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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
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In the Shadow of the CEO 34 - Preparations
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In the Shadow of the CEO 35 - Conference
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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
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"This is ridiculous.""Ms. Munson, please -""And oh, my God, if anyone calls me that one more time, I swear to God I'll - Jia! Get over here."Jia obeyed, hurrying with a sharp series of clicks as she scuttled over on her stilettos. Amazing how quickly she had become accustomed to brisk-walking in these without breaking her ankles. Didn't mean her toes felt like they were breaking any less."Hello, Dolly," she said cheerily, forcing her voice to sound as sunny as possible. She was complete faking it, of course, but it seemed like the atmosphere could use a little positivity, artificial or otherwise. The look on the redhead's face was abominably irritated, and Jia knew well that that was not a good sign. It was almost time for lunch and Atlas was due back anytime now - it was a miracle that Dolly had lasted this long, honestly."You hear that?" the enraged woman demanded, turning around to glare at Lydia and Daniel who had followed her out of
In the Shadow of the CEO 39 - Memory
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In the Shadow of the CEO 40 - Professional
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