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29 - Bad Company
"Ms. Munson. I mean - Dolly. Everything okay?"
The woman answered her with a long, slow blink. "That's what I was about to ask you," she said lightly. "You, uh, having some problems?"
"No," said Jia. "Just a minor hiccup. Did you need me for anything? I was just about to rejoin you."
Easy, easy, she told herself. She couldn't seem like she was in too much of a rush to change the subject. She had gone through these paces far too many times with previous employers to make a silly mistake like that now. The more defensive and hasty she seemed, the more curious she would make them.
"I was just tired of looking at him. He's awful company."
Well, she was right about that. If only Dolly knew exactly how awful Atlas was, all the horrible things he had done to Jia in the one night and one day since they had very unluckily reunited. She allowed herself to indulge in the fantasy of exposing all his mi
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In the Shadow of the CEO 30 - Renegotiate
Dolly had excused herself to go to the restroom - well, more accurately, she had sprung up from her seat and stalked off in that direction - and now both women were absent from the table. Atlas looked down at his curly fries and considered sending it toppling off the table just to see if it they would stand up and walk off, too. He wouldn't be surprised.He only began to suspect something was awry when he turned and spotted both women returning at the same time. What, had Jia run into her halfway and decided to wait for Dolores, too? That was entirely unnecessary. He understood offering the utmost when it came to making important guests feel welcome and catered to, but escorting them to or from the restrooms was a step beyond. And not in a good way. When they next had a moment, he was going to have to inform Jia of that.But not now. Atlas watched as first his assistant slid into the booth followed by Dolores, but what particularly caught his attent
In the Shadow of the CEO 31 - Haze
"You don't even want to be here, do you?" Dolly asked.Jia looked up from where she had been staring down at her hands in her lap. They had been sitting in silence for only a few minutes now, Dolly on the far sofa and Jia sitting opposite her on the single-seater couch. The electric fireplace was happily crackling away just a few feet to their left."You don't have to keep up the whole professional thing here, by the way. I'm probably going to get smashed in like half an hour and not remember anything that happens tonight, so there's really no point."...But there was no alcohol stocked here, Jia wanted to point out. She'd peeked around the kitchen and pantries to make sure the other woman wasn't lacking anything, and the closest thing to wine she had seen was a carton of grape juice in the refrigerator. No alcohol at all."Um...There's no...""I have my ways," Dolly told her before she even f
In the Shadow of the CEO 32 - Retaliate
Jia closed the apartment door with a soft click, careful not to let the sound echo through the small unit and wake Jisu and Jini. They had made it home, after all. Even after a quick shower, her heart was still thudding away in protracted relief as she turned the lock and stuffed the key into her pocket. She had been afraid that she would come home to find their beds empty, that she had made a mistake leaving it up to Jisu to get his sister home.It said a lot about her that she had been uncertain. Said a lot about where she had failed and where she should have tried harder. For instance, leaving it up to one twin to find the other after she had disappeared from school. She would have to talk to Jini about it tonight, she knew, but she would cross that bridge when she got there. She wasn't looking forward to it.Jia stared down at the pavement as she walked to the bus stop. She should have been keeping her eyes up and staying alert
In the Shadow of the CEO 33 - Talks
Luckily, conveniently, there was a man waiting to drive them to headquarters in a small limousine instead of a cramped sports car. Why Atlas had picked Dolly up himself was a mystery in that case, but perhaps he simply wanted to make doubly sure that she was ready for him.Well, all things considered, Jia had made sure the job was done well. She was tired and she was sure she had dark circles under her eyes from the exhaustion creeping over her, and Dolly did look like she had just bit into an entire lemon, but they were all packed into the vehicle now and well on their way to Pandora Lights. The two women sitting next to each other and facing the rear, Atlas sitting across and watching them with his now-familiar cold stare. Black asphalt and white sidewalks and pristine buildings slid past them as they trundled down Manhattan streets in 8AM traffic. Besides the incessant honking that had begun to go up, how nice and
In the Shadow of the CEO 34 - Preparations
"Lydia, I owe you an apology for yesterday. I'm so sorry, you warned me and I didn't listen. And then..."What was Jia supposed to say? I'm sorry I made Atlas angry at you, I'm sorry I made him be so rude to you, I'm sorry he's such an ass and also that I don't think before I act -Lydia held up one slender hand and shook her head to dissuade Jia from apologizing any further. "The important thing is that Mr. Grayson didn't miss his appointment. It was incredibly important, and I shouldn't have cut it so close. He was right to reprimand me for it."How could she say that? She was the one in the right, and while Jia understood that sometimes that there was a need to pretend that the boss was always right, but surely this wasn't one of those times. They were alone in a room and there was no chance of Atlas overhearing. Jia had already extended the apology, too, knowing full well that the unfortunate incident
In the Shadow of the CEO 35 - Conference
By the time Jia finished her gripping story of the wild redhead woman and the adventures at the burger joint (Lydia's eyes had nearly bugged out of her head at the mention of such an undignified dinner experience), they were both standing in the hallway one door down from the conference room Atlas, Daniel, and Dolly were in. Soundproofed and solid, there was no way to tell if the talks were winding down yet, but that was fine with Jia: she liked talking to Lydia like this."And then we came here," she concluded, artfully omitting any mention of her working a night shift and leaving Dolly on her own until the morning. "It was a wild day yesterday. And after all that, she's leaving again this Sunday?"The blond nodded. "That's how it is most times. Mr. Grayson's clientele are all high-demand, so they lose a great deal of money the longer they remain not working under contract. Ms. Munson's a special case since all her contracts require redrafting, but
In the Shadow of the CEO 36 - Stubborn
Much like a clumsy gardener happily hacking apart the backyard and accidentally puncturing the water line, it was clear that Jia had just struck a nerve. She froze, torn between immediately apologizing and pushing the envelope. She was already neck deep anyway. And it really did grate on her nerves that he called her Ms. Moon, something only customer service representatives and telemarketers called her.And hearing him call Lydia by her given name while addressing her so formally made her uncomfortable too, as if it were drawing a wider divide between the woman and herself. Jia didn't like that, especially not after what had happened yesterday. For the sake of restoring their burgeoning friendship, Jia had to push a little bit. Make it a point to prove that she and Lydia were the same, that Atlas wasn't treating them any differently.(At least not in the way the woman might suspect.)"You call your clients mister and miss such and such," said J
In the Shadow of the CEO 37 - Clumsy
Who knew that standing here motionless for this long could take such a toll on the body? Atlas had the advantage, having only been out here for the last half hour, but Jia had been on her feet ever since she and Lydia had filed out into the hallway far earlier than that. These stilettos were doing a number on her heels. Surely her spine had compressed a few inches by now?And why was Atlas still standing out here as if he expected Dolly to beg him to come back inside any moment now? Jia hadn't known the woman for long yet, but she was confident that even Dolly were on fire inside the room this very moment and Atlas possessed the only fire extinguisher in existence, she would readily reduce herself to cinders and dust.Not too long ago, Jia had had the same opinion of him. Up until last night when she had spent eight hours wondering what exactly her game plan was, going forward. She still disliked him, but if he provided the paychecks, she would give him honest ef
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