Jane's POV

The sound of the door slamming open jolted me awake, the air thick with the scent of stale coffee and paper.

Robert's voice cut through the silence like a blade, sharp and unforgiving.

“Get up right now!” he barked, his words vibrating through the office, making the walls themselves feel like they were trembling.

I rubbed my eyes, trying to push away the fog of sleep that had clouded my mind.

I was still reeling from the stress of the last few weeks—working late nights, running on barely any sleep. But nothing could prepare me for what was coming.

There he was. Robert Smith, my annoying boss, The first son of the Smith family. A man whose name was synonymous with power, wealth, and fear.

His recent divorce had made headlines everywhere, with his ex-model wife airing their dirty laundry on live TV.

The scandal nearly destroyed his reputation, but it had only made him more unbearable.

He was a walking storm now. Always angry. Always on edge. Nothing pleased him.

His towering frame loomed over me like a shadow, and his cold, gray eyes burned with contempt. His jaw was clenched so tightly it looked like it might snap.

Without warning, he slammed his fist onto the desk with a force that made the papers jump, sending a jolt through my body. The sound was deafening.

“I don’t pay you to sleep, Jane!” His voice was laced with disgust. “You’re here to work, not to laze around like some damn teenager who hasn’t learned a thing about responsibility!”

I jumped to my feet, my heart hammering in my chest, blood rushing to my ears. “I’m sorry, sir. I’m sorry!” I stammered, my voice weak, panic flooding my every word. “I didn’t mean—”

“Didn’t mean to?” He scoffed, his lip curling into a sneer. He looked me up and down like I was the dirt on the bottom of his expensive shoes.

“What exactly do you think you're here for, Jane? A little nap on company time? You look like you’ve been wearing the same outfit for a week. Didn’t you think about putting yourself together for once?” His eyes flicked over my clothes—simple, a bit wrinkled—and he scoffed again.

“Look at you. You’ve got no sense of style, no sense of class. You might as well have walked out of a thrift store. What a joke.”

The humiliation hit me like a slap to the face.

My chest tightened, and I felt my cheeks burn. I wasn’t even sure if I was more embarrassed by his words or the crushing weight of his gaze. He had a way of making me feel like nothing—like I didn’t even matter.

I blinked rapidly, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill. I couldn’t let him see me cry. Not in front of him.

“Do you think I’m here to babysit you?” Robert continued, his voice dripping with mockery. “I’m wasting my time and my salary on someone who can’t even do the simplest of tasks.”

His words hit me hard, each one digging into the already fragile walls of my self-esteem.

I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but no words came out. He didn’t care what I had to say. Robert never cared.

“Where are the documents I asked for?” His voice was colder now, the irritation turning to pure disdain. “The ones for the Blackstone contract? I need them now.”

My heart skipped a beat. I had worked on them overnight, scrambling to get them ready in time, but they weren’t perfect. Not by Robert’s standards.

I fumbled through the papers on my desk, hands shaking as I tried to find the right folder. My fingers were clumsy, but I finally managed to grab it and push it towards him.

“Here, sir. I—I worked on them all night,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper, praying it would be enough to satisfy him. My hands were clammy, the papers sticking to my fingers as I handed them over.

Robert didn’t even look at me as he snatched the file from my hands. He flipped through the documents, his eyes scanning each page with a cold, clinical detachment.

I waited, my breath caught in my throat, my nerves twisting like a knot.

He didn’t speak for a long time. But when he did, it was with the kind of venom that could melt steel.

“This is rubbish,” he said, his voice a low growl.

“This is what I get after all your whining and excuses? You’re telling me you’ve spent the whole night working on this? It looks like something a first-year student would hand in. You wasted your time going to university? You’d have been better off learning how to clean gutters instead of wasting years and money on a degree. This is absolute trash.”

He shoved the papers into the trash can with a flick of his wrist, as if they were nothing more than garbage.

“I’ve been paying you, what, for this? For nothing?” He sneered. “It’s pathetic. You’ve wasted my time and my money—again.” He glared at me like I was the one who had ruined his life.

I stood frozen, my heart sinking. The tears I’d been fighting so hard to hold back finally broke free, hot and painful, streaming down my face.

I couldn’t stop them. I couldn’t.

“Please, sir,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “I... I can fix it. I’ll redo it. Please don’t fire me.”

Robert’s face remained stone-cold, his expression hardening with each word I spoke.

“Fire you? You’ve already fired yourself,” he said, his words like a death sentence. “You’re a waste of space, Jane. I’m done with you. Clean out your desk. You’re fired.”

Jane's POV

The road to landing this job had been nothing short of a nightmare. After my divorce from Kelvin,

The miscarriage had shattered me further. The abortion pills he had pushed me to take had left me infertile.

The doctor confirmed it: my Fallopian tubes were beyond repair. I would never be able to have children naturally again.

I hadn’t known how to process the news. I didn’t know how to mourn the loss of something that hadn’t even had a chance to live.

My desperation led me to apply for every job in sight. But it didn’t matter how many degrees I had or how many languages I spoke.

Every company rejected me, saying I was "too overqualified." and I couldn’t help but feel like I had wasted so much time chasing a future that never came.

Except for Robert Smith. He didn’t care about my qualifications. Instead, he made me feel like nothing.

He stripped away any remaining dignity I had, making me feel stupid and small. Every day, I walked into that office, knowing I was nothing more than an obstacle in his path, a pawn to be used, discarded, and humiliated at his will.

I was still begging, hoping he would at least have a change of heart, even if it meant deducting fifty percent off my salary, I would take it, I didn't just want to be idle.

His phone rang abruptly, cutting through the tension in the room.

He answered it, his tone clipped and sharp, listening to the voice on the other end, no doubt relaying some bit of information that had only fueled his fury.

