Chapter 5

Sarah stared at him, convinced she had heard him wrong.

“Excuse me?”

Calvin’s expression didn’t change.

“Feed me.”

For a moment, Sarah simply blinked at him. Surely she had misunderstood. But the longer she looked at him, the more she realized he was completely serious.

A frown formed on her face.

For the past three weeks, she had done everything possible to remain professional. She had tolerated his cold attitude, his dismissive remarks, and his endless attempts to make her uncomfortable. But this was ridiculous.

“Sir,” she said carefully, forcing herself to stay calm, “I don’t think that’s appropriate.”

Calvin folded his arms across his chest.

“And why is that?”

Sarah stared at him in disbelief.

“Because I’m your personal assistant.”

“And?”

“And feeding you is not part of my responsibilities.”

A brief silence followed. Calvin merely looked at her with that same calm, unreadable expression that always managed to irritate her. It was as though she was explaining something perfectly obvious while he considered her the unreasonable one.

“Look,” she said with a sharp exhale, “I understand that you don’t like me.”

One of his brows lifted slightly.

“But this”—she gestured around the room—“this is too much.”

Something in his gaze hardened.

“You think this is about whether I like you or not?”

Sarah let out a bitter laugh.

“Isn’t it?”

The room fell silent.

For the briefest moment, something flickered across his face before disappearing just as quickly.

“You seem to think very highly of yourself, Miss Williams.”

The words hit harder than they should have.

Sarah’s eyes widened.

“What?”

“You assume everything revolves around you. Just like the old days.”

For a second, she could only stare at him.

“Everything revolves around me?” she repeated incredulously.

Calvin didn’t answer.

Somehow, that made it worse.

A disbelieving laugh escaped her lips as she slowly shook her head.

“Wow.”

The single word carried more frustration than she intended.

“You know what? Forget it.”

She reached for her handbag and slung it over her shoulder. The moment she did, Calvin’s expression darkened.

“Where are you going?”

Sarah looked at him—really looked at him.

At the coldness in his eyes. At the resentment he refused to let go of. At the walls he had built so high that no one could get through them.

Suddenly, she felt exhausted.

Exhausted from apologizing.

Exhausted from feeling guilty.

Exhausted from constantly walking on eggshells around him.

“Home.”

His jaw tightened.

“We’re not finished.”

“Actually,” Sarah replied, her voice trembling despite her efforts to steady it, “I think we are.”

For the first time, genuine surprise crossed his face. It was slight, almost imperceptible, but she saw it.

Her chest tightened.

This job mattered. She needed it more than she wanted to admit. Walking away like this was reckless, and she knew it.

But at that moment, her pride won.

“I’ve spent the last few weeks letting you humiliate me because I felt guilty.”

The words slipped out before she could stop them.

Calvin’s eyes narrowed, but she continued.

“I know I wasn’t kind to you in school. I know I hurt you.”

The admission left a bitter taste in her mouth.

“But I can’t keep paying for it forever.”

Silence settled between them.

Heavy. Suffocating.

Neither of them moved.

Neither of them spoke.

Eventually, Sarah adjusted the strap of her bag and forced herself to hold his gaze.

“Goodbye, Mr. Hart.”

Calvin remained standing where she had left him, staring at the closed door for several moments after she was gone. The room suddenly felt unnaturally quiet, the silence pressing against him in a way that made him uncomfortable.

With a weary sigh, he ran a hand through his hair and dropped onto the couch.

The food Sarah had brought sat untouched on the table, already already losing its warmth. His gaze lingered on it as the anger he had been carrying all evening slowly began to fade. A thought slipped into his mind catching him off guard.

Was I too harsh?

He frowned immediately.

Why did he care?

After everything that had happened? After the humiliation, the embarrassment, and the years of resentment he had carried because of her?

Leaning back against the couch, he closed his eyes, but the memories came anyway.

Graduation night.

The gymnasium had been filled with music, laughter, and bright decorations. He remembered the nervous excitement he had felt as he approached Sarah, his heart pounding while he rehearsed the words in his head. Back then, he had genuinely believed he stood a chance.

