Chapter 6 A Contract

"You're hired." he announced leaving Mel in a state of shock, taken aback by his sudden declaration. She couldn't believe her ears. "What?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, as she struggled to confirm what she had just heard.

"I noticed from your profile that you were the top graduating student from the University of JK," he remarked, lacking enthusiasm. "You seem to be quite skilled and I'm willing to hire you, but I have one condition." Ethan replied leaving his gaze on her

Mel's mind raced with possibilities. She knew there had to be a catch. "What condition?" she asked eagerly.

"It's simple. You have six months to prove your worth. If you can't, you'll be forced to quit and pay back every penny we've paid you. Oh, and I'll make sure no other company hires you," he added, staring straight into her eyes.

Hearing his condition, Mel's eyes widened in anticipation as she asked, "And if I can?"

Ethan paused, his eyes glinting as he took a moment to study her. Finally, he replied, "If you can, and if you meet up to my expectations, you will be promoted from the position of team leader of LIM Shoes to head of the department." His words dripped with satisfaction, and Mel could tell that he was pleased with himself.

She arched an eyebrow, her expression a mix of curiosity and determination. She now finally understood why she had been employed, even after talking back to the mighty Ethan. Apparently, he had come up with a plan, a revenge plan. But Mel had confidence in her abilities and was convinced that she would do well, in addition she looked forward to seeing how defeated Ethan would look when she obtained the upper hand in the deal.

For a moment, she was silent as she weighed her options. Finally, she spoke up, her voice calm and resolute. "I will work hard enough to prove my skills to the company."

As Mel spoke, Ethan's thoughts clicked in as a sly smile that appeared on his lips. "The company? What about me?" he thought. Without hesitation, he picked up his phone and put a call through to Assistant Charles, his eyes never leaving Mel. He was determined to see her fail.

Soon the door pushed open and assistant Charles walked in with a file in his hand, he handed it over to Ethan who merely glanced through it before pushing it towards the new employee. "Sign the contract" he urged in a casual tone.

Mel took it from him and read through it, she hesitated a bit before eventually putting down her signature.

Upon Seeing that she had signed, Ethan took it from her "I will keep this in case you decide to go back on your words." he said before dropping a copy of the contract into the drawer beneath his table.

"She's the new team leader at LIM shoes, show her to her office and explain her new responsibilities to her. Ethan said referring to his assistant.

Upon hearing his words, Mel was slightly puzzled. "Excuse me president Ethan, do I have to resume right away? She asked

He lifted his gaze and studied her for a minute before answering" Yes you do". After saying that he motioned to assistant charles.

"Let's go" Charles said to mel and she reluctantly followed him out.

*****

After getting all the necessary information, Mel was shown to her office, she liked it as it was moderate and comfortable to her taste, sketches of shoes, books and other things she would need to look through from time to time were neatly arranged on a shelf in the adjacent side of the room. The air felt quite stuffy so she walked over to the windows and drew open the curtains. Finally feeling relaxed, she walked over to her desk stand and took her seat.

As she sat, she could feel an air of joy surging through her, she had finally fulfilled a part of her dreams by getting a job in a place like this but at the same time, she felt a tingle of doubt. Thinking back at the contract she had signed earlier, she wondered if she had made the right decision. Well it was a done deal and there was nothing that could be done to change it. Now she just had to do her absolute best if she didn't want things to go south. With this thinking she picked up some books and sketches from the shelve and began to review them.

******

Ethan's Office.

Ethan sat slumped in his office chair, drained after interviewing thirty people in a single day just to end up hiring one.

Prior to the announcement earlier made, he only intended to appoint a new head for the shoe department, not the clothing department where his cousin Liam was in charge.

He had used the announcement from the board members meeting earlier as bait to intimidate Darth. And just as expected, Darth fell for it without any suspicion.

Lost in thought, Ethan found it hard to concentrate on anything, especially not after his gaze fell on the scar on the new employee's hand. Her name also sounded familiar, but it couldn't be her, could it? "No, there's no way," he concluded.

Checking the time on his watch, Ethan opened the drawer beneath his table and retrieved a small black box. He carefully opened it to reveal a silver chain that sparkled in the light, looking as though it was made of tiny diamonds. The bracelet had a simple design, but it held great sentimental value for him. He ran his fingers over it, whispering, "Where have you been?"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, interrupting his thoughts. He quickly placed the box back in the drawer and responded, "Come in."

A young lady entered, dressed in a blue top and tight black trousers. Her lips were adorned with a rose-red gloss, and the sound of her heels echoed in the room as she walked towards him.

"Good day, President Ethan," she greeted him in a small voice.

Without looking up, Ethan asked, "Who are you and how can I help you?"

"I'm the supervisor in charge of LIM shoes," she replied, wearing a bright smile.

"A supervisor?" Ethan asked, finally looking up to see the face of the lady standing before him.