at him with pain in her eyes.
"I don't give a damn," she said and dropped back into a chair in her office. Her head fell forward and she started to sob loudly.
He wanted to go to her but he'd done enough, he'd ruined another relationship, what the hell was wrong with him. As he turned to leave, he saw Pam running downstairs she ran into the office and comforted Violet. The scene as he opened the door to leave was Violet wailing in Pam's arms, they both ignored his exit. As he closed the door and went to get into his car Paul started to cry, he'd just ruined the only good thing in his life. He knew she'd had issues previously why had he pushed so hard, he knew why because he was insecure just as he had been after the break up with Anya, he'd been so damn insecure and now it had damaged something so beautiful and precious. He drove away wiping tears from his eyes.
*****<>*****<>*****
Paul was waking up to a sunny day in Sydney, after the debacle with Violet he couldn't bear to see her at work so as soon as the Tri-Gear/Swisz Athletics merger had been completed he taken a sabbatical he really needed it. He'd fell into a deep depression after their break up, he'd come to discover that his feelings for Violet were deeper than he'd realized. They were a need, a love he had never known before and the thought of seeing her or not seeing her was enough to drive him almost mad. So he'd come home to visit his parents. They'd been pleased to see him but a little surprised, he didn't tell them what had been going with he and Violet. He just said he'd needed some time off because of the stress of work. His mum was delighted, she loved doting on him and his dad was glad to have some male company around the house. Although he'd grown up in the city his parents had moved a little outside of Sydney to a large farm with about 100 acres of land. His dad had been doing something he'd always had an interest in, raising horses, so Paul was helping while he was there. The hard labor was just what he needed to take his mind off the Violet but sometimes during the night his cock would get rock hard and he'd have to relieve himself at the thought of her beautiful sienna skin and smooth shapely body. There had been some rough nights trying to satiate his lust for her and even rougher days trying to forget his love for her.
After the blow up at her home, he'd gone in the next day to ask Harmon for a sabbatical after the merger would be complete, which he happily agreed to. He hadn't asked Paul why he wanted it. Harmon wasn't the type of man to pry which Paul was thankful for. He'd just given him the go ahead. Paul assigned the other cases he'd been working on to other attorneys and left a week or so later, he'd caught a flight to Sydney to take his mind off his troubles. He'd called his office to try to see if he could get any information from Leslie without actually telling her he was trying to get information about Violet but she had none. He wasn't sure what she'd done after that episode, but he did discover a few weeks later that she'd given her resignation and left Brookes and Smithmeyer. He didn't have all the details but after he heard the news he felt even worse. He knew she'd left because of him, she'd told him she wouldn't be able to deal with working there if things ended badly and they had. He'd left a wake of carnage in her life and his own; he'd been in Sydney almost three months and had just been lost without her, absolutely lost. Now what was he supposed to do?
*****<>*****<>*****
Violet had finally finished hashing out a deal on the lease for her new office. She'd be sharing the digs with another solo practitioner but it didn't matter, she'd finally gotten her own firm. She'd be having the engraving put up 'Violet Maxwell, Attorney at Law' any day now. She'd been so heartbroken after her break up with Paul that she just couldn't stomach the thought of trying to go back and work at Brookes and Smithmeyer so after she'd taken some time off, she decided to tender her resignation. It was hard thing to do because Mr. Brookes really had given her, her first chance as an attorney and had been such a wonderful mentor to her. He and Mr. Smithmeyer had been sad to see her go but they also understood her ambition. While the tragedy of she and Paul had been horrid to go through, it had spurred her on to finally make a move out of the safety of working for someone else. She'd be working for herself and she was so proud of that fact. There had been some sad good-byes at her going away dinner, especially Pam although their friendship had not waned since she'd left, but not everyone seemed heart-broken particularly Rebecca Althorp, who she thought had been jockeying for her job at the party. That witless slut, she thought but that was all over now. She hadn't immediately started practicing law after her resignation, she'd told all of her clients what was going on and surprisingly many told her to call them after she'd set up her new digs, they wanted to give her some work because she'd always done such a great job for them. She was shocked to see how many of the clients she'd worked with at the firm had admired her hard work and tenacity, so she was starting with an impressive client list. She'd been living off savings for the last month or so. Leonard had also resigned his position as legal secretary because as he told her 'I'm not working for any of other dicks and bitches around here'. So he was going to be her legal secretary still, she didn't know if she could use him full time at first but with the way her client list was looking he'd be full time and she'd probably be able to pay a little more than he made Brookes and Smithmeyer. Nedra had been really upset about what happened between her and Paul, she'd was astonished at how it all gone so wrong so fast. But she'd been totally supportive of the decision that Violet had made going out on her own. She was also sending Violet some work from professional photographers she knew who need trademark and copyright legal work done. Violet had never been so happy, scared and sad all at the same time.
"Okay, Ms. Maxwell all the documents have been signed and here's your set of keys to the office," her new landlord a tall heavyset Russian gentlemen named David Baranova handed her the keys. She and the office's other occupant were at his real estate office, her new office mate was a woman that did bankruptcy work, she was older white woman in her early 50s tall and amazingly bony with short platinum blonde hair that looked like a bad dye job, her name was Rachel Lamb, she was friendly and seemed outgoing, she dressed like a gypsy though. She had a mouth like a sailor so Violet was trying to get used to blunt manner, she had her own legal assistant who she said worked part time, a Filipino woman who Violet had met briefly by the name of Evangeline.
After Rachel signed what she needed to regarding the changes to the lease, she turned to Violet and took her hand and shook it hard. She had a solid grip for a woman so thin, "Alright Violet, you're in for a hell of a ride now girly" and started to laugh boisterously. Violet just smiled back at her, she hoped she knew what she was doing because it was all done for now.
*****<>*****<>******
Violet was standing in the airport waiting for her friend to come out to meet her, she'd stayed close to Kurt Brandt even after she left Brookes and Smithmeyer they had become close friends. He was coming to visit because he was going to visit her old firm, they were doing some other work for what had know become Tri-Swisz Athletics. She had been really proud of the work she'd done on that merger she and Paul had worked... 'oh wow' she thought so many months had gone by and she hadn't really thought about Paul at all. She had no idea what he was doing, she wondered if she was back at the firm but she never asked and Pam was such a good friend she never volunteered any information. She hadn't been back to visit, she didn't want to accidentally run into him if he had come back. The only thing she knew was that he'd gone back to Sydney for a sabbatical. She was torn from her reverie by a masculine voice.
"Violet!" it said loudly she looked up to see Kurt Brandt coming her way. Although he was in Seattle on business, she'd insisted that he stay with her no stagnant business hotel for him. He'd also get some of her wonderful home cooking.
"Kurt," she stood with her arms open to give him a big hug. As he walked toward her all of sudden Violet started to notice what an absolutely handsome man he was. Now if there was anyone she could see herself getting under after the heart break with Paul it was Kurt Brandt, the man was gorgeous, all 6'4" slim athletic build of him with that perfectly coiffed hair and those striking blue eyes. Yes, he could make her forget all about Paul, at least for a little while she thought to herself.
