Chapter Six: I'll do anything.

“S-sir, I-i’m sorry for coming late,” she apologized.

Justin squinted his eyes at Jasmine. He wondered where the feisty woman he had met yesterday was. “It seems like you are the boss. I mean you arrive whenever you want,” he taunted.

“N-no s-sir, i-it's not like that,” Jasmine tried to explain. However, Justin did not give her the chance as he walked out of the office. Austin also stood up and followed his brother but not before waving her goodbye. 

It was like he was telling her to say goodbye to her job. No! She couldn’t afford to lose this job. She snapped out of her shock and ran after them. However, she was too late as they had entered their private elevator. 

‘Shit!’ she cursed to herself. What game was her fate playing? It was like it hated her and wanted to see her downfall just like the Baxters. 

They had used their power to make sure she wouldn’t get a job anywhere. It was a miracle she got this job and she was about to lose it.

She could feel tears coming to her eyes at the thought of losing her job. How would she take care of her grandmother? She couldn’t afford to suffer defeat at the hands of the Baxters. Never! 

****

“What?!” Justin asked in irritation. He was in his office with Austin and the latter had been staring at him for over five minutes with a creepy look on his face. He was going to ignore it but he couldn’t do so after some time. 

“Are you going to fire her?” Austin asked. 

“No!” Justin answered sharply and went back to reading the files on his desk.

“Hmmm, that’s weird,” Austin remarked.

Justin turned his attention away from the files and focused it on his cousin as well as brother. “Why is it weird?” he probed.

“Because, if you really wanted revenge, you would have fired her on the spot. With the Baxters out there, they would make sure she doesn’t find a job anywhere else."

 Plus, the residential building where she stays, belongs to your mom’s family, the Brooks. All you need to do is to contact Uncle Henry’s son, Peter and she’ll be thrown out of there,” he stated. 

“What exactly is brewing in your head?” Austin asked. 

“It’s none of your business!” Justin snapped. He grabbed a book which was on the table and threw it at Austin but the latter caught it easily. “Get out of my office!” 

“Nah,” Austin said casually. “If there’s one thing I'm sure of, it’s that Jasmine is going to come running through that door any minute to beg for her job and I want to be here when it happens.”

“That’s not going to happen. She’s not going to be allowed access to my office,” Justin said with a grin plastered across his face. “I want her to live every minute in fear of losing her job.”

Austin pondered on Justin’s words for a minute and then said, “As fun as that sounds, I really want to see her beg in the next twenty minutes as I have a meeting in twenty five minutes.”

Saying that, he got up from the sofa and left Justin’s office. The latter wondered what made him finally leave his office. 

His question was answered a few minutes later when his office door opened and Austion came in accompanied by none other than Jasmine.

“Hey bro, look at who I found begging the receptionist to let her in so she could speak to you,” Austin said excitedly, ignoring the look on Justin’s face.

He turned to Jasmine who was fidgeting nervously and avoiding looking at Justin. “Go ahead Miss Baxter, you can speak to Mr Gerano.” 

He proceeded to have his seat but before he could, he received a text from his secretary, informing him that he was needed in his office urgently.

This made Austin groan in annoyance as he was really looking forward to the confrontation between Justin and Jasmine. No worries, he would get the full gist from either of the two. With this thought, he left Justin office

After Austin left, Jasmine felt the temperature in the room dropping and it was definitely not due to the air conditioner. 

She slowly lifted her head to look at Justin and she immediately felt chills running down her face when she saw how he was looking at her. 

He had the same look as yesterday but it was easier to ignore it then as she didn’t care who he was and she definitely didn’t know that he was her boss.

“S-sir I-i’m sorry for c-coming l-late today,” she apologized and inwardly cursed herself for stuttering. She prayed that he wouldn’t recognize her as the lady he had met yesterday even though she knew that chance was slim.

Justin squinted his eyes at the lady standing in front of him. He wondered where the feisty lady he met yesterday had gone. “I do not condone lateness and I do not give second chances,” he said.

Jasmine bit her lip hard. She had heard stories of how ruthless Justin was just like his father but she never expected that she would experience it. 

That was why she did her job diligently and avoided trouble with Mr Sebastian Gerano but her luck betrayed her with his son. 

“Sir, you can check my records, I have never been late for the last twenty months I’ve been working here. Please sir, give me another chance,” Jasmine pleaded desperately. 

Justin stood up from his seat and approached Jasmine, making her take steps backward in fear.  He sat on the table and crossed his arms. 

“Even if I forgive you for coming late, I can’t forgive you for what you did yesterday,” he stated, crushing Jasmine's last shimmer of hope.

She quickly thought of a way out. “Sir, y-you shouldn’t mix your personal and business life together.”

Justin chuckled at her words. “You’re right, Miss Baxter, I shouldn’t mix the two together,” he agreed. 

Jasmine heaved a sigh of relief thinking that Justin would forgive her; however, his next words proved her wrong.

“I have to punish you for each offence,” he said coldly.

“What?!” she exclaimed in horror. “S-sir what are you saying?”

“First, I will fire you from your job and secondly, I will kick you out of the apartment where you stay. You know the funniest part is that the building where you stay belongs to my mother’s family which practically makes it mine. Kicking you out would be like taking candy from a baby,” Justin said.

“No please don’t!” Jasmine exclaimed. If her thought could come to pass, then Justin would have already died a painful death.

“Oh, so you can beg. I wonder where that feisty woman who attacked me yesterday is.”

‘Attacked you? I threw things at your car and It was a damn water bottle and some fruit you idiot,’ Jasmine yelled inwardly. If she had a choice, she would strangle Justin to death but she didn’t which meant she would have to put up with him. 

“Sir, I apologize for yesterday as well as today. I’m willing to do anything so you won’t fire me,” she said. 

Justin raised an eyebrow up at her. “Anything?” he asked.

“Yes sir, I’ll do anything,” Jasmine affirmed.

“Ok then, Miss Baxter. I have a job for you,” Justin said with a grin on his face.

Jasmine gulped as she knew that Justin had a plan brewing in his head and she was one hundred percent sure that she wasn’t going to like what it was.