After a moment, he hung up, his face tight with frustration.

"Unbelievable..." he muttered to himself, turning back to face me. “Are you sure you're not a witch?”

I scrambled for words, my hands shaking. "Please, sir... please don’t fire me. I can do better, I swear! I promise it won’t happen again. I’ve got debts to settle. I’m barely scraping by.” My voice trembled, but I had no choice. This job—this miserable excuse for a job—was my only lifeline.

Robert stood there, looking at me with something between disgust and indifference.

For a moment, I thought he might walk out and leave me stranded, like he always did.

But then, with a long, exasperated sigh, he pinched the bridge of his nose, as if he were wrestling with some inner demon.

“I don’t know why I’m doing this,” he muttered. “Normally, I wouldn’t, but…” He let out another frustrated hiss. “Fine. I’ll give you one last chance. But this time, you’re not just my assistant.”

I blinked, confused. “What do you mean, sir?”

He looked at me like I should have known better.

“We’ve got a dinner party to attend, and you’re coming with me. My original plus-one bailed at the last minute, so now you’re my backup. I paid some actress a ridiculous amount to attend this high-profile event, and now she’s telling me she forgot because she’s ‘on set.’ Ugh. You women are all the same. All you do is take, take, take, without ever giving anything back.”

He shook his head in frustration before heading toward the door.

I grabbed my bag, my heart racing. He wasn’t giving me a choice. I had to follow him. I had to go. There was no other option.

When I caught up to him, I tried to speak, but before I could get a word out, he shot me a glance over his shoulder.

“Keep your distance,” he snapped. “I don’t need you breathing down my neck. Just get in the damn car.”

As we reached the parking lot, I hesitated. “Sir, I... I don’t have anything to wear for the event,” I finally said, feeling the sting of embarrassment wash over me.

Robert’s lips curled into a mocking smile as he turned to look at me. He chuckled darkly.

“I didn’t expect anything better. Your shoes always look like they’ve been eaten by rats, your hair’s as dry as straw, and your breath…” He paused dramatically, as if savoring the cruelty.

“Always unbearable! Please, do us both a favor and shut up. Let me take you to a boutique to help your sad little life before you kill me with that smell coming from your mouth.”

Jane's POV

I walked back to the parking lot and Robert’s eyes locked onto me.

For the first time in our entire working relationship, I saw something flicker in his gaze—appraisal, maybe even approval—but then it was gone, replaced by his usual contempt.

He looked me up and down once more, his expression bordering on disapproval.

“You look less than a clown,” he muttered, making me flinch. “We’re going to meet dignitaries, and they’ll want to ask you questions about the business sector. Don’t embarrass me with your stupidity, Jane. If you do, I’ll make sure I lock you up for the rest of your miserable life. Understand?”

We got to the venue and immediately I stepped inside the hall, my stomach churned with excitement and dread.

The gala was a billionaire’s affair—dignitaries, investors, and tech moguls mingling, all with one goal: to secure lucrative deals and expand their empires.

It should have been my moment—my opportunity to shine.

My company, Thorne Tech, was supposed to be at this event, showcasing our cutting-edge innovations.

But Kelvin and Daphne had crushed that dream beneath their heels, and now, here I was, reduced to a mere assistant at Robert’s side.

I took a deep breath, trying to focus on the present. And then I heard it—Robert's voice, booming across the room as he introduced someone.

“A foreign investor, Mr. Gianni Berardi,” Robert said, and I couldn’t help but listen as his deep voice sliced through the air. He was shaking hands with a tall man, his accent thick and his English faltering.

"Mr. Berardi is here to discuss a potential collaboration with Smith Group," Robert continued, his tone almost too rehearsed. I could see the slight discomfort in his posture, the tight smile on his face as he fumbled with the words.

I couldn’t help but smirk inwardly. Robert, always so sure of himself, was clearly struggling to communicate with this Italian investor.

The language barrier between them was painfully obvious. Robert’s attempts to engage in conversation were met with confusion, and the silence between them grew awkward by the second.

I stood off to the side, my arms folded across my chest, enjoying the scene unfold before me.

Robert, the ever-confident billionaire, was stumbling over his words, and it was a sight I couldn't tear my eyes from. For once, the man who thought he was untouchable was struggling.

But I didn’t speak. I let him flounder. He had always made me feel small, belittling me at every turn, making me doubt my worth.

It felt good to watch him squirm for once, knowing that he couldn’t control the situation.

Then, as if the universe had a wicked sense of timing, Robert snapped his fingers, suddenly remembering something.

"Wait—Jane!" he barked, his voice sharp. "You speak multiple languages, don’t you?" His gaze locked onto me. "Mr. Berardi is a potential client, and he's been asking about our latest products. He wants us to blow his mind with something new—something that's never been seen or heard before."

I blinked, surprised by the sudden turn of events. I had no idea what Robert had in mind, but I knew one thing—I couldn’t let this opportunity slip through my fingers. Not when my future could be at stake.

He continued, his voice low, "You’ve been sitting here listening. Why don’t you handle it? You’ve been in meetings about this product, tell him everything about the new product we are working on”

For a split second, I hesitated. My mind raced. This was my chance—my chance to show Robert what I was truly capable of.

But on the other hand, If I could win over this investor, if I could pitch something incredible, it would be my way back to the top.

I didn’t need Robert’s approval anymore—I just needed one break, one person to believe in me.

I took a deep breath and smiled. "Of course, Mr. Smith. I’ll handle it."

Robert didn’t seem to care much about my confidence. In fact, he was already distracted by something else, and as he turned away, he whispered in my ear,

"Don’t mess this up, Jane. If you screw this up, I’ll make sure you regret it."