I Walked Away Seven Years Too Late But Right on Time novel Chapter 42

Sophie was pulled from her daydreaming by Gwen, who was staring at her with predatory eyes. "If it were me," Gwen said suddenly, "faced with a body that young and fit, I wouldn't hesitate. I'd eat him alive.

"Stop looking at me like that." Sophie playfully covered Gwen's eyes with her hand.

Gwen looked down and took a few bites of her food before letting out a dramatic sigh. "Ugh, I haven't gotten laid in way too long."

Sophie dropped a slice of beef onto Gwen's plate. "Here. Get your meat fix."

"Get out of here. You know that's not what I meant."

Sophie hummed a catchy pop tune about man-eaters, her eyes curving into bright crescents of amusement.

"You heartless brat. You're swimming in it while I'm starving out here. I'm a predator by nature, so what?"

Gwen dragged the plate of beef and celery toward herself and shoved the sauteed greens toward Sophie. "You little rabbit, stick to your veggies," she grumbled.

Amidst their laughter, Mr. Baxter's secretary walked over. "Gwen, could I borrow your VIP card for The Plaza?"

"It's not even the Christmas sale season yet. You're getting totally ripped off if you buy now," Gwen pointed out as she fished for the card.

She continued searching her wallet.

The card had been opened specifically for purchasing client gifts. Gwen herself would never dream of shopping there outside of massive clearance events.

"Like I could afford it. It's for Mr. Baxter," the young secretary said, looking awkward.

Gwen understood instantly. She let out a long, drawn-out "Oh" that hit three different octaves. "Is it for the same girl, or has he swapped her out again?"

The secretary waved her hands defensively. "Don't ask me. I know nothing. But please keep it quiet, otherwise..."

She raised her right hand and made a slicing motion across her throat.

Gwen feigned a look of absolute terror. "So vicious."

"Mrs. Larkin from Admin got fired," the secretary whispered. "The notice came down this morning. She has one week to pack her bags. She was crying her eyes out in Mr. Baxter's office. We'd all better watch our backs."

"Why?" Gwen and Sophie asked in unison.

"She's thirty-seven. The boss thinks she's too old, doesn't pull her weight, and talks too much."

Gwen and Sophie exchanged a heavy look, neither saying a word.

"Ugh, that's corporate for you. They only care about the fresh faces, leaving the veterans in the dust. And for women, the shelf life is even shorter."

The twenty-seven-year-old secretary sighed and walked away, leaving Sophie and Gwen's moods plummeting to rock bottom.

"Ruthless. He's got thousands to blow on his mistresses but won't keep a loyal employee. Those absolute bastards."

Gwen slammed her fork down onto the table in disgust.

Both of them were steadily creeping toward thirty-six themselves. The writing was on the wall.

"I'm going to demand a refund for my Thermage deposit."

Gwen suddenly felt a profound terror regarding her paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle.

Sophie's mind was racing too, mentally tallying up her mortgage debt and desperately brainstorming ways to make money if she got the ax.

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