5. DEMOTED...OR PROMOTED?

Morning came. Again.

The bus hadn’t even come to a complete stop before Selene squeezed her way through the crowd of passengers.

“Excuse me.”

“Sorry.”

“Coming through.”

The moment her shoes touched the pavement, she took off running.

The cold morning air slapped against her cheeks as she hurried across the busy sidewalk, weaving around pedestrians who seemed to be moving at the pace of snails—far slower than Selene could tolerate.

Her handbag bounced against her hip with every step.

This morning was a disaster.

Grandma Hattie had misplaced her medication.

The bus had arrived ten minutes late.

By the time Selene finally reached downtown Ravenwood City, she was so close to being late. Again.

Not that it was entirely her fault.

Being late three times this month says otherwise, Nyx pointed out.

“Not helping, Nyx.” Selene muttered aloud.

Just stating facts.

Selene rolled her eyes and hastened her footsteps.

The towering Blackwood Corps building soon came into view, standing proudly against the morning sky.

Relief flooded her chest.

She might actually make it.

Key word— Might. 

If the universe decides to show you mercy just this once.

Which, knowing your luck, it probably wouldn’t.

“Please be quiet.”

Selene pushed through the glass doors and nearly collided with a security guard.

“Sorry!” she called out, unwilling to waste another second.

The guard chuckled as she hurried past.

The lobby was already busy with employees rushing toward elevators, coffee cups in hand and phones pressed against their ears.

Selene glanced at her wristwatch.

8:03 a.m.

Her stomach dropped.

“Oh no. I’m officially late.”

By three minutes. Nyx snorted.

“Late is late,” Selene retorted.

Whatever helps you sleep at night.

Ignoring Nyx’s words, Selene hurried toward the elevators, whispering a prayer that Mr. Harris wouldn’t notice.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, she rushed toward her desk, completely oblivious to the stares and whispers following her.

“Hi,” Selene muttered to Chloe, who sat at her desk with a huge grin on her face. Selene quickly arranged her things before taking her seat.

“Should I be worried about that smile on your face?” 

“Oh, no,” Chloe replied, still smiling like a Cheshire cat. “But you should probably be worried about all the glares you’re getting right now.”

“Wait, what’s going on?” 

“You haven’t heard?” Chloe gasped. 

“If I had, I wouldn’t be asking you,” Selene rolled her eyes. 

“Oh! Right. Anyways, Mr.—”

“Miss Hart?” Mr. Harris’s voice echoed across the room. “See me in my office. Now.” 

Fear settled in Selene’s chest. A dozen possibilities raced through her mind as she wondered why she’d been called in.

Is this because of yesterday? Or maybe even today? But I wasn’t that late, right? 

Maybe you’re getting fired. Nyx added. 

You realize you’re not helping matters, right? Selene shot back.

But what if Nyx was right?

What would she do?

They were already drowning in debt. How would they cope if she lost her job? And what would she tell Grandma Hattie?

Oh, my goodness.

Suppressing the panic rising in her chest, Selene raised a trembling hand and knocked on Mr. Harris’s door.

She knocked. Twice. Then pushed the door open without waiting for a reply. 

“You called for me, sir?” Selene asked, clasping her hands nervously in front of her.

Mr. Harris looked up from the document on his desk.

For a moment, he simply stared at her.

Selene frowned slightly.

Something was definitely off.

Normally, whenever he called her into his office, he got straight to the point. He rarely hesitated or wasted time getting to whatever issue had brought her there.

Today, however, he looked... uncomfortable.

His fingers tapped restlessly against the surface of the desk.

Once.

Twice.

Then he halted.

Selene shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"Is there a problem, sir?" she asked carefully.

"No."

The answer came too hurriedly.

A short silence followed.

Mr. Harris removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose before letting out a tired breath.

That definitely wasn’t normal. If anything, he looked annoyed—not at her, but at the situation itself.

"You may sit down."

Selene obeyed, sinking into the chair opposite him.

The discomfort in the room only seemed to increase.

Mr. Harris glanced at the document in front of him again, as though hoping the words had somehow changed since the last time he’d read them.

Unfortunately, they hadn’t. 

