Chapter 3

By the third day, Amara was beginning to think she had finally figured out the job.

She knew which meetings required printed documents and which ones were virtual. She knew Nick liked his coffee black and Lorry preferred tea in the afternoon. She knew which calls could wait and which ones needed to be transferred immediately.

Most importantly, she had memorized their schedules.

That morning, Amara sat behind her desk, scrolling through the brothers' calendars while eating a piece of toast.

She had already answered twelve emails.

She had rejected three unnecessary meeting requests.

She had moved one appointment because Nick had another commitment.

Things were going smoothly.

Her phone rang.

“Pablo Innovations, good morning.”

“Amara, it's Nick.”

She straightened.

“Yes?”

“Move the Henderson meeting to eleven.”

Amara glanced at the calendar.

“Eleven?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

“And make sure Lorry is there.”

“Will do.”

The call ended.

Amara quickly opened the calendar and moved the meeting.

She checked the time.

9:42 a.m.

She had another meeting at eleven listed on the calendar, but she vaguely remembered Lorry telling her yesterday that it had been moved.

At least, she thought he had.

She clicked on it.

11:00 a.m. — Meeting with Kingston Technologies.

Amara frowned.

She stared at the screen.

She remembered moving something yesterday.

Maybe it was Kingston.

Maybe it wasn't.

She shrugged.

She would check later.

At ten thirty, Lorry walked past her office.

“Conference room at eleven.”

Amara looked up.

“Okay.”

He walked away.

She smiled.

Everything was under control.

At exactly eleven, Amara heard the executive conference room door open.

“Good morning, Mr. Pablo.”

“Good morning.”

Another voice followed.

Amara's phone rang.

She answered.

“Pablo Innovations.”

“Amara, where are you?”

She immediately recognized Lorry's voice.

“At my desk.”

“Why?”

“I'm working.”

“Where is Kingston Technologies?”

She froze.

Her eyes went to the calendar.

11:00 a.m. — Kingston Technologies.

Then she remembered.

The Henderson meeting.

She had moved Henderson to eleven.

But Kingston had already been scheduled for eleven.

Her eyes widened.

“Oh.”

Lorry's voice became colder.

“What does that mean?”

“I…”

She looked at the conference room.

Then at her computer.

“I may have made a mistake.”

“A mistake?”

“Yes.”

“What kind?”

“I double-booked you.”

Silence.

Amara swallowed.

“Both meetings are scheduled for eleven?.”

“I ..I'm sorry sir.”

His voice was dangerously calm.

“Fix it.”

“I'll fix it.”

“Now.”

The call ended.

Amara jumped out of her chair.

She grabbed her phone and rushed toward the conference room.

She stopped outside the door.

Lorry was sitting at the head of the table.

On one side sat the Kingston Technologies representatives.

On the other sat Henderson's team.

Nick was beside his brother, looking between everyone with an expression that suggested he was trying very hard not to laugh.

Amara stepped inside.

“I'm sorry...i ...”

Every head turned.

Lorry looked at her.

“Leave.”

Amara hesitated

“But—”

“Leave.”

She slowly stepped backward.

“Yes, sir.”

She closed the door.

The moment she was outside, she exhaled.

“Oh, shit.”

She immediately began making phone calls.

Within fifteen minutes, Henderson's meeting had been moved to two p.m.

Kingston Technologies remained at eleven.

Problem solved.

At noon, Lorry called her into his office.

Amara stood in front of his desk.

He didn't even look up from the document in front of him.

“Do you know your job here at Pablo Innovations?”

“Yes.”

“Do you?.”

“I thought the meeting had been moved.”

“You thought.”

Amara said nothing.

Lorry finally looked at her.

“This isn't kindergarden, and you are not getting paid to think...you are paid to do your job.”

“People's time is money.”

“I know and I'm sorry sir.”

“Then act like it.”

Amara's jaw tightened

She looked away.

“You'll receive a written warning from HR.”

Her head snapped back toward him.

“What?”

“A written warning.”

“But it was my first mistake.”

“And?”

Amara stared at him.

“Isn't there supposed to be a verbal warning first?”

“Not according to company policy when an executive meeting is affected.”

She crossed her arms.

“Fine.”

Lorry's eyes narrowed.

“Anything else?”

“No.”

“Then get out of my office.”

Amara turned toward the door.

“Amara.”

She stopped.

She looked back.

