Courtney is Conflicted (Courtney POV)

It was the third day since Lucas had moved out, and the third day Courtney had awoken in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. Her nightmares had returned like never before and she would clutch at the air where Lucas used to sleep beside her. She put her hands over her face and let out a deep sigh. She used to be able to shake off these feelings and sleep through the night. However, it wasn't just the feeling of waking up from a bad dream. No, her waking days felt nightmarish as well. She had never noticed how empty her house felt before, but now it was soul crushingly lonely. She couldn't go back to sleep like this, nor could she endure staying in this house longer than necessary. She got dressed, picked up her keys, and grabbed the small vile of Lucas' cum that she hid away. True to his word he had worked out a way to get her what she needed to survive, but the stipulation was that she didn't approach him anymore.

One could hear a pin drop when Courtney entered the office. Her mood was getting progressively more foul with each passing day since Lucas had moved out. It had gotten to the point where people were afraid they'd be fired if they glanced in her general direction. The COO and CFO both would sweat bullets when they had to report to her. It was an oppressive week, but under hushed breaths no one would shut up about it.

"So, she really was dating Lucas, huh?" One woman said to her coworker as they huddled together to whisper in the break room.

"It seems so, I heard he cheated on her!" The other woman responded.

"No! Well that would explain it, and it would also explain why he just vanished without notice." The first woman continued.

"You don't think she did that do you?" Her friend questioned.

"Well if anyone has the means to do it, it's her." The first woman conjectured.

"Who has the means to do what now?" Both woman jumped at the addition of a third person into their conversation.

"K-K-Katia! I mean Ms. Smirnoff! What are you doing here!?" One of the woman questioned why Courtney's right hand, and arguably second most valuable person at GT, would be slumming it in a break room for the common employees.

"I asked you a question, didn't I?"

"EEEP!" The woman who had asked Katia why she was there yelped in fear.

"I-I'm v-very sorry. We were talking about what happened between Ms. Stone and Lucas! Please don't fire me!" She said rapidly and desperately.

"Well, I'm not gonna fire you, but Courtney might, you know, if she finds out you're running your mouth." She said as she slid her finger across her neck.

"PLEASE DON'T TELL HER! I'LL NEVER GOSSIP AGAIN!!!" The woman screamed as tears rolled from her eyes. The woman who remained quiet was shaking and crying as well.

"Again it's not really up to me, is it?" She said with a shrug as she left the break room. She could hear the two women breaking down as she walked away. She giggled to herself as she left.

"God I love messing with idiots, ahahaha!" She'd been having a field day messing with gossiping fools all week, but it was about time she pay Courtney a visit and find out what was going on.

*Knock Knock*

"What!" Courtney yelled at her door.

"It's Katia." Katia said as she opened the door and entered, not waiting for permission.

"It isn't time for your division's report. I can only assume you've come to stick your nose where it doesn't belong." Courtney said with derision.

"Oops, got me, so what's up your ass? Word on the streets is it's that guy you've been dragging around lately. He dump you?" Katia, ever blunt as she was, got right to the heart of the matter.

"I didn't get dumped because I wasn't going out with him in the first place, but fine you won't leave until I tell you, right?" Courtney shot back.

"You know me too well!" Katia beamed a smile that Courtney wanted to smack off her face.

"Before that, I think I saw a cockroach in here earlier. I think you know I find that absolutely unacceptable." Courtney laid down the code for Katia to sweep the room in case it was bugged.

"I don't see any pests in here, I think you're imagining things." Katia said after her sweep.

"Fine then, have a seat I'll tell you everything that's happened since I met Lucas."

"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner! If you told me sooner I could have studied you and him and found out what his semen was doing to you!" Katia snapped. Courtney had buried the lead about Lucas' cum for much of the story, but she knew she had to tell Katia or she'd ask why she ever went to visit after the one night stand. Therefore she got to almost the end of her story before bringing it up.

"Well, I figured I could handle it on my own." Courtney responded with a shrug. However, Katia could see her blush and knew right away the real reason this didn't come up until now.

"So, what'd you do to fuck it up." Katia asked.

"I hate how you just assume I'm at fault." Courtney protested.

"You are though, aren't you?" Katia responded.

"I hate you sometimes, you know that?" Courtney crossed her arms in a huff.

"So you've told me. Now spill it what'd you do?" Katia refused to let her escape the issue at hand.

"Well, I might have gone old school." Courtney said sheepishly.

"You didn't!" Katia snapped at her.

"I did, I didn't think he'd find out though!" Courtney tried to defend the inexcusable.

"What's the damage?" Katia asked.

"He, uh, might have seen him jump off the bridge." Courtney said even more sheepishly than before.

"COURTNEY!!!" Katia shrieked.

"I know!!!!!! I fucked up bad! He's too pure a soul for someone like me! I didn't think he'd be such a damn sleuth!" Courtney cursed her bad luck for being found out by Lucas as she slumped onto her desk.