The order still stood.

Direct authorization from the CEO himself. There was no room for objections or negotiations.

As head of the Marketing Department, Harris knew exactly what kind of employee Selene Hart was: efficient, reliable, hardworking to a fault. 

She was the kind of employee managers fought to keep. And he was about to lose her.

And for what? To become a personal assistant?

His jaw tightened. It all made absolutely no sense to him.

If the order had come from anyone else, he would have rejected it immediately.

But it hadn't.

It came from Alaric Blackwood. The CEO himself. 

No one argued with the CEO. No one.

Finally, Harris looked at her.

"Miss Hart…" he began slowly.

Selene's stomach tightened.

"Yes, sir?"

“Starting today, your position in the Marketing Department has been terminated.”

The color drained from her face.

“I’m sorry? I don’t understand.” The words rushed out of Selene’s mouth. “Did I do something wrong? Is my department underperforming? Is there a problem with the Q3 marketing data?”

“No… no. I mean, you’re being transferred instead. You won’t be working in the Marketing Department anymore.”

Confusion was written all over Selene’s face. “Transferred? Where?” 

“To the executive floor. The CEO’s office, to be precise,” Mr. Harris replied, clearly unhappy that the decision was completely out of his hands.

Selene was too stunned to speak. She simply stared at her boss.

“You’ll be serving as Mr. Blackwood’s Personal Assistant.”

Silence. Absolute silence.

Excuse me? PERSONAL ASSISTANT?

Even Nyx was rendered speechless.

“With all due respect, sir, I work in Marketing. I can’t suddenly become a personal assistant.”

“Well, Miss Hart, I’m afraid the decision isn’t up to either of us.”

Without another word, Mr. Harris reached for a document resting at the edge of his desk and slid it across the table. “Open it. That’s your new employment package.”

Confused, she lowered her gaze to the document. The first thing that caught her attention was the salary figure.

Her eyes widened.

Then she looked again. Maybe her eyes were deceiving her. 

The amount listed was nearly double what she currently earned. It was more than enough to cover everything she needed—and perhaps even give her some breathing room.

Slowly, she read on.

A comprehensive health insurance plan was included in the package, covering not only her expenses but also those of one dependent. Specialist consultations, prescription medications, hospital admissions, routine checkups, emergency treatments—services she normally had to budget carefully for—were now listed among her benefits.

Her grip on the paper tightened.

Her thoughts immediately went to Grandma.

The mounting medical bills.

The payment reminders that seemed to arrive every other day.

The constant fear of not having enough.

For the first time, the strange transfer didn’t feel entirely terrifying.

By the time she reached the final page, her mind was spinning with questions.

The position might carry the title of Personal Assistant, but nothing about the offer felt like a demotion.

If anything, it felt suspiciously like a promotion.

Selene frowned at the document.

This was too much.

The salary alone was enough to make her suspicious, but the benefits were almost unbelievable.

Why would the CEO suddenly offer all of this to her?

She hadn’t even spoken to the man.

In fact, she’d barely seen him.

A small knot formed in her stomach.

Something about this doesn’t feel right, Nyx murmured.

Selene swallowed.

She couldn’t disagree.

But then her eyes fell back to the health insurance details.

Grandma.

That single thought was enough to silence every other concern.

"Sir..." she began carefully, almost afraid of the answer. "Is this really for me?"

“It wouldn’t be in your hands if it weren’t.” 

She stared at the papers, then at her boss, then the papers once again. 

I’m not going to have to step in again, am I? Nyx whispered.

“When do I start?” 

Upstairs, on the executive floor, the door to the CEO’s office flew open. 

“She said yes!” Flynn grinned. 

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

🎧 SPEAK UP! DEMOTED… OR PROMOTED? 😭🌚 What would YOU call Selene’s new position?

🎤 #Vote# Enjoying the story? Don’t forget to vote with your Moon Tickets! ❤️

🔮 PREDICTION: Why do you think Alaric specifically wanted Selene as his assistant? 👀

🎤 RANDOM QUESTION: Would you rather have a stressful job that pays REALLY well or an easy job that pays less? 👀

Thank you for reading! 😍❤️ See you in the next chapter!