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1 - Atlas Grayson
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Wednesday nights at La Dolce Vita had never been so disastrous. This time, it was as if every rich businessman breathing in the Manhattan borough of New York City had stampeded through this restaurant, but as it so happened, the lowest point of Jia's evening hadn't even come to pass yet.
She had known something was wrong when Richard sent everyone else home minutes after the massive VIP dinner event concluded - but then asked her to stay behind to clean up. Alone. Yes, he was an exploitative asshole who freely abused her vulnerable circumstances, but he had never done this kind of thing before: he simply hadn't ever been around for the Wednesday night clean up himself.
Ever.
If anything, he was the one who always went home early after the weekly Hell Night and made everyone else take care of the mess without him. But not today, though. No, not tonight - because the owner of the five-star La Dolce Vita was intent on making an even worse mess rather than cleaning anything up.
A wine glass behind Jia toppled over and spilled its half-drunk contents onto the white tablecloth. She was beyond caring about it now, however, and she blindly reached behind her for the empty bottle she knew was close by. When she found it, she wrapped her fingers around the slender neck and swung it around herself with all her might.
This had not been part of the job description.
Richard dodged away just in time as she brandished it threateningly at him. "You bitch," the man seethed. He shrugged off his uniform suit jacket and tossed it to the floor. "This is happening whether you like it or not -" His voice began to climb to a snarling shout, but suddenly he lunged forward mid-sentence, grabbing for any part of Jia he could reach.
She tried to swing the wine bottle at him again, but this time, he simply swatted it away and sent it shattering against the wall. Too shocked to scream, Jia blindly clawed at him, her breath coming out in strangled, high pitched huffs like a tea kettle beginning to whistle. Why couldn't she scream? Why wasn't her voice coming out?
Oh, God, she thought as she felt his hands squeeze around her wrists. Oh, God -
He slammed her backward with such force that she staggered on her feet, and he took the opportunity to grab her by the shoulders and shove her onto the table once more. He then drove her back with a ruthless push until her legs dangled off the edge, feet straining to find the ground again.
Dishware, utensils, and wineglasses tumbled off the table in a violent cacophony. He grabbed one shoulder strap of her tuxedo apron, shaking off her scrabbling hands, and with one mighty pull, he ripped her uniform. The white button-down dress shirt underneath would soon follow suit -
Except it didn't, because the double doors behind Richard swung open savagely, striking the walls so hard that the sound of wood cracking split the air. The shocked man had no time to protest before a fist crashed into his face - two fists, actually, in quick, savage succession. The crack of knuckles hitting bone sliced through the VIP room, making Jia flinch as if she was the one getting thrashed.
As it happened, it was Richard who crumpled like a trashed solo cup and hit the ground face-first. Silence fell, and the unexpected Good Samaritan looked up from the prone man's form to catch Jia's wide-eyed stare.
In the sudden stillness, she scrambled to her feet and stepped on a wine glass that had rolled in the way. Glass shards shattered and splintered over the floor, but before she could trip and fall into the deadly mess, strong arms caught her by the waist.
The rescuer said nothing about it, and she was glad - she didn't know how she would have replied if he had. She instead jumped back as if he had burned her, and she scrambled to hold together her tattered tuxedo apron in order to salvage what little remained of her professional demeanor.
"I'll call the police," the stranger said, his voice emotionless and cool. He began sliding out his phone from the pocket of his suit pants.
Jia's head jerked up. She hadn't had the presence of mind to look the man in the face yet, but now she did - terrified of the calamity his help would bring down on her head. "Wait!" she cried out, reaching up to try to grab the phone away from the man's ear. "Wait, please!"
The man easily held it out of her reach, nearly a foot taller than she was and with arms to match. "Excuse me?" he asked, and Jia flinched at the irritation in his voice.
She remembered the voice well, she thought. That smooth baritone. The cruel articulation of every sound on his tongue, crisp and clean like polished diamonds. The biting venom that only barely concealed itself behind each syllable.
Except back then, when she had first met him - what, six months ago now? - he hadn't bothered hiding it at all. He had given her his scorn freely, and she had weathered it all under the staring eyes of everyone around them.
