3. My NEW BOSS 2

Emma finally stirred awake and sat upright so suddenly that the chair creaked beneath her.

For a moment, she blinked in confusion, rubbing her eyes as she looked around the office.

Then it hit her.

Her eyes widened.

She had fallen asleep.

The sleep vanished from her body instantly.

Slowly, almost fearfully, she turned her head and saw Lucy standing nearby with her arms folded tightly across her chest.

The look on Lucy’s face was enough to make Emma wish the chair would swallow her whole.

“My interview…” Emma said quickly, jumping to her feet. “Did I miss it? Was I rejected?”

Lucy stared at her for a second before letting out a sharp breath.

“Rejected?” she repeated. “Emma, tell me, who in the world falls asleep during an interview?”

Emma winced.

“Well… technically, the interview hadn’t started yet.”

Lucy glared harder.

“That’s not the point.”

Emma stepped back slightly and gave an awkward smile.

“No hard feelings?”

Lucy’s eyes narrowed.

“There are very hard feelings.”

Emma swallowed nervously.

The guilt was beginning to sink in.

She had arrived late, embarrassed Lucy, and then somehow managed to fall asleep in the interview room.

If anyone deserved to be thrown out, it was definitely her.

“So…” Emma said cautiously, “what happened?”

Lucy let out another sigh, still looking irritated.

“Somehow, by some miracle, the boss agreed to hire you.”

Emma blinked.

“What?”

“I said, you got the job.”

Emma stared at her in disbelief.

She was sure she had heard wrong.

“I got the job?”

Lucy nodded reluctantly.

“Yes.”

Emma’s mouth parted slightly.

That made absolutely no sense.

She had no experience, she was late, and she had fallen asleep before even being interviewed.

“Are you serious?” Emma asked.

Lucy gave her a flat look.

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

Emma was speechless.

Just a few minutes ago she had been certain her chances were ruined, yet somehow she had been accepted.

Maybe luck had finally decided to pity her.

Before she could celebrate too much, the office door opened.

A tall man stepped in.

Emma immediately straightened.

He had a calm expression, but there was something about his face that made her nervous.

“I see you’re awake,” he said dryly.

Emma gave him a sheepish smile.

“Y-yes, sir.”

He stepped closer and held out his hand.

“Welcome to Draxen Group. I’m Jackson, the manager. The CEO is in a meeting, so I’ll be handling this.”

Emma quickly shook his hand.

“Nice to meet you, sir.”

“Sit.”

They both sat across from each other at the desk.

“Can I see your files?”

Emma quickly handed over the folder she had brought with her.

Jackson opened it and began flipping through the pages while Emma sat stiffly, trying not to look nervous.

After a moment, he looked up.

“Have you worked as a manager before?”

Emma hesitated.

“No, sir. I worked in a bakery.”

Lucy sighed so loudly Emma almost turned to apologize.

Jackson glanced down at the file again.

Emma braced herself.

This was it.

This was the moment he would realize she wasn’t qualified.

But instead, he closed the file and pushed a paper toward her.

“You’re hired.”

Emma blinked.

“What?”

“You’re hired,” Jackson repeated.

She stared at him.

Surely this had to be some kind of mistake.

“Sir… are you serious?”

Jackson nodded once.

“Just sign the contract.”

Emma looked down at the document in front of her.

Her hands moved slowly as she flipped to the payment section.

Then her eyes widened.

The amount written there made her heart jump.

It was far more money than she had ever imagined earning.

For a second she forgot every bad thing that had happened that morning.

All she could see was the salary.

This was life-changing.

She looked up again.

“Do you agree to the terms?” Jackson asked.

Emma barely thought about it.

“Yes.”

Her voice came out fast.

“Yes, of course.”

She picked up the pen and signed.

Jackson signed after her, then extended his hand once more.

“Welcome to Draxen Group, Miss Emma.”

Emma shook his hand excitedly.

“Thank you, sir. I promise I’ll do my best.”

She was smiling so brightly that she almost forgot how miserable the day had begun.

Maybe this was the turning point she had needed.

Maybe everything was finally going right.

Then the office door opened again.

Emma turned casually toward the entrance.

And froze.

Her smile vanished.

The man standing there looked very familiar.

Too familiar.

The same smug expression.

The same arrogant eyes.

The same man from the boutique.

The same man who had splashed mud on her clothes.

The same man she had rubbed mud on.

Emma stared at him in horror.

No.

No way.

Jackson stood and walked toward him.

“Miss Emma Jones,” he said, “this is your new boss, the CEO of Draxen Group, Mr. Jerry Whitmore.”

Emma slowly shook her head.

“No.”

Jackson frowned.