"Damnit! What does he know Courtney! Does he know about your past? Does he know you used to be an underworld broker? Does he know I used to be Russian Mafia? What does he know!? How could you let him get away?!" Katia panicked.

"Shut up would you! Lucas doesn't know any of that. My actions recently was enough to make him disgusted with me." Courtney said.

Katia looked shocked seeing tears run down the cheeks of the strong willed Courtney. Courtney hadn't even realized she was crying, but the look on Katia's face made her come to her senses and she quickly wiped away the tears.

"Wow, you really love him don't you?" Katia said.

"Don't be ridiculous." Courtney continued to deny the obvious.

"Courtney, you are the most brilliant woman I've ever met. That said if you keep this up you'll be one of the biggest morons I know." Katia prodded Courtney.

"Fine, I love him. He makes me feel happy, without him I feel so lonely, I can't focus on anything else right now, and without him I just want to cry. You happy now, you bitch!" Courtney unloaded all her pent up frustrations on the only person who knew her secrets.

"I won't be until you fix your stupid mess. I want to study you two. Addictive semen is a hell of a thing, I'd like to know how it works." Katia said like it was a casual thing.

"Fix what? I can't revive the dead, nor can I turn back time. Nothing I did was illegal either, so I can't turn myself in or anything." Courtney said pessimistically.

"Tsk, maybe I overestimated you then Courtney. Surely you can figure this out." Katia said as she got up and left. Leaving Courtney to ponder.

"Haaaaa! What can I even DO! You could have given me a hint!" Courtney said to aloud for no one to hear, but at the same time cursing her friend for leaving her hanging.

She sat alone in her office wondering what she could do. She couldn't really fix what she did, so what was the obvious solution Katia implied she knew. This tormented Courtney for a few days. A few agonizing days or crippling loneliness and nightmares. She thought, and thought, and thought, but an answer never arrived.

She was combing her email in frustration after another hour passed without results. When she saw an email for a luxury item she had ordered that would be shipping soon she had an epiphany.

"Oh duh! I have money!" Well Katia was right she might be smart, but she was being an idiot right now. The solution was obvious she couldn't do anything about the past, but she could affect the future. Specifically she could affect the future of the family that guy left behind. She had near unlimited resources if she set them up for life and then apologized sincerely to Lucas, he may give her a second chance. Alright, she thought, it's time to get to work! Nothing was more fearsome than Courtney when she set her mind on a goal. This was her time to shine and to get her man back. Her man, she laughed at herself for that thought, she was gonna be honest this time. She loved him and she was going to be honest with him, simply because she treasured him. She didn't realize until she lost him, but he nestled into her heart. Her heart felt empty without him there, so there was simply no other path for her than to get him back.

She had cleared her schedule and was leaving early. She needed to get thing done and quick. She had stepped outside her company with a spring in her step. She had a plan, which means she had control of the situation again It was a small comfort, but a comfort nonetheless. She was heading to where she parked her car so that she could go to her first stop of the day. However, She noticed a short and very angry looking woman that was approaching her rapidly. In seconds this small lady, maybe 5' even, was right in her space.

"Are you Courtney Stone! I've been waiting all day for you!" The woman said aggressively.

"Yes, I am." She replied while subtilely gesturing for security to exit the building and help. It wasn't the first time someone was after her for her cutthroat (not literal in this case) business practices.

*Whap*

The lady suddenly smacked Courtney upside her face. It sent her reeling as she wouldn't have expected such force to some from such a tiny woman. Within seconds the guards had her by both arms, but she kicked and thrashed clearly looking to continue dishing pain to Courtney. She didn't have time to deal with this though, she had a bigger issue to deal with, so she figured she may as well leave and let the guards handle it.

"You broke my son's heart you bitch! I hope you're happy!" The scream of the woman being dragged away made Courtney freeze in place.

"Wait!" She called for her guards to stop.

"What is your name?" Courtney asked the woman.

"Lillian Hall. I wish I could say it was a pleasure to meet you."

"Uh, um, well, would you like to grab some lunch? I feel as if we have a lot to talk about." Courtney said awkwardly as the guards let go of Lucas' mother.

"Yeah, fine. I do have a lot to say to you." Lillian walked on in a huff.

Well so much for my plans today, or my control of the situation. This fucking sucks! Courtney thought to herself as she walked side by side with the diminutive mama.

Author's Note: Good news, bad news time.

The good news is that I have found full time employment since I lost my job due to the pandemic last year. YAY! I start next week and I'm very excited.

The bad news is that I don't know what that'll do to my writing. I have many hobbies, interests, and commitments that I will be continuing as well. I will not be abandoning any of my stories, but I wouldn't count on consistent updates from any of my stories. I'm very sorry about that, but I will continue to try to make a story with substance and enjoyability. I hope you all continue to support me when I do continue my stories.