Last Resort

No, no, no, no, no! This couldn't be happening! I had no savings! I was still trying to pay off my father's debt, and this job was all I had!

Panic bubbled inside me, threatening to erupt in the ugliest way possible, but I forced myself to breathe. I needed to focus. There had to be a way out of this situation. This couldn't be the end for us… could it?

Mancy took off her red-rimmed glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. “They expect us to clean up our desks and return the passes and company equipment by noon,” she said, her voice shaking.

Martin jerked up from his seat, his hands fisting. “This new CEO can't do this to us! We've done nothing wrong!”

“Actually, he can, and he did.” Kei stepped toward him, a dry smile twisting his lips. “The new CEO decided we're not needed here. That's it. We should just… pack.”

I wished I could argue with what he said, but we all knew the truth. Our work in that department was almost completely useless, and our reports had been rarely taken into consideration. Nonetheless, we were diligent, always thoughtfully analyzing every project we had been given.

“So that's it?” Fear and anger blended into Martin's voice. “We're just going to give up?”

My heart ached for him—for all of us. This wasn't fair. The new CEO knew nothing about us. Had he done it, he would have known we were all talented professionals in our field. Never even once had he talked to us, and just like that, he terminated our contracts?! Rage hummed in my veins, and my words mindlessly flew out before I could stop them.

“We should go and talk to him.”

Everyone's heads snapped toward me. Mancy blinked a few times, and then a wide smile spread across her face. “Brilliant idea, Josie! You should go talk to him and beg for mercy.”

Ashley clasped her hands. “I second that! He'll look into Josie's baby blue eyes, take in her innocent face, and he'll quickly regret his decision.”

A hysterical chuckle broke free. “I don't think this is a good idea.” I vehemently shook my head. “It's most likely a tragically bad idea.”

Martin ran toward me, grabbing my hands in his. “Please, I cannot lose this job. I have a family, and what other company would hire a freak like me?”

Mancy joined him, placing her hand on my shoulder. “You're our last hope, Josie. You are the only sane person in this room.”

Restlessness coiled inside me, but how could I say no when they all looked at me as if I were their heaven-sent savior?

“I'll… go.” Those two words slipped before I could stop them, and… that was it. I sealed my fate in the most brainless way possible.

My team clapped their hands, smiled at me, and patted my back like I was their knight on the way to slay the dragon. Panic slowly scratched its way out to the surface, but it was too late. Mancy opened the door and pushed me out into the corridor. I stared at her, bewildered, watching the door close.

Standing alone in the basement hall, I sucked in a shaky breath, still unable to comprehend my situation… and then it hit me—Killian. If the bully from my high school and our CEO were the same person, there was no way in hell I would convince him to do anything for us. Hell, my stomach churned at the mere thought I might see him again.

A cold shiver licked the nape of my neck. I had to tell all of them I couldn't go there… but what if I truly was our last hope? Mustering my courage, I walked to the elevator and stepped inside the car. A heartbeat passed, and I was on the way to the top floor, where the CEO's office was. My body rattled as I stared at the screen with changing floor numbers.

“I can do this. I can do this. I can do this,” I muttered breathlessly, ineptly trying to convince myself. “Maybe it's not him. There must be many Killian Blairs living in New York, right?”

The problem was that my bully was also rich, just as rich as the current CEO, which significantly decreased the chances for my dark assumptions to be incorrect.

The elevator door opened, and I sucked in a sharp breath, stumbling into the bright corridor with a white marble floor. Steadying my steps, I moved forward to the hall with white leather sofas and a reception desk. I nibbled on my lower lip as I walked over to the black-haired receptionist who looked as if she had been torn from some high-end fashion magazine.

“Um… Excuse me,” I murmured, feeling more awkward with every second.

Her lips pursed as she scanned me from head to toe. I couldn't miss the moment her eyes stopped at my employee's pass and her lips twitched into a brief sneer. Finally, her eyes landed on me. “Are you lost? Shall I direct you down?” The disrespect in her tone was more than evident.

My annoyance blazed, but I squashed it in my clenched fists before stretching my lips to a faint smile. “I'm Josephine Clairmont from the Data Revising Department. I would like to meet with Mr. Killian Blair.”

God, I couldn't believe I actually used his name and the word “meet” in one sentence.

The brunette glanced at her red nails and gave me a curt response: “Mr. Blair is busy.”

I stretched my lips further. “I can wait,” I told her. “Is he at the meeting or in his office?”

