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16 - Redundant
Jia spent the next minute attempting to discreetly catch Anthony’s eye so that she could properly greet him, but he appeared almost desperately adamant to avoid just such a thing. Finally, she gave up and turned her head to face forward, opting to stare at a particularly colorful abstract painting hanging on the opposite wall. She had never been an artist nor schooled in its intricacies, but she was fairly certain it was supposed to look like a trumpet.
Oh, this was killing her. She closed her eyes and tried to quash the boredom and agitation growing inside her now that she had nothing to do but wait. She checked the time on her phone for the seventh time and closed it again with a soundless sigh. Lydia wouldn’t return to the office for another ten minutes and some change; she hoped the woman wouldn’t summarily lose her mind at finding them gone.
But that was the least of her worries. Once Jia explained to her that she had reminded Atla
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In the Shadow of the CEO 17 - Soulless
“Then, if that’s all…?”Atlas stood up from the leather chair and extended his hand across the table toward George Burhock. They had sat at the end of it that was closest to the front of the room, well away from the door: though there was little risk of eavesdropping thanks to the soundproofing of the walls, Atlas could neither prove that nor did he expect the man to simply take his word for it. Emphasizing privacy was a demonstration of a small courtesy that he had no issue extending. Especially not for a multi-million dollar arrangement.“I see everything I’ve heard is true,” the older man said. He got to his feet with a grunt and reached over to shake his hand. “That has to have been the most soulless exchange I’ve ever partaken in.”Anyone else would have taken that as an insult, but Atlas considered it nothing but a point of satisfaction. What use was a soul in matters like these? “Efficiency, Mr. Burhock.” He withdrew his hand
In the Shadow of the CEO 18 - Careless
The goodbye was only temporary, so it was a quick affair: a brief handshake between everyone, a promise to meet again tomorrow, and then Mr. Burhock’s and Anthony’s subsequent disappearance into a waiting vehicle in front of the building. Jia gave them a final wave before the luxury sedan disappeared down the street, and then Lydia tapped her on the shoulder, urging her to follow. Atlas had already begun heading back inside.“Lydia,” he said just as they discreetly caught up to him with hurried but careful steps to avoid the tell-tale clatter of stiletto heels on the ground.“Yes, sir?”Lydia squeezed in through the revolving glass door just in time behind Atlas, leaving Jia behind to helplessly wait for the next enclosure to come sliding around. She didn’t even get a chance to overhear what it was that Atlas had to say, and she fervently hoped that missing his next words wouldn’t be her undoing. She hurried into the ad
In the Shadow of the CEO 19 - Regret
Firmly caught between Atlas Grayson and a hard place, Jia had nowhere to run. She couldn’t even muster up the courage to glance around for an escape route, for fear of breaking the stare that he had entangled her with like a sea turtle in a fishing net. Instinct told her that the moment she looked away, he would make her regret it.“I thought you had something to say, Ms. Moon.”Jia swallowed hard past the growing lump in her throat. “I - I did, sir” she squeaked, failing miserably in her attempt to stand her ground and hide her panic. Her voice completely broke on the last syllable.“Ms. Moon?”“Y-yes? Sir?”Atlas relaxed his arms that remained braced against the closed elevator doors on either side of Jia. He slowly leaned in, forcing her to press herself back harder into the metal. Maybe if she exerted herself, she thought, she could melt into the doors and become one with the buildi
In the Shadow of the CEO 20 - Negotiation
It didn’t take long for Jia to swear off riding in a car ever again, at least when it came to riding shotgun. Idling in the backseat where she couldn’t see most of the road was fine, but sitting in the front and feeling the dangerous proximity of every single other two-ton machine on the road made her feel sick to her stomach.She closed her eyes every time the car in front of them suddenly pressed their brakes, and wondered if her fate was to die of an unfortunate rear-ending after everything she had been through in her life. And every time Atlas changed lanes, she held her breath, waiting for the inevitable fatal collision with some other unwitting driver.But the worst were the massive tractor trailers that occasionally trundled along beside them like deceptively docile T-rexes. Jia stared out the darkened window at a white sheet of studded steel just above the gigantic tires that could crush Atlas’s sleek Lamborghini into scrap metal. She wonder
In the Shadow of the CEO 21 - Reservations
Jia had never been to the airport before, but if asked, she would have adamantly insisted that there was no such thing as a special terminal for VIP passengers only. Surely they had to come through the same dog door just as everyone else did, even if they happened to also have a celebrity’s welcome waiting for them once they disembarked.She was, of course, completely wrong.The Lamborghini coasted down a road that forked just ahead, with one lane leading into the airport pick-up area and the other going off in some other mysterious, winding direction marked only with a bland, forgettable sign: “616 DESIGNATED PICKUP.” It was cryptic and vague; on a dark night, she wouldn’t have ever chosen to wander that way.But of course, that was the lane that Atlas chose to take, because why not. At least it was broad daylight right now - if some modern day highway bandits were lying in wait for some unsuspecting driver to come alo
In the Shadow of the CEO 22 - Dolores Munson
How much did private jets cost, anyway?Jia didn’t think she wanted to know, frankly. Rich people with their luxuries that cost more than all the food it would take to feed the poverty-stricken in the city - she had to stop herself from physically shaking her head in disapproval. She marveled at her promised salary of a hundred thousand a year, and if not for the immense medical debt that still needed paying, she knew she would have money left over after the essentials. So how much did people who owned private jets make, and how could they possibly spend all of their income with so little remaining to share with others?She glanced sideways at Atlas, who was staring straight ahead and far too focused on the now-silent aircraft to notice her. She wondered briefly how much he made and whether he owned one as well. That would figure, she snorted inwardly. He seemed just the type to own several actually, even if he didn’t use them. Clearly
In the Shadow of the CEO 23 - Wretched
The men standing in front of the air stairs politely refused Jia entry until, faced with no other immediate options, she began to loudly call for Mark’s attention from the ground. The jet’s clamshell door was still open, and she could clearly hear the string of loud complaints and a cacophony of clinking glass bottles from inside.“Mark, I’m coming up!” she announced, making sure that her voice would carry up the stairs and into the cabin. Though she didn’t often flaunt it, she knew how to project her voice after years of working in busy food service establishments, and Mark must have heard her even past the racket he was currently enduring. “Tell them to let me in!”“Everything - stop that, please let go - everything’s fine here, Jia! We’ve got it all under control - ow!”“I don’t think that’s true, Mark, so if you could just let me help -”“Leave me alone, I own everything in her
In the Shadow of the CEO 24 - Sober
“Thanks, Mark. We’ll take care of her from here. And, um, good work.” Jia carefully patted the man on the single dry patch of his suit jacket. He reeked of rich wine even now despite having spent the last ten minutes airing himself out while Jia wrestled the half-comatose Dolly into the cramped backseat of Atlas’s car.Why had he brought a sports car knowing he would be carrying three passengers? It had just enough room to seat two; the backseat shouldn’t even qualify as anything other than maybe an oversized cup holder. There were talents roaming around Pandora’s lobby right now carrying purses that were bigger.“I…”“It’s fine, Mark,” she assured him before he could finish his stumbling sentence. “Mr. Grayson and I are on a bit of a schedule, so we’ll go ahead and leave, okay?”He made a vaguely assenting but also reluctant sound that Jia suspected she shouldn’t unpack. She wanted to get out of here.
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