It was true that I didn’t have to pick it up. I’d said what I’d said. I was done with this job and with Theo Ganas forever. But three years of being conditioned to respond to the man’s calls instantly were not going to go away because I was having my boss babe moment.

I summoned strength and tapped on the phone screen with Julia’s “Don’t do it, Alba!” trailing behind me.

“Hello,” I said, a little too breathless for having only walked the twenty yards to Julia’s home office.

“Where are you?”

When I heard the voice on the other end I had to pull the phone away from my ear and look at the screen again to verify that this was in fact my former boss. Theo’s usual tone of bored indifference was completely gone. He sounded like he’d guzzled down a pint of gasoline before he called me. In three years, I had never heard this man sound more than mildly annoyed at pretty much anything. And right now, on this call, he was straight up shouting. But I had nothing to lose and my true self broke through the usual pushover façade I used with him.

“Sorry...” I muttered, in a thick Dominican accent. “No habla pendejo.”

A mighty growl came through the line a second later, and I’m not ashamed to admit I got a little wet. “Alba Serena, I am not playing games with you.”

Where was all this even coming from? I knew Theo didn’t like to lose, but the man had two assistants who could take care of his day-to-day while he found someone to replace me.

“Oh, now you know my name,” I retorted, which only elicited more furious sounds.

“Of course I know your name,” he bit out, and I could almost hear his molars grinding in agony. “Are you really going to end your time here with an email?” I frowned at the way he said it. Like he was offended. But I knew that couldn’t be it, since he’d barely blinked when I told him I was quitting. Theo didn’t care I was leaving. This was just about his control freak ways. I had changed the plan on him and he couldn’t cope.