Her jaw clenched. “He is busy.”

“I only need five minutes,” I assured.

“He is busy,” she repeated, and I barely resisted rolling my eyes.

Suddenly, the elevator door opened, and the tall, dark-haired man stepped into the corridor. He strode toward the CEO's office with his eyes trained on his phone screen.

It was him. THAT Killian—my least favorite Killian in the world.

I stopped breathing. My heart stopped. Everything within me stopped! Well… maybe except for my brain. The little cogs inside it worked at full speed, quickly overheating at the sight of the man in front of me.

“God,” I let out a strangled moan, slowly taking in his body wrapped in an impeccable charcoal suit.

The fabric of his shirt and pants strained, underlining the muscles hidden underneath. Killian Blair had always been good at sports, and he surely didn't stop working out now. My reason must have malfunctioned since his carved-to-perfection body was suddenly all I could think of.

Inwardly cursing, I willed my gaze higher, to his face. Another mistake. His features now seemed sharper—more dignified—turning him into an even more alluring version of Killian Blair I had used to know. His hair remained as dark and unruly as I had remembered. The little scar below his left eye had turned into a thin, barely noticeable white line that added a touch of dark and dangerous to his already irresistible looks.

I ground my teeth. This was unfair. It would have been so much easier if I hadn't salivated while looking at the man whom I had hated and feared for years.

Killian lifted his gaze, locking his green eyes on me. His steps slowed, and something akin to curiosity surfaced in his expression. “Are you here to see me”—he glanced at the pass hanging around my neck—“Ms. Clairmont?”

There was something about the way he emphasized my name. He didn't recognize me… did he? Oh, God… did he realize who I was?!

“There's something familiar about you.” He leaned over me, his eyes cautiously tracing every inch of my features. “Have we met before?”

My breath caught in my throat, and my insides twisted into little knots. This couldn't be happening. If he recognized me then we sure as hell were going to get fired! I had to do something, draw his attention elsewhere, act dumb if I had to...

I cleared my throat. “Um… yes. I'm from the Data Revising Department, and I would like—”

“There is no such department in my company,” he said curtly.

I sucked in a sharp breath. “Well… there was until this morning, and I just—”

“You came here to beg.” A dark smirk twisted his full lips.

My jaw clenched. “Mr. Blair, I came to ask you to reconsider—”

“I see no reason for it.” Annoyance surfaced in his tone. “But go ahead.” He pinned me with his cold stare. “Do tell me, what projects have your team revised that are now profitable for this company?”

“There are no such projects,” I strained through my teeth. “But it's not our fault that—”

“I reconsidered my decision... and it remains as it was. I expect you to leave your workplaces by noon.” Those cold green eyes fixed on me. “Good day, Ms. Clairmont.” He walked past me—or attempted to—until he realized I was grasping his sleeve, refusing to let go.

I swallowed. “I'd argue it's more of the company's fault for not giving us a chance to make our name. I mean, we are talented and qualified people who never got assigned an important task. We at least deserve a chance to prove ourselves.”

A dark chuckle escaped him, and my stomach churned. I remembered that sound, and hearing it had never meant anything good. I'd heard that chuckle a second before Killian's friends poured a bucket of ice cubes over my head—a more literal version of the ice bucket challenge. I remembered how freezing and painful it had been, and I began to brace myself for more of Killian's wickedness…

“All right. I will give you a chance, talented and qualified Ms. Clairmont.” A sneer danced on his lips. “Are you familiar with the game called Rainbow Vacation?”

“Yes,” I answered nervously. “My team revised it a month ago. We found multiple glitches in the basic codes—”

“Fix them.”

My breath caught and my eyes widened. “E-excuse me?”

“Fix them.” He shrugged. “Show me how talented and qualified you are. Turn this game into a sellable product.”

My heart began to hammer. We had seen that game. We had mocked its creators and claimed that this project had been completely unfixable. It needed to be rewritten, broken into basic elements, and recreated…

Sucking in a ragged breath, I raised my gaze to his. “We will need two… maybe three weeks to—”

“You have twenty-four hours.”

“What?” I breathed out, staring at him in disbelief.

An icy smirk formed on his full lips. “Talented and qualified people should be able to do what I ask, should they not?” He pushed past me and headed toward his office. “Twenty-four hours, Ms. Clairmont,” he called out, glancing over his shoulder. “Deliver the project or leave my company.”