Chapter 4

The next day, Emery woke up very early. She had gone to bed early the night before, so it wasn’t hard to get up. After a quick shower, she made herself a light breakfast. Once she was done eating, she got dressed and left for work.

When she arrived, the security guards were surprised to see her that early. She smiled politely and walked in.

Being the first one at work meant she didn’t have to deal with the awkward stares or pitying looks from her coworkers. She was sure they still remembered what had happened the day before.

A few hours later, Joan arrived. Not long after, Mr. Thomas walked in. As soon as Emery saw him, she let out a soft sigh of relief.

“Good morning, sir. How’s your wife?” she asked.

He smiled brightly. “She’s doing great, and so is the baby.”

“Wow! Congratulations, sir,” both Joan and Emery said at once.

“Thank you.” He gave them a warm smile and walked into his office.

A few minutes later, Emery neatly organized the reports on her desk and carried them to Mr. Thomas’ office.

“After you left yesterday, the CEO came in and asked for the reports. I handed them over,” she said, watching his expression.

Mr. Thomas raised his eyebrows. “The CEO? He’s around?”

The look on his face showed that he’d definitely dealt with the CEO’s harsh attitude before.

“Yes,” she replied. “He went through the reports but told us to double-check everything and submit them again today. I’ve already done that, but since you’re here now, I thought it would be better if you took them to him.”

She didn’t mention the other thing that happened between her and the CEO. It was something she never wanted to think about again, especially not when her job already felt like it was hanging by a thread.

“I see,” Mr. Thomas said, standing quickly. “I’ll take them to him right away.”

“Right away? He might not even be in the office yet,” she said. It was just 8:00 a.m. Too early, she thought, for someone like the arrogant CEO to be at work.

Mr. Thomas chuckled. “You don’t know him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he got here hours ago.”

Without waiting for a response, he walked out.

"I don't know him?" Emery muttered to herself. "I know him. I know the monster who smashed a vase at me yesterday."

Mr. Thomas gently pushed the door open after hearing the CEO’s deep voice say, “Come in.”

“Good morning, sir. I’m Mr. Thomas, the project manager,” he said politely.

Ethan Wensley didn’t respond right away. He just frowned and stared down at the documents on his desk.

“My assistant said you needed the reports this morning. That’s why I’m here,” Thomas added.

Ethan gave him a complicated look, then returned his focus to the papers in front of him.

“Here are the reports, sir.” Mr. Thomas placed the documents carefully on the desk. He didn’t expect a reply. He was used to Ethan’s cold behavior.

Ethan didn’t even glance at the reports. “If I remember correctly, I asked your assistant to bring them.”

“Yes, sir. She only filled in for me yesterday. Since I’m here today, I thought it made more sense for me to bring them myself.”

Ethan sneered. “Well, it doesn’t make sense to me. Tell her to bring them over herself.”

Mr. Thomas didn’t argue. He simply picked up the reports. “Okay, sir,” he said, then turned and left the office.

Back in the department, Emery looked up, surprised to see him return so quickly.

“So fast?”

“He wants you to bring the reports yourself,” Mr. Thomas said calmly.

“What? Why?” Panic filled her chest. She remembered Joan mentioning that the last person who talked back to the CEO ended up losing their job after being treated terribly.

“Mr. Thomas, I’m sorry, but I’m not going,” she said firmly, sitting back down.

Mr. Thomas gave her a concerned look. “Ms. Collins, did something happen?”

Without hesitating, Emery told him everything that had happened the previous day.

“You shouldn’t have questioned him!” Mr. Thomas said, pacing nervously.

“How was I supposed to know?” Emery replied, frustrated. “I just asked a simple question!”

She didn’t mean to cause trouble. If she had known the CEO was this harsh, she would’ve kept her mouth shut.

“I’m sorry, Emery, but I can’t help you this time. Your job could be on the line. My advice? Take the reports to him.”

She realized she had no other option. With a heavy heart and fire in her eyes, she grabbed the reports. If he tried anything again, she’d speak her truth, drop her resignation letter, and walk out.

She had already been hurt, physically and emotionally, and she wasn’t going to let anyone mistreat her again.

Face tight with anger, she marched out of the office and headed to the elevator. Her hands clenched around the reports as the doors closed, taking her to the top floor.

Standing before the door, Emery took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and knocked.

“Come in.”

She pushed the door open and stepped inside. Ethan barely glanced at her before returning his attention to the documents on his desk.

“I’m here with the report, sir.” She walked forward, placed the file gently on the table, then stepped back, remembering how he had ordered her to stay several feet away the day before.

He didn’t look at her. Not a word. Not even a nod.

She kept her eyes on the clock hanging on the wall. Fifteen minutes passed in complete silence.

“If I wait five more minutes and he still says nothing, I’m leaving,” she told herself silently.

Five minutes later, still no response.

“Since you’re busy, sir, I’ll return later,” she said, trying to hide her irritation as she turned toward the door.

His voice, deep and sharp, cut through the air like a knife. “How on earth did the PR department hire such an impatient and incompetent staff?”

So he could talk. She paused, clenched her fists, then slowly turned back toward him.

“I’ll send Mr. Thomas to you, a more competent staff member,” she said with a tight smile, her tone respectful but laced with clear meaning. Then she turned to leave.

“Stop there!” His angry voice echoed through the office like thunder.

Emery froze, back still turned.

“How dare you try to dictate to me? You disgust me!”

She turned slowly, locking eyes with him. Her voice was calm but carried the weight of her rising anger.

“You just said I’m incompetent. And as a successful businessman, I’m sure you wouldn’t want someone like me presenting important reports to you. Isn’t that right, Mr. Ethan Wensley, CEO of Cosmic Group?”

She wasn’t going to cower. If she was going to lose her job anyway, then she’d speak her mind.

Ethan was momentarily speechless. His face darkened, jaw clenched, and a heavy silence fell. The air around him changed. Tense, heavy, dangerous.

She felt it. The pressure in the room was suffocating.

He rose slowly from his chair, his cold eyes locked on her, each step he took was deliberate and heavy.

His veins stood out, his jaw tightened with restrained rage.