CHAPTER 074 Boss Lady
CHAPTER 074: Boss Lady
Julie
It’s my first day at work, and I’m more nervous than I care to admit. The onboarding was three days ago, where I met my team and other important persons. But no amount of onboarding or pre–meetings could have prepared- me for the reality of stepping into the unknown. Everything is different. Everything is fresh. And mostly not in a bad way.
the
I walk into the meeting room, and a half–dozen faces turn toward me, all of smiling. Brightly. Too brightly. “Good morning, Ms. Jenkins!” says a brunette near the head of the table. “We’re so excited to have you on board!” I nod, mustering my best confident boss sinile. “Thank you Let’s get started, shall we?”
They exchange eager glances, and the meeting begins. A sleek presentation flashes on the massive screen at the far end of the room. Charts, projections, strategies–it’s polished, professional, everything I expected. I scribble notes, interject where needed, and offer insights.
They’re good. No, they’re great. Efficient, enthusiastic, and clearly talented. But as much as I try to focus, my mind drifts. Each smiling face morphs into a ghost from my past. That redhead across from me? She has Samantha’s laugh. The guy in wire–rimmed glasses? He’s got Colin’s quiet intensity. My old team at Paragon Jewels was a family, flawed and messy, but ours.
I blink hard, gripping my pen tighter. What the hell’s wrong with me? They’re not Paragon. And that’s a good thing.
The meeting wraps up smoothly, the team dispersing with murmurs of excitement about the campaign.
- Before I can escape, a woman with a megawatt smile runs toward me.
“Ms. Jenkins!” she calls.
I smile back at her. “Yes?”
“You’re amazing! That was amazing!” she exclaims. “Oh, sorry, I’m Marissa, the VP of Marketing. I know you’re still getting a hang of our names. I just have to say, I am so thrilled to work with you. Your reputation precedes you.”
“Oh. Thanks, Marissa. That’s… kind of you,” I say, already feeling a headache coming on. It’s crazy to get nauseous and fatigued on your first day, but yeah, the universe has never been fair to me.
Marrisa walks alongside me as I leave the conference room
“I was thinking,” she continues, “if you ever need anything–anything at all–I’m your girl. We should do lunch! Or coffee. Or drinks. Whatever works for you. Honestly, I’ll work around your schedule.”
Her enthusiasm is exhausting, but I can’t deny that having her on my side could be useful.
“Actually, lunch sounds great,” I say. “Today, maybe?”
Her face lights up. “Really? Oh, I’d love that!”
“Great.”
I watch as she practically skips away.
As I turn to head toward my office, I catch a familiar face across the room. It’s her–the cold woman from my interview. Ayumi. She’s the company’s COO, as I’ve discovered. She’s perched by the elevator, her expression cold
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enough to freeze lava.
I pause and wave.
She stares for a moment, her lips pressing into a thin line, then turns sharply and steps into the elevator without so much as a nod.
Weird, I think, though not surprising. There’s always one, isn’t there? Every workplace has its designated asshole.
“Ayumi’s a softie once you get to know her.”
The voice startles me, and I spin around. Standing behind me is a man in a tailored suit. His grin is casual, his posture relaxed, like he owns the room–or at least a good chunk of it.
“Sorry,” I say. “Do I know you?”
“Not yet,” he says, extending a hand. “Sebastian Knight. Investor, occasional meddler, and, incidentally, the husband of the woman you were just waving at.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Oh.”
He chuckles. “Yeah. Don’t take it personally. She’s… well, complicated.”
“Good to know,” I say, shaking his hand. “And what brings you here, Sebastian?”
“I wanted to introduce myself,” he says. “I’m a close friend of Luke’s, and he asked me to keep an eye on you.”
Luke. I guess he isn’t mad at me after all. “How very chivalrous of him. Should I thank you for your noble service?” “Not necessary.” He grins. “But I’ll take the sarcasm as a thank–you.”
- “Need my itinerary too?”
He laughs. “Luke said you were funny. He wasn’t wrong. You’ll fit right in with the gang.‘
“Right,” I say. “Well, nice to meet you, Mr. Knight.”
“Please, call me Sebastian.”
“Noted.”
“And another request,” he says. “Could you round up that divorce thing quickly? Luke’s making our lives miserable by constantly talking about it.”
I smile. “I’ll try my best.”
As he strolls away, I let out a sharp breath, mentally drafting a list of ways to murder Luke. Slowly. Creatively. I can’t believe he unleashed his friend on me like that. Luke is something else.
By the time I reach my office, my secretary is waiting by the door, holding a bouquet of fresh flowers.
“These just arrived for you,” she says, beaming.
Luke, again. The delicate blend of roses, lilies, and eucalyptus gives off a subtle, luxurious fragrance that somehow makes me feel both pampered and embarrassed. He might as well just stamp a neon sign on my forehead that says, “She’s Lucas Martinez’s girlfriend.”
“Thank you,” I say, taking the bouquet.
I push open the door to my office. The space is both inviting and oppressive–large windows overlooking the city, sunlight bouncing off the glass desk, and minimalist decor Everything here screams polished perfection, like it’s
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CHAPTER 074 Boss Lady
daring me to make myself at home.
I set the flowers on the table by the window, glancing at the crisp white envelope nestled between the stems.
Sliding the card out, I read Luke’s neat handwriting:
‘Congratulations on your first day, boss lady. You’ve got this. Love, Luke.‘
I smile. Any more of this sweetness and I might get tooth cavities.
Before I can overthink it, I grab my phone and dial his number. It rings twice before he answers, his voice warm and smug, like he’s been expecting my call.
“Well, well,” he says. “If it isn’t the new queen of Illusionaire. How’s the throne?”
“Uncomfortable,” I say, pacing the room. “And overly accessorized, thanks to you.”
“You’re welcome,” he says, and I can practically hear his grin.
“Seriously, Luke. Flowers? On my first day? You trying to make me look like the boss’s girlfriend or what?”
He laughs. “You are the boss, Julie. Own it. Besides, I thought you’d appreciate the gesture. Did you at least like the arrangement?”
Lglance back at the bouquet. It’s beautiful, but I’ll be damned if I admit that to him.
“It’s fine,” I say. “A little over the top, but fine”
“You’re impossible to please, you know that?”
“Yeah, and you’re impossible to ignore.”
He chuckles, and for a brief moment, the tension of the morning melts away.
I sink into the chair behind my desk, ready to say something snarky, when my phone buzzes with a new text. My mother’s name flashes on the screen, followed by a preview of the message:
‘Ryan is dying. Cancer. He has one year to live.‘
I stare at the screen, rereading the text as if the meaning might change.
“Julie, are you there?” Luke’s voice pulls me back.
“Yeah,” I say.
“You okay? You went quiet.”
I swallow hard, my pulse pounding in my ears. “I just… got a weird message. Can Leall you
back?”
“Of course. Take your time.”
I hang up without another word, still staring at the screen. My stomach twists into a knot, a hundred questions. racing through my mind. Ryan? Cancer? One year to live?
I’m frozen, trying to process the absurdity of it all, when there’s a knock at the door.
“Come in,” I say.
My secretary, Susan, steps in.
“Sorry to bother you,” she says, “but there’s a Ryan O’Brien asking to see you.”
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