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"Do you think you're special?" he asked coolly, his words marble and his eyes ice. "Chasing me down yourself and trying to persuade me with passion? Was that the plan?"
Jia continued to hold the paper out in front of her, presenting it with both hands to him. "Please," she said, keeping her voice strong and steady even though she thought she could feel him killing her with just a look. "I need this job. I'll work harder than you could ever want. You won't regret it, sir."
He swiftly snatched the sheet out of her hands with murderous grace, and with his other hand, tore the paper in two. He overlapped the two halves and tore them into quarters - and then into eighths, and then half that again. He tossed the pieces to the side, letting them flutter down to the asphalt.
"I don't need more desperate, entitled faces in my agency. If I ever see yours again, I'll have security handle it."
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And now, here he was. Atlas Grayson, CEO of Pandora Lights Agency, the most lucrative company of talent scouts this side of the country. Maybe on both sides. In any case, he was one of the faces who had attended the VIP dinner earlier tonight, and she had recognized him then, too. But Jia had tamped down her embarrassment and anxiety and behaved as usual, turning on the professional warmth and charm that she was known for instead.
She had nothing to worry about, she had told herself at the time. Atlas Grayson saw so many faces in a day that he would never remember her; it was no use being paranoid. Aside from asking for another refill of refreshments, he didn't have a single reason to look twice at her. And when all the guests had left for the night, him included, she had breathed a sigh of relief. Nothing had happened. He hadn't made a move to embarrass her or confront her in any way.
But here he was now, staring her down with their faces scant inches apart. "Correct me if I'm wrong," he said, "but I think it's necessary to call the authorities since a man just tried to force himself on someone."
His disdainful tone sounded more like a criticism of her intelligence rather than a show of concern, but Jia forced her lips to move in measured pleas rather than in retaliatory defensiveness. She had to stop him, she thought desperately, before he ruined everything.
"I can explain. It wasn't what it looked like. Thank you, but it isn't necessary - wait! Please!" she begged when he shook his head and made to dial emergency again. "The thing is, he's my boss, and..."
"That's irrelevant. He assaulted you. The authorities will take him away."
"It's not...I - he's been paying me in cash for some time to work here," she said weakly. She hoped he would understand without her going into too much detail - that she was working for money under the table. Quite illegal, and most definitely punishable by law.
So despite what Richard had just done, she couldn't afford to give him the chance to take her down with him. He was the kind of man who would do such a thing, too, without a doubt: out of pure spite, he would report to them exactly how much unreported income one of his employees had received over the past eight months.
Forget prison time - there was no way Jia would be able to pay the heaping back taxes the authorities would find out she owed.
And then she would lose Jisu and Jini, too, in the process.
When Atlas Grayson continued to stare at her, she quickly forged ahead, desperately trying to change his mind no matter what it took. "I didn't have a choice," she said. "I have a family. They need me. I didn't know what else to do, and I needed the money fast. Richard had an opening. And everyone else wanted to run credit checks on applicants, and I've never had a credit history. And I don't have my own vehicle, and no one considers the subway-bus route reliable transportation -"
"I'm not interested," the man interrupted. "Tax evasion concerns aside, you do realize that if you don't report this, your boss here will probably end up hurting someone else."
Jia's face immediately twisted in guilty shame, but she continued to hold her ground. She couldn't give in. If there was anything less at stake, she would have been happy to do exactly what she ought to do, but she had so much to lose..."I can't," she insisted. "I can't. I'm sorry."
"Save your apologies to whoever he hurts next."
Despite his condemnatory words, however, Atlas Grayson refrained from dialing 911 and simply observed Jia's face with a hawk-like intensity. Jia quavered under the force of his electric-blue eyes that felt like they were searing straight through her. His perfectly arranged black hair - neither messy nor too obviously groomed - and clean-shaven, professional countenance felt too powerful in their regal, elite beauty.
He was a powerful, wealthy CEO, and she was just a waitress in a pathetically torn uniform, shaking in her shoes. She wondered what the likelihood was of the man dropping dead from a sudden, miraculous aneurysm right this second.
"I'm sorry," she said again. She knew what she was doing was wrong. Knew what she was asking of him was wrong. But Jisu and Jini didn't deserve to suffer for her mistakes, and she couldn't let them face the inevitable consequences that would result if she let this problem get any bigger.
