Page 51 of The Grand Duel
Regards,
Lissie (Lis.se)
Assistant to Dickrector
Charles Aldridge Ltd
I am not an angry man. I am a very relaxed, laid-back man. But fuck me, this woman. I do my best to keep the phone in my hand and not launch it across the changing booth I’m in.
Lissie,
My apologies for calling you by your legal name. I presume the missed typo in your sign off is a one-off, and you won’t require a proofreader when sending basic emails.
Charles Aldridge
Director (dai.rek.tuh)
Charles Aldridge Ltd
You know it, Charles.
Lissie (Lis.se)
Assistant to director
Charles Aldridge Ltd
Lissie
I place down my phone and lean back against the wall, the half-empty bottle of red wine still clutched in my hand.
The idea of having my own place again seemed like a great one until I was reminded of the reality of it.
When I worked at FTR, I’d finish at the office at five, be home by six, and be out the door again by seven to help at the old community centre I used to go to when I was a child. I was always busy back then. The community centre would take over an hour on the tube being on the other side of London, but I liked the commute. I was gutted when they shut it down and turned the centre into flats.
Once I lost my job at the firm and then in turn my apartment, I knew I’d have to ask someone for help. Ginny was more of an acquaintance from work than a friend, but living with her was nice. Being around someone outside of work was nice.
Maybe Bronwyn could give me more shifts.
I take another swig out of the wine bottle.
The little girl whose case we worked on today is called Hannah. She’s just eight years old, and yet there’s an innocence missing in her stare that should be there. I spent hours listening, watching, hoping I’d find it.
I snigger and shake my head, blowing out a long breath.
Swiping open my phone screen, I scroll across to my banking app and stare at the colossal amount of money sitting in my account. I click on the tab that holds my trust fund, not thinkingtoo much about it as I fire off donations to the charities I have saved.
My stare is on my feet as I wait for each payment to clear, thousands of pounds disappearing from the account. I roll my toes together over and over, willing the burn in the backs of my eyes and throat to fuck off.
I see the email come through as the final payment completes.
Will you be starting at a normal hour in the morning?