Page 12
“You can’t just fire me because I said I can’t babysit your kid!” The words spill out, my voice sharper than I intend. “Just because you’re the CEO doesn’t mean you can fire people indiscriminately. That’s not how this works!”
Cole doesn’t react, his expression infuriatingly calm as he leans back in his chair, his green eyes locked on me.
“Do you know how hard it is to find a job like this?” I continue, unable to stop myself, and feel a few tears falling down my face. “I worked my ass off to get here, and now you’re telling me I’m fired because I won’t drop everything and do what you want? Is this some kind of power play or revenge thing just because I didn’t agree to babysit!”
My chest heaves as I pause, trying to catch my breath, and I realize my hands are trembling. I’m dangerously close to losing it completely, and I clamp my lips shut to stop the words before they go any further.
The room falls silent except for the faint hum of the city beyond the windows.
“I fired you,” he says smoothly, as if my tirade didn’t phase him at all, “because now you’ll have the time.”
For a moment, I’m speechless. My mouth opens and closes, but no words come out.
He continues as if nothing happened. “I’m not firing you out of revenge, Miss Fox.I’m firing you because I know this job isn’t going to work for you anymore.” Cole leans forward, resting his elbows on the desk, his expression still maddeningly composed.
I blink, caught off guard. “What are you talking about?”
“You said it yourself,” he says, his tone measured. “You don’t have time. Between this job and your part-time one, you’re stretched thin. But Robbie likes you. He connected with you in a way he hasn’t with anyone else.”
“That doesn’t mean I can just quit everything and—”
“You’re not quitting. I’m offering you something better,” he interrupts, his voice firm. “Something that pays double what this one does, so I’ll want you to quit the part-time job, too. Room and board is included, so you don’t have to worry about rent, and you’ll have transportation when needed. No commute. No extra expenses.”
I sink back into the chair, the wind knocked out of me.
“Room and board?”
“You will live on the property and be in charge of Robbie’s schedule,” he says briskly. “Feeding, activities, bedtime. Evelyn handles meals, and Ellis—the head-of-household—will oversee your first few months to ensure everything runs smoothly.”
I’m barely processing his words, but he just continues.
“You’ll report to Ellis for schedule changes or time off,” he adds. “He lives on the property in a separate wing. The rest of the staff leave at the end of the day.”
When he finally stops talking, he leans back in his chair and gives me a look I’ve heard about but never experienced firsthand. The look that makes him such a successful businessman. The one that says people are going to agree to his terms without question and make them think it was their idea.
But I have questions.
“What if it doesn’t work out?” I ask hesitantly. “What if I want to leave, or Ellis decides I’m not a good fit?”
“Then you can leave,” he says simply. “Depending on the conditions in which you left, if your receptionist position is still open, you can have it back. If not, I’ll find another role for you.”
“What conditions?”
“If we decide we’re simply not a good fit, no harm. If you do something that could be considered a fireable offense—such as neglect or any physical harm whatsoever—you are disqualified for any position here or any of my subsidiaries,” he says, his voice turning icy.
I stare at him, weighing my options.
“Can I think about it?” I ask.
He narrows his eyes slightly. “What’s there to think about?”
“I have a roommate who relies on me for rent,” I say, shrugging. “Just up and changing my entire life, it’s a big decisionto make.”
“You have until the end of the work day,” he says, turning back to his computer. “You can go now.”
Dismissed.
Just like that.
Cole doesn’t react, his expression infuriatingly calm as he leans back in his chair, his green eyes locked on me.
“Do you know how hard it is to find a job like this?” I continue, unable to stop myself, and feel a few tears falling down my face. “I worked my ass off to get here, and now you’re telling me I’m fired because I won’t drop everything and do what you want? Is this some kind of power play or revenge thing just because I didn’t agree to babysit!”
My chest heaves as I pause, trying to catch my breath, and I realize my hands are trembling. I’m dangerously close to losing it completely, and I clamp my lips shut to stop the words before they go any further.
The room falls silent except for the faint hum of the city beyond the windows.
“I fired you,” he says smoothly, as if my tirade didn’t phase him at all, “because now you’ll have the time.”
For a moment, I’m speechless. My mouth opens and closes, but no words come out.
He continues as if nothing happened. “I’m not firing you out of revenge, Miss Fox.I’m firing you because I know this job isn’t going to work for you anymore.” Cole leans forward, resting his elbows on the desk, his expression still maddeningly composed.
I blink, caught off guard. “What are you talking about?”
“You said it yourself,” he says, his tone measured. “You don’t have time. Between this job and your part-time one, you’re stretched thin. But Robbie likes you. He connected with you in a way he hasn’t with anyone else.”
“That doesn’t mean I can just quit everything and—”
“You’re not quitting. I’m offering you something better,” he interrupts, his voice firm. “Something that pays double what this one does, so I’ll want you to quit the part-time job, too. Room and board is included, so you don’t have to worry about rent, and you’ll have transportation when needed. No commute. No extra expenses.”
I sink back into the chair, the wind knocked out of me.
“Room and board?”
“You will live on the property and be in charge of Robbie’s schedule,” he says briskly. “Feeding, activities, bedtime. Evelyn handles meals, and Ellis—the head-of-household—will oversee your first few months to ensure everything runs smoothly.”
I’m barely processing his words, but he just continues.
“You’ll report to Ellis for schedule changes or time off,” he adds. “He lives on the property in a separate wing. The rest of the staff leave at the end of the day.”
When he finally stops talking, he leans back in his chair and gives me a look I’ve heard about but never experienced firsthand. The look that makes him such a successful businessman. The one that says people are going to agree to his terms without question and make them think it was their idea.
But I have questions.
“What if it doesn’t work out?” I ask hesitantly. “What if I want to leave, or Ellis decides I’m not a good fit?”
“Then you can leave,” he says simply. “Depending on the conditions in which you left, if your receptionist position is still open, you can have it back. If not, I’ll find another role for you.”
“What conditions?”
“If we decide we’re simply not a good fit, no harm. If you do something that could be considered a fireable offense—such as neglect or any physical harm whatsoever—you are disqualified for any position here or any of my subsidiaries,” he says, his voice turning icy.
I stare at him, weighing my options.
“Can I think about it?” I ask.
He narrows his eyes slightly. “What’s there to think about?”
“I have a roommate who relies on me for rent,” I say, shrugging. “Just up and changing my entire life, it’s a big decisionto make.”
“You have until the end of the work day,” he says, turning back to his computer. “You can go now.”
Dismissed.
Just like that.
Table of Contents
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