30. Deal breaker

At the office, Kimberly stared into space, her eyes bloodshot and barely blinking.

"Excuse me. Hey. Miss Wells? Are you alright? Boss," Noah called out to her, but even her favorite title was not enough to bring her out of her thoughts, until Noah banged on her desk and she almost jumped out of her seat, startled.

Kimberly blinked before looking at Noah who was looking at her, concern clearly written on his face.

"Are you okay boss?" Noah asked once again.

"Oh yeah. I'm fine. Totally. Why do you ask?" Kimberly asked, staring at him.

"It's just that, I have been calling out to you for some time now. You look like you haven't slept a wink for the past week," Noah commented, and true to his word, Kimberly did look a bit disheveled. She no longer looked as neat as she used to be when she first became a manager.

"Oh, I've just been really busy is all," Kim shrugged it off. "I'm the boss here, and we've already sent our proposal to the best company out there. I'm just hoping they respond to us soon."

"Even if you are the boss, you can't expect to carry all the burden alone. Our job here is to assist you, so please let us do that at least. You just need to ask."

"I will keep that in mind," Kim managed to put on a strained smile.

"See you around then," Noah turned and went back to his desk.

Kimberly's eyes strayed towards Declan's desk. His seat was empty, just like it had been for the past few days, and Kimberly found herself questioning every decision she had made so far.

How did she choose to take this person as an assistant when she could have chosen anyone else?

How could she not have been able to see all that while that he was a jerk?

And why are they making things so difficult for her when she only got promoted out of merit?

Secondly, Kimberly thought of her friend, Erin, who would have tried really hard to cheer her up, then her mind went back to the post she saw on the worker's online platform after her promotion.

A post detailing, word for word, the conversation she had had with Erin on that day.

Even though it was posted behind an anonymous profile, Kimberly knew it just had to be Erin, and the latter's words to her came to mind.

"Now you finally look like the bitches you used to hate so much."

But at the top of her list now was this particular project. If it doesn't go well, and she fails, then what would become of her? What if she gets demoted back to her first position only to get stuck between the people who became her foes?

Kimberly shuddered at the thought of becoming a laughingstock.

The last but not least on her list was her current personal situation.

Now, with her sister sharing the same space, it meant buying more groceries and paying more for the water bill. And even though she will now be getting a higher paycheck, her father's deteriorating health didn't make things any better.

Kim was brought out of her thoughts when the phone rang, and she picked it up.

"Hello, I am Nicolas Coleson from Vaughn holdings. I am on the phone with Gabrielle enterprise?"

"Yes!" Kimberly said in an excited tone, then cleared her throat and said in a calm manner. "I mean yes. You are currently talking to Manager Kimberly Wells."

"It is concerning the set meeting for the deal. It's in two days' time, right? I am calling to confirm the date."

"Oh yes, I have been waiting to hear from you since."

"Oh yes. The project got transferred to my boss. I guess we will see you on that date then."

"Sure," Kimberly said, and the call was cut from the other end. "Finally," Kimberly sighed in relief. "At least something is going in good order now."

*

Today was finally the day of the meeting, and Kimberly made sure to dress up and look her best.

She had already submitted the proposal to the boss' secretary two days prior through Mr. Saunders and was awaiting feedback from the boss which was yet to come, and that little bit made her a bit anxious.

"If everything goes well, this will surely be my ladder to success," Kimberly assured herself while adjusting her suit and making sure her hair was not a strand out of place.

"You look like you are preparing to meet the president or something," Declan's voice came and Kim looked at him with disgust.

"What do you want?" Kim asked brusquely.

"I heard our special meeting was saved for today. Apparently, something did not think to mention that to me," Declan said, referring to her. Kimberly looked at him from head to toe only to see that he was dressed rather well for the day.

"You aren't thinking about joining the meeting, are you?"

"Yes I am," Declan said and Kimberly couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.

"I doubt you know a single thing about the meeting that is about to take place."

"Try me," Declan said confidently and Kimberly frowned. At that moment, it occurred to her that he could have seen the file from Mr. Saunders.

"You really know how to cheat your way through, don't you?"

"What do I say? I just learned from a certain somebody."

Kimberly bit her lip at his connotation, and was about to say another thing when the phone on her desk started to ring.

Kimberly took it as her saving grave not to interact with Declan anymore.

Turning her back to him, Kimberly picked up the phone and put it to her ear.

"Manager Kimberly Wells speaking, how may I help you?" Kimberly spoke into the phone.

Behind her, she heard Declan scoff before walking away.

"The boss would like to see you right now," Alice said briefly before the call was cut.

On her way to the boss' office, Kimberly found her palms getting sweaty.

Why did it sound so serious? Nothing possibly went wrong with the deal, right?

"No. I am sure the boss is just calling to commend my efforts and boost my morale right before the meeting, right?" Kimberly assured herself, which gave her some confidence.

But when she entered the office, it felt like the person seated behind the desk was a different person than she knew when she got news of her promotion because at that moment, Miss Gabrielle looked furious, and at her side, standing with a cold expression, was her bodyguard.