Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 61939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Over the wind, I caught fragments—“First and last name, please,” and “You need to report to this location today.” For some reason, an employee would rush back down the steps in tears every few minutes.
When it was my turn, the guard just stared at me.
“First name, Andrea,” I said, following what I’d heard. “Last name, Stone.”
Silence.
“Hello?” I waved a hand.
“Right, sorry.” He tapped his tablet. “Andrea Stone, you need to clock in directly with Mr. Cross on the top floor. He’s expecting you. Next.”
“Wait,” I said. “Is this check-in going to be an every-morning thing, or is this just for today?”
He gave me a blank stare.
“I’m asking because if it is, don’t you think you should warn people so they can get here even earlier?”
“Next!”
I rolled my eyes and walked into the lobby.
“Good morning, Miss Stone!” A woman I’d never seen before smiled at me from the water fountain. “Today is a sweet day to sip the seasons, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, sure…” I moved past her and to the elevators.
Someone slammed a fist over the panel before I could press the up button, and I gasped. Then I looked to my left.
“Oh…hey there, Riley.” I smiled at him. “You have to check in upstairs, too?”
“No.” He glared at me. “I’m apparently being demoted to the intern level. My entire team, actually.”
“I am so sorry…”
“I’m sure you are.” He grabbed my arm. “Why didn’t you tell us about this?”
“Because I didn’t know.”
“Mr. Lewis must’ve told you something,” he said. “He told you everything.”
“He didn’t tell me shit.” I snatched my arm away. “I found out on Friday, just like everyone else, and if you don’t believe that I would’ve warned everyone, screw you. You should know better.”
“Okay, now I’m sorry.” He stepped back, rubbing his face. “I just…I can’t afford to lose anything, and…”
“Me either,” I said. “I get it.”
He hit the up button before walking away, and I looked at my watch.
4:58.
Shit.
Thankfully, the doors opened within seconds and I stepped inside—punching the top-floor button.
I couldn’t help but notice that it’d been changed from the plain white style from before. Now, it was gold with the words “THE BOSS” etched in black.
As the car carried me up, I squinted to read the fine print etched on the plate underneath it.
Do not come here unless summoned by Mr. Cross.
Wasting his time is a crime.
“So, this is how the fuckery begins.” I rolled my eyes and sighed.
Bing!
I stepped off and found myself in a world of opulence.
The walls were painted in a luxe beige, and the floor had been removed and replaced with sleek gray marble.
A new receptionist desk stood guard down the hall. Beyond it, water flowed down a glass wall in a smooth, silvery curtain, the name CROSS glowing beneath the falling stream.
There weren’t any remnants of Mr. Lewis’s time here at all, and there was a part of me that didn’t hate that.
He was still a coward.
Since the main office door was open, I knocked against the panel.
No response.
“Hello?” I stepped inside, stopping when I saw Mr. Cross leaning against his desk.
“Good morning, Miss Stone.” His eyes met mine. “Are you aware that it’s 5:01 a.m. and you’re late?”
“No, I swear…” I glanced at my watch. Then I checked my phone screen to be sure. “It’s just now five o’clock.”
Strolling toward me, he gently lifted my wrist. His fingers were warm—steady—and far too comfortable against my pulse.
“Allow me to reset this—along with your phone—so we’re on the same page from here on out.”
He unclasped the watch and took my phone.
“Have a seat, please.”
He moved to his chair and stared at me for several seconds without saying a word.
Still keeping his eyes on mine, he adjusted my watch and slid it back to me.
“I was looking through the employee records, and I noticed you didn’t have a job title,” he said, adjusting my phone. “What exactly did Mr. Lewis consider you to be?”
“He would say—” I paused. “I was about to be an executive, one step below the CFO, actually.”
“Without finishing your master’s degree?” He looked right through me. “Or passing the CPA exam?”
“Yes…”
“Nice try.” He smirked. “I’ll give you one more chance to tell me the truth, Miss Stone. I would hate to fire you for dishonesty on your first day under me.”
“I didn’t have an official title.” I held back a sigh. “I just kept his days organized, attended meetings, and ran communication between him and all the staff.”
“Hmmm.” He tapped his chin. “So, like an intern?”
“No.” I bristled at that comparison. “I did a lot more than all the interns combined. No offense to them.”
He looked as if he expected me to elaborate.
“I helped with a lot of finance things.” I was suddenly nervous. “I also helped design policies for our cafes and had inside experience to share.”
“Ah, yes.” He flipped open a folder. “You were a lead barista before.”