The silence clawed around them with every second that ticked by until finally, the man opened his mouth again. Jia's heart clenched in her chest. It was too late, she thought. She had to get out of here and figure out what to do, how to make Richard shut up about her, and how to keep the twins out of this mess -
"Fine," said Atlas, and though the word he spoke was a concession, a surrender, Jia suddenly felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise as if she were in danger.
She took a fast, deep breath. "Thank you," she said in a rush. "Thank you so much. I'll take care of this, so please allow me to call a cab for you."
She had to get him out of here before he could change his mind. She made to move around him to get to the double doors leading out of the VIP room, but an iron grip around her upper arm made her stop short. She looked up in shock when the CEO pulled her close and leaned into her face with a menacing glower.
"I wasn't done talking," he said. "In return for this favor, you're going to do something for me."
Jia's face paled. "What's that, sir?" she asked, simply because she could feel him ordering her to, silently, with the cold look in his eyes. Her voice came out in a whisper, but it seemed to satisfy him anyway.
"You're going to work for me," he told her, his voice dripping venom. "Until you drop dead."
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In the Shadow of the CEO Author's Note
The ending has been modified due to feedback from several readers that were unsatisfied with the ending. While I can't really say I'm proud of the cut version because it doesn't properly envison what I had in mind for the story's conclusion, I'm happy to let readers leave off the story on a thoroughly final note.As a result, I have withdrawn plans to write a sequel and will leave the story as is. But thank you all anyway for coming with me on this journey! :DFind me on facebook @ManaSolStories so that you can keep up with my other stories here on GoodNovel instead.
In the Shadow of the CEO Epilogue
Jia pushed Atlas away from herself with a furtive look around the dim rear hallway they found themselves in. "Stop that! Someone will see."But he didn't listen. With a low, rumbling chuckle in his chest, he pressed her up against the wall and nuzzled her neck, breathing her in as if he couldn't get enough of her scent. She did her best to keep from melting in his arms as they snaked around her, one around her waist and the other coming up to cup the back of her neck, but a small gasp left her lips when she felt him grind his hips against hers."The things you do to me," he whispered in her ear, and she had to bite down hard on her tongue so that she didn't let out a breathy moan and tremble against him.No, they were absolutely not doing this. They were in a restaurant. In public! At a party! The last time they had done this, they had almost gotten caught by a waiter and only barely managed to hide themselves in a tangled mess in the utility closet."Atlas -""Fine, fine," he said, an
In the Shadow of the CEO 95 - Offerings
When Atlas finally came to bed, it was already past two in the morning. Jia had let the twins know she wouldn't be coming home - and although they probably thought she was up to mischief, the reality was that she knew she couldn't leave Atlas alone tonight. Even now, he sat on the side of the bed, slouched over with his elbows on his knees.She sat up and rested her fingertips on his bare, muscular shoulder. He felt so strong, and yet..."Sleep," she told him. "You'll know what to do tomorrow."He reached back and grasped her hand in his before turning around and sliding under the covers beside her. She was ready when he pulled her close and began kissing her neck and working his way down her chest, pulling on her clothes with growing insistence. But instead of yielding, she reached up to cradle his face in her hands and urged him with slight pulls to lift his head and look at her."Atlas," she murmured as she stared up at him. "I'm glad you told me."He stilled, so she kept on."If yo
In the Shadow of the CEO 94 - Choices
Clearly, they weren't going to be heading back into the building anytime soon. Jia took a deep breath before turning to look at Ava, making sure her face betrayed nothing but steady composure."You care about Atlas," she said shortly, "and so do I. It's your right to doubt my intentions, but our relationship is ours and no one else's. Meaning that it's his choice to stay in one with me, just like it's my choice to do the same with him.""So, in other words, you don't care. About letting the company crash because you can't give him up?""...I'll consider everything you said to me today. You can interpret my intentions however you want. I care about Atlas. He is important to me. So is Pandora Lights. I am not 'giving' either of them up like I'm swapping trading cards.""That's a nice, self-righteous way of saying you'd rather screw the whole company over rather than let go of his money. Before you say it's not about that, I'll just remind you that it's funn