“Excuse me?”

Emma looked directly at Jerry.

Then she said, very clearly,

“I quit.”

The room went silent.

Lucy’s mouth fell open.

Jackson stared at her.

“Miss Emma…”

But Jerry stepped forward calmly, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

“Sorry, Miss Jones,” he said, “you can’t quit.”

Emma frowned.

“What do you mean I can’t quit?”

Jerry’s lips curved slightly.

“The contract you just signed states that you must work for me for two years.”

Emma’s face paled.

“And if you resign before then,” he continued, “you’ll be required to repay the full salary for those two years.”

Emma stared at him, unable to speak.

The words hit her like a bucket of ice water.

“No,” she said. “That’s ridiculous.”

Jerry shrugged.

“It’s legal. You signed it.”

Emma’s mind raced.

She hadn’t read it.

She had gone straight to the payment section.

Her chest tightened as panic began to rise.

Jerry stepped closer.

“And we both know,” he said coolly, “that you can’t afford that.”

That was it.

The humiliation.

The smirk on his face.

The reminder that she was trapped.

Emma clenched her fists so hard her nails dug into her palms.

This man had tricked her.

“To hell with your stupid job!” she shouted. “Take it and throw it away!”

Lucy flinched.

Jackson looked stunned.

“I would rather go to jail than work for someone like you!”

Then Emma turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind her so hard the walls shook.

Silence filled the office.

Jackson turned to Jerry.

“You’re serious?”

Jerry adjusted his sleeve calmly.

“Completely.”

“What if she refuses to come back?”

Jerry’s expression didn’t change.

“Then we sue her.”

Jackson stared at him.

“You’re unbelievable.”

Jerry gave the faintest shrug.

“She made a fool of me. This is fair.”

Jackson sighed.

He already regretted leaving the company in Jerry’s hands.

By the time Emma got home, she was still shaking with anger.

The second she walked in, Kristie noticed the missing suit.

“Where is my suit?” Kristie demanded.

Emma froze.

Then she ran.

“EMMA!”

“I’m sorry!”

Kristie chased her through the house with a frying pan while Emma screamed apologies.

After escaping to her room, Emma slammed the door shut and leaned against it, breathing hard.

“This day is cursed,” she muttered.

she didn't even realize when she threw Kristie suit away .

she was just so pissed and she wanted to vent her frustration on something.

A few minutes later, after the shouting died down, Emma cautiously walked back into the living room.

Kristie was sitting on the couch with a bottle of soda and a bowl of crackers.

Emma sat beside her quietly.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

Kristie took a sip of soda.

“Apology rejected.”

Emma sighed.

“That’s fair.”

Kristie glanced at her.

“So what happened?”

Emma groaned.

“I met that guy again.”

“The boutique guy?”

Emma nodded.

“He owns the company.”

Kristie stared speechless .

Emma explained everything, from the contract to Jerry revealing himself as the CEO.

When she finished, Kristie raised an eyebrow.

“So let me understand this. You signed a contract without reading it?”

Emma looked away.

“I checked the salary.”

Kristie stared at her.

“So this is your fault.”

Emma frowned.

“It was a setup!”

“No,” Kristie said. “It was greed.”

Emma crossed her arms.

“Whose side are you on?”

“The side of common sense.”

Emma groaned loudly.

“If I don’t go back, they’ll sue me.”

“And if you do go back, they’ll pay you.”

Emma sighed.

“But Jerry hates me.”

Kristie shrugged.

“Then let him hate you while you collect your salary.”

Emma looked at her.

“That’s your advice?”

“Yes.”

she couldn't help but growl in frustration that was not a good advice.

" you do realize I rubbed mud on a multibillionaire's suit ". Emma stated.

"You assaulted luxury fabric."

Emma turned to glare at Kristie .

"I didn’t assault anything. It was an accident!".

"An accident that involved a billionaire’s patience and his probably expensive suit ," Kristie shot back sipping her soda slowly.

" …Okay, but I didn’t know he was my new boss."

"That’s the part that makes it funnier. You insulted your future paycheck."

"I didn’t read the contract, okay? It was long." Emma tried to reason with her .

"Greedy and unemployed would’ve been less stressful, honestly."

"Are you done roasting me?" she asked raising a brow .

"Not even close. But relax. Worst case, you’re fired… best case, you’re still fired."

"That’s not comforting!"

" Welcome to corporate life, Emma. Where mud stains your career too." Kristie finally said standing up as she walked into the Kitchen.

Emma leaned back against the couch.

She hated that Kristie made sense.

She couldn’t afford the penalty.

And she definitely couldn’t afford court.

Maybe the only option was to go back.

“How bad can it be?” she muttered.