“Next time you'll get more than just a warning.”

Her chest tightened.

She said nothing.

She walked out.

For the first time since she had started working at Pablo Innovations, she didn't feel like proving Lorry wrong.

She felt overwhelmed..

But she refused to give him the satisfaction.

---

By four thirty, Amara was sitting in the HR office signing her written warning.

The HR manager handed her a copy.

“It's not the end of the world.”

“It feels like it.”

The woman smiled sympathetically.

“Everyone makes mistakes.”

“Apparently mine just have consequences.”

“That is usually how mistakes work.”

Amara sighed.

“Thank you.”

She stood and walked out.

She hated this.

But she wasn't quitting.

Not after three days.

Especially not after Lorry had told her she wouldn't last a week.

She grabbed her handbag and headed home.

☆

☆

☆

AMARA'S APARTMENT

The moment Amara opened the front door, she heard Javey's voice.

“There she is!”

Nora appeared from the kitchen.

“You're late.”

Amara dropped her handbag onto the couch.

“I had a bad day.”

Both of them immediately became serious.

“What happened?” Nora asked.

Amara walked toward the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water.

“I made a mistake.”

Javey gasped.

“What did you do?”

“I double-booked the brothers.”

Javey stared at her.

“For a meeting?”

“Yes.”

“Both of them?”

“Yes.”

“Two meetings at the same time?”

“Javey!!”

He put his hand over his heart.

“My baby that's horible...what did they do...wait they bullied you??.”

“I am not being bullied.”

“Okay you were given a warning, or worse fired?”

Amara looked at him.

“How do you know?”

“Your face.”

Nora sat beside her.

“What happened?”

Amara explained everything.

By the time she finished, Javey was furious.

“Where does this Lorry Pablo live?”

Amara blinked.

“Why?”

“I just want to talk.”

“No.”

“I need his address.”

“No.”

“I'll just have a conversation.”

“Javey!!"

“A respectful conversation.”

Nora laughed.

“You're not going anywhere.”

“He made her cry.”

“I am not crying.”

“You're emotionally crying.”

“That's not a thing.”

“It is now.”

Javey stood.

“I swear, if that man talks to you like that again—”

“What are you going to do?”

“Spank him.”

Amara burst out laughing.

“You're going to spank a six-foot-something billionaire?”

“I have confidence.”

Nora shook her head.

“You'll get yourself arrested.”

“I'll look good in prison.”

Amara laughed harder.

Javey pointed at her.

“Don't laugh. I'm serious.”

“You're ridiculous.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Nora had been unusually quiet.

Amara noticed.

“What?”

Nora looked at her.

“Don't worry.”

“That sentence always means I should worry.”

“I have an idea.”

Javey sat down.

“What idea?”

Nora smiled.

“If Lorry wants to make Amara prove she's capable…”

She paused.

“Then let her.”

Amara frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“Stop trying to prove him wrong by being perfect.”

“Then what should I do?”

“Become indispensable.”

Amara stared at her.

Nora continued.

“You made a mistake because you're still learning. Fine. But you know computers better than most people in that building. You know technology. You know how systems work. You just need to learn their system.”

Javey nodded slowly.

“I don't like where this is going.”

Nora smiled.

“Tomorrow, Amara goes to work early.”

“Okay.”

“She learns every detail about those schedules.”

“Okay.”

“She learns every client.”

“Okay.”

“She learns every meeting room.”

Amara nodded.

“And?”

Nora's smile widened.

“And she makes sure Lorry never has a reason to question her again. At the end of this week or next week mess with their system a little and make him look stupid."

Javey snapped his fingers.

“I like it.”

Amara smiled.

“So do I.”

Nora leaned closer.

“And one more thing.”

“What?”

“Don't let him see that he got to you today.”

Amara's smile disappeared.

She thought about Lorry's words.

She straightened.

“You're right.”

Javey smiled.

“That's my girl.”

Amara picked up her glass.

“Tomorrow, I'm getting to work at seven.”

Javey looked shocked.

“Who are you and what have you done with Mara?”

She laughed.

“I'm not quitting.”

Nora smiled.

“That's my girl"

“And I'm definitely not getting fired.”

Javey raised his glass.

“To Amara lasting more than a week.”

They clinked glasses.

Amara smiled.

But deep down, she knew something had changed.

Before today, proving Lorry wrong had been a game.

Now it was personal.