When he asked her to dance, she had smiled, and for a brief moment, hope had surged through him. Then everything fell apart. She accidentally stepped on his foot, causing him to stumble and spill his drink all over himself. The laughter that followed from the people around them had been enough to make him wish the ground would swallow him whole. At the time, all he could focus on was the embarrassment burning through him.

Even now, years later, the memory still stung.

Calvin opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling.

“No,” he muttered, shaking his head. “She deserved it.”

But the words didn’t bring him the satisfaction they usually did.

Instead, he found himself remembering Sarah’s expression before she left—the hurt in her eyes and the way her voice had trembled. For some reason, that image lingered in his mind far longer than it should have, leaving an uncomfortable weight in his chest.

The moment Sarah stepped into her apartment, the anger that had fueled her all the way from Hart Holdings began to disappear.

In its place came something far worse.

Fear.

A heavy, suffocating fear that settled deep inside her chest.

The door clicked shut behind her.

From the couch, Ann looked up from the movie she had been watching.

The second her eyes landed on Sarah’s face, her expression changed.

“Oh no.”

Sarah dropped her handbag onto a nearby chair with more force than necessary.

“Oh yes.”

Ann immediately muted the television and sat upright.

“What happened this time?”

Sarah trudged toward the couch like someone carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. The moment she sat down, she buried her face in her hands.

For several seconds, she couldn’t bring herself to speak.

Her head was pounding.

Her emotions were everywhere.

When she finally spoke, her voice sounded drained.

“I think I just got myself fired.”

Ann froze.

“You what?”

Sarah groaned.

Then she slowly lifted her head and began telling her everything and as she spoke, Ann’s eyes widened more and more.

By the time Sarah finished speaking, her friend was staring at her like she had just confessed to something criminal.

Ann blinked slowly.

“Sarah…”

“What?”

“You walked out on the CEO.”

“I know.”

“The CEO.”

Sarah let out a long, exhausted breath and leaned her head back against the couch.

“I KNOW, ANN.”

Ann threw her hands up in disbelief. “Oh my God.”

A humorless laugh slipped from Sarah’s lips as she sat up again. “I was angry.”

“Clearly.”

“I couldn’t stay there another second.”

Ann rubbed her forehead like she was trying to process a disaster in real time. “Please tell me you at least left professionally.”

Sarah avoided her gaze.

That was all Ann needed.

Her eyes narrowed immediately. “Sarah.”

Silence stretched between them.

“Sarah.”

A reluctant wince.

Ann gasped. “You didn’t.”

“I may have accused him of wanting revenge.”

Ann shot up from the couch. “You WHAT?”

Sarah covered her face with both hands. “I know.”

“Sarah!”

“I KNOW!”

The room went quiet after that, the tension settling heavily between them. The only sound was the steady ticking of the wall clock, marking each second like it was counting down to something worse.

After a while, Sarah dropped her hands and exhaled shakily.

“The worst part is…” she began.

Ann’s expression softened slightly. “What?”

“I need this job.”

The words came out heavier than she expected, like admitting it made it more real.

She had spent months looking. Months of interviews, of dressing up hope in different outfits, of smiling through rejection emails that sounded almost polite enough to be kind. Hart Holdings had been the first real opportunity she had gotten in a long time.

And now she might have ruined it in a single moment of anger.

Before Ann could respond, Sarah’s phone rang.

The sound cut through the room sharply.

She looked at the screen and her entire expression changed.

Mom.

Ann noticed immediately and went quiet.

Sarah answered quickly. “Hello, Mom.”

The pause on the other end lasted just long enough to make her stomach tighten.

“Sarah,” her mother said, her voice strained in a way that immediately made her sit up straighter.

“What happened?”

“It’s Emily.”

Everything in Sarah went still.

“What about Emily?”

“Don’t panic,” her mother rushed in. “She’s alright.”

But Sarah was already panicking.

“Mom.”

Another tired sigh came through the line. “She’s had a fever since yesterday.”

