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.”
