Crazygirl Falls in Love by Alexandra Wnuk Page A

Melbourne.”
    “And you understand the confidential nature of this
sale?”
    “Of course.”
    Where is he going with this?
    “You will not be able to discuss this sale to anyone, not even
your partner.”
    That won’t be a problem, my last partner
turned out to be an asshole parasite nimrod, so I’m very much
single . Actually wait, I take that back.
Calling him a parasite would be injurious and offensive to the
millions of honest parasitic species out there.
    “I understand,” I assert, more forcefully this
time.
    He What Shall Not Be Named has nothing to add, but the
Development Manager turns to Angrypants to continue the line of
questioning,
    “Can we be frank Ms Daye? We are a tad concerned regarding the
manning of your team.”
    He looks around the table. The young Lloyds kid and my ex nod
their approval.
    “Why is that?” Sarah asks, worry lines etching themselves into
her forehead.
    “One of the lawyers on your team is known for her habit of
sharing client secrets during, how should I put this, ‘pillow
talk’. You can see how this might raise some concerns for
us.”
    The Development Manager is looking at Sarah,
Sarah is looking at him, but the rest of the room move their eyes
to me. I blush a deep crimson whilst clenching my fists ever more
tightly under the table. I am mortified, and furious. I’ve never
broken a client’s confidentiality in my life! He Who Shall Not Be
Named has an amused smile on his face, and it dawns on me. It’s him. He’s been telling them I’m a pillow
talker . I’m paralysed with anger. My eyes
see red, I’m so angry. My teeth grit, I’m so
angry.
    How dare he? After all the information he used to ‘acquire’
from his old employer (without the employer’s knowledge, which I
call stealing) which could only be described as misappropriation,
he has the gall to
make up a story like this? I desperately want to stand up and point
a finger back at him, tell the room that he is the untrustworthy one, that if
someone is going to leak this, it’ll be him .
    Stunned and furious by the nasty turn of events, I have no
idea of how best to defend myself, so I stay quiet. To the people
in the room, my silence is as good as an admission of guilt. Sarah
remains cool as a cucumber,
    “I assure you our lawyers are of the best repute and uphold
the highest professional standards. There is no need for
concern.”
    ***
    Back in the taxi Angrypants is not happy. And the feeling is
entirely mutual.
    “What the hell happened in there Jonesy? You were about as
useful as a chocolate teapot.”
    I’m so livid with her I can barely control my shaking voice.
Angrypants met He Who Shall Not Be Named before he called off the
engagement. And she knew he would be there today.
    “You knew. You knew he would be at that meeting. Why
didn’t you warn me?”
    Her eyes widen, then narrow again, then close tightly shut.
Her forehead screws up like overused chamois leather and she
starts rubbing her temples with her fingertips. She’s obviously
controlling an outburst. When she speaks her voice is frighteningly
controlled,
    “Do you mean to tell me that you didn’t read the
agenda?”
    Uh oh.
    “I… You see, I was swamped with Tesco this morning,
and...”
    I stop when I see my boss rubbing her temples more violently
than I’ve ever seen her do before. I say no more. My anger does a
swift U-turn to be firmly directed onto myself. Because Sarah is
right. She is one hundred per cent bloody right.
    She continues in that eerily calm tone,
    “Jonesy, when are you going to learn that working nights and
weekends is part of the deal in the Magic Circle? You think you can
have a great social life and still get to work at one of the most
prestigious law firms in the world?”
    I want to remind her that I already work
from home on Saturdays but I stay silent. She wants us to be
working Saturdays and Sundays, like she does. It’s a miracle she’s found time to get
married this weekend.
    “Sarah, I