Sarah gripped the phone tighter. “What?”

“We took her to the clinic. The doctor said it isn’t serious, but she’s weak.”

Her throat tightened. “Why didn’t you call me earlier?”

“I didn’t want you worrying while you were at work.”

The word work hit her like a cruel joke.

“How is she now?”

“She’s resting,” her mother replied after a pause. Then softer, almost gently, “She keeps asking for you.”

Sarah closed her eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“She keeps asking when you’re coming home.”

The words pressed hard against her chest.

A tear threatened, but she swallowed it down.

“She’s too young to understand,” her mother continued quietly. “She just misses you.”

Sarah didn’t trust her voice, so she stayed silent.

Then her mother hesitated, like she had been holding something back.

“She said she wants to live with you.”

That broke something in Sarah.

For a moment, she couldn’t speak at all.

Not toys. Not clothes. Not gifts.

Just her mother.

Just her presence.

A tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it.

Her mother sighed softly. “Sarah…”

“And I need to tell you something else,” she added carefully.

Sarah already knew it wasn’t going to be good.

“What is it?”

A pause.

Then the truth came quietly.

“I’m running low on money.”

Sarah shut her eyes.

There it was.

The part she had been trying not to think about.

“I’ve used most of my savings,” her mother continued. “School fees, food, medication… everything is becoming too much.”

Sarah lowered her head.

Her chest tightened painfully as reality settled over her completely.

Because she knew.

She was struggling too.

And she had been counting on this job more than she wanted to admit.

When the call ended, Sarah stayed frozen in place, the phone resting loosely in her hand before slipping onto her lap.

Ann watched her carefully.

“What happened?”

Sarah let out a small, broken laugh, the kind that came when crying felt too heavy to start.

“I was counting on this job.”

Her voice cracked at the end.

For the first time since she had entered the room, she looked completely undone.

Ann moved closer and took her hand gently.

“Then go back.”

Sarah looked up sharply. “What?”

“Go back tomorrow.”

The words landed heavily between them.

“Swallow your pride,” Ann added softly.

Sarah pulled her hand back immediately, as if the suggestion burned.

“Ann—”

“This isn’t about pride anymore.”

Sarah looked away, jaw tight.

Ann didn’t let up. “It’s about Emily.”

That name silenced her instantly.

Her daughter.

Her weakness.

Her reason for everything.

A tear slid down Sarah’s face again, and this time she didn’t wipe it away fast enough.

Ann’s voice softened. “She needs you.”

Sarah’s breathing wavered.

“And right now,” Ann continued, “that job is your best chance of helping her.”

“I can’t just go back like nothing happened,” Sarah whispered.

“No one said it would be easy.”

“He humiliates me.”

“Or maybe he’s hurting too.”

Sarah let out a bitter laugh. “That was years ago.”

Ann shook her head. “Pain doesn’t follow timelines.”

That made Sarah go quiet.

She stood suddenly, as if sitting still was making everything worse.

“I can’t lose my dignity for a paycheck.”

Ann stood too, just as firm. “And what happens if you don’t find another job?”

“I will.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I will.”

“Sarah—”

“I said I will!”

The words came out sharper than she intended.

Silence snapped into place again.

Her breathing was uneven now, her emotions spilling over in ways she couldn’t control.

Ann didn’t argue further. She just looked at her, steady and worried.

Sarah grabbed her bag tightly against her chest.

“I won’t lose myself just to survive.”

“No one’s asking you to.”

“Then stop pushing me.”

“Sarah—”

“Enough.”

The finality in her voice surprised even her.

“This is my life.”

Ann went quiet.

Sarah blinked rapidly, trying not to fall apart again.

“And I’ll decide what to do with it.”

Without waiting for another word, she turned and walked into her bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind her.

The apartment fell silent again.

Inside the room, Sarah pressed her back against the door and slid down slowly until she was sitting on the floor.

For a long moment, she just breathed.

Then the weight of everything finally caught up with her.

And for the first time that day, doubt didn’t just whisper.

It settled in.