He turned to leave, then paused as a thought occurred to him.
"You know what?" He looked his father in the eye. "It doesn't matter what you think. It never did. And as for my relationship with Sam, it's none of your damn business. We keep things strictly professional at work and it hasn't affected our ability to produce the results you desire."
"Besides, far as I know, there's nowhere in the company's code where it explicitly forbids relationships between coworkers, so we're not breaking any laws."
"And do you really think I need a reason to fire your precious Sam?" Bradford jeered. "Don't forget I hired her in the first place and I can damn well have her fired if I choose."
"Here's what I think." Ryan countered with a mocking laugh. "I think you're full of shit. You may have hired her, but don't forget, you'll need the approval of the board to fire her since she's an executive. What are you gonna tell them? That you don't think she's a suitable girlfriend for your son? You can't use her work performance because it's brilliance pretty much speaks for itself and only a fool would let such talent slip away."
"Again, your naivety is on full display." Bradford said, "But, please go ahead and feel like you've made your point. However, let me make one thing clear..."
Bradford rose slowly, straightening the lapels of his Brooks Brothers suit and came to stand beside Ryan. "I'm giving you one last chance to get your priorities straight. This Saturday, the Goslings are having a small welcome party for Nicola. You will put in an appearance and make an effort to reconcile with her."
Ryan let out a disbelieving laugh. "You've gone and lost your damn marbles, old man. Why the fuck would I do that?"
"Do you know what the chances are of a woman with a tarnished reputation getting another job in Manhattan?" Bradford's smile was predatory. "You should do some research and get back to me. I'm interested in knowing the stats."
Ryan clenched his jaw so hard, his molars hurt. His hands curled into fists as he fought the urge to introduce his fists to his father's smug face.
"Leave Sam out of this." Ryan threw the last warning and walked out of the office, quick strides taking him past Bradford's assistant who took one look at him and shrank back in her chair. He ignored her, focused on getting out of there without destroying something valuable.
****
He found Sam in her office. She stood at the window, arms crossed in an unconscious gesture of protection, gazing absently out, so lost in thought she didn’t hear him enter the room. He shut the door quietly and for several seconds, just stood taking her all in, somehow, the sight soothing the edges of his anger as a warm feeling rose in his chest. Then he recalled his father’s threats and guilt took over.
She was in danger of losing her job and reputation because of him. He’d known the kind of man his father was, known how much he liked to find people’s weaknesses and exploit them, but he’d let himself be blinded by his feelings, had blithely ignored all his instincts and now, she stood to lose everything because of his carelessness.
He knew just how much her job and career meant to her; she’d made that clear several times over the past few months and it killed him to think he’d put the woman he loved in jeopardy.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he walked towards her, footsteps muted by the carpet. Yet, she must have caught sight of his reflection in the glass because she spun around, her expression tight with worry and surprise.
“Ryan,” she closed the remaining distance, and came to a stop, searching his expression for clues. “What’s going on? What did he say?”
“Hey,” he came to a stop in front of her, noting how strained and anxious she appeared and his guilt deepened. He brushed a hand across her cheek, in a tender caress. “I’m sorry about what happened earlier. Are you okay?”
“How...how did he find out about us?” her voice held a ton of worry. “I never thought…” she broke off and took a deep breath, running a hand absentmindedly through her hair. “God, this is a mess. Do you think he believed my explanation?”
He sighed and raked a hand through his own locks, resisting the urge to pull some strands out in frustration. He opened his mouth to say more, to tell her everything, but changed his mind.
“Yeah, I think so.” he said instead, his guilt ratcheting up a notch as her shoulders sagged in relief. “He probably just asked as a way to rile me up. Guess he succeeded, huh?”
Giving her a sheepish smile, he shrugged, injecting embarrassment into his next words. “I’m sorry you got caught in the middle of my family shit again. Like you already know, my dad likes to see how far he can push my temper and I keep falling for it.”
“Still, for him to come up with that, I don’t know Ryan, I think he must have heard some talk. I thought we were being so careful, but who the hell was I fooling?” She choked out a self mocking laugh and sank down on the sofa, burying her head in her arms. “I should have known it was wishful thinking to believe no one would notice us sneaking around. God! I feel so foolish.”
“Hey,” he settled in beside her, sliding an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. “It’s not as bad as you’re making it out to be. I told you, princess, he believed you.”
She peeked up at him from between her arms. “So, why did you stay behind? Wasn’t it to talk about the issue?”
“Yeah,” he admitted, slowly. “But in the manner of all things Silverton, we quickly moved on to arguing about something else entirely. And believe me, if he even had a shred of doubt left, he would have made more of a fuss than simply asking us if we were having an affair.”
She raised her head, searching his face as though trying to confirm if he was telling the truth. He held her gaze, keeping his expression steady, though every second that passed with her not saying a word squeezed a vice around his lungs.
“Okay,” she said finally, breaking their eye lock and he heaved a quiet sigh.