In the Shadow of the CEO 93 - Adjustments
"How is our new schedule working for you?"Jia pressed her knees together and looped her hands around them as she thought about how to answer. She liked this place more than she had thought she would the first time she came, and the second. It was strange how liberating it felt to be in the one place she felt the most vulnerable."I think it's good," she said. "I didn't think I'd want to be here more than I had to, but you were right. I felt a lot better this week. And I think I was more stable. Well, stronger, I guess.""That's good," Dr. Brody - or Lisa, she preferred - remarked. She smiled at Jia and settled back in her armchair. "Do you want to tell me about it?"She made herself more comfortable on the sofa as well. Their very first meeting a month and a half ago, Lisa had told her that she was free to lie down if she preferred, that the kind of therapy she conducted encouraged her to be as comfortable as she could be physically so that she could be
In the Shadow of the CEO 92 - Games
"Mr. Burhock!""Jia, so good to see you again. How are you! You look ten times more lovely than before, how is that possible? Maybe if I spin around once, it'll happen again."Mr. Burhock was his sweet, jovial self as usual as he pulled her into a hug and pounded her back a little too hard with his plump fist. He babbled on about his new grandchild and about the rigors of childproofing his house now that there would be yet another small baby running about wild. No, he wasn't his usual jovial self - he was exceedingly so, more than normal.They were meeting in the hotel lobby of the Ritz-Carlton hotel. Ava would be here in a second as well once she adjusted her makeup in the bathroom. And then they would be off to a eat a celebratory dinner, a reservation at Burhock's favorite Greek restaurant. Jia was looking forward to it for more than one reason. For one, it was the one time Atlas would be eating with them instead of working himself to death in his offic
In the Shadow of the CEO 91 - Trees and Forests
"You should come help me."Jia had allowed Ava into the outer office when the woman came knocking, not bothering to ask how she had managed to come exactly at a time when Atlas and Lydia were in one of the conference rooms on the lower floor for a meeting. Then again, those two were getting busier and busier, and nearly a third of their day was simply attending video conferences; perhaps it was a coincidence after all.She had to stop suspecting Ava just because she was jealous. And she knew that was the reason, too. She had promised herself a week ago after the conversation in Atlas's car that she would remain self-aware, that she would handle herself with integrity when it came to the other woman. This was business. This was professional....It was still hard."What can I help you with?"Her response was the right one. She knew it already, but there was a pleased glint in Ava's eye as if she were impressed that Jia hadn't come running up with her
In the Shadow of the CEO 90 - Idyllic
Itwas nearly ten. Jia had begun to wonder if perhaps he would show up at all an hour ago, a stray thought that she could feel ballooning into another episode now that she knew what to look for. Knowing the enemy made it easier to fight, so she had spent a little time reorganizing the kitchen to take her mind off of Atlas and Ava and whatever they were talking about for the past five hours.When he did show up, she didn't even answer his call. She simply toed on her sneakers and shuffled out in a hurry with the shoes only half on her feet.He was standing outside his car and leaning against the passenger door. When he saw her appear, a faint smile turned up the corners of his mouth, and he opened it so that it could slide upward to let her in. She was already in a long, worn out white T-shirt and a pair of loose training pants, both of which had seen better days and absolutely did not suit the glamor of the car or the man who owned it -Stop, she told herse
In the Shadow of the CEO 89 - Concealed
Jia blinked and stared, not entirely certain that she had heard Atlas correctly. She couldn't have. It was only because she had been thinking hard about how to approach the topic of Ava tonight that she thought she'd just heard him say the name, that was all. She tried to step around Atlas and move closer to Erica to give her a proper greet since they hadn't seen each other since this morning for a cup of coffee (and water), but when she peeked around his shoulder, she found the woman staring straight at Atlas's face instead.It hadn't occurred to her how tall Erica was until now, as she watched them square off in an apparent staring contest. Or was it because she was standing up straight and squaring her shoulders, revealing her true height instead of carrying a moderate slouch when last they had met?In fact, everything about Erica was different now. Her appearance was the same, but her eyes were sharper and colder, and the way she tilted her head slightly at A
