ADRIAN

After I had settled down, I called all the employees into my office. They stood in front of me, nervously glancing around. But they shouldn’t be worried if they had nothing to do with it.

“Now, who knew about the powder incident that happened earlier?” I asked calmly, locking eyes with each one of them.

“I don’t know anything about it, sir. I wouldn’t dare pull a stunt like that on you,” one of them quickly chirped.

“Well, I wouldn’t know if you had the guts to do something like that, considering I might have wronged you and you wanted to get back at me. But right now, I’m asking calmly: WHO THE HELL KNEW ABOUT THE POWDER?” I yelled, slamming my hand onto the desk.

They jumped back, eyes wide with fear, all denying any involvement. “We haven’t stepped foot in your office this morning,” one of them stammered. Some even claimed they never entered my office unless I was present. While they all fumbled with their denials, Brianna stood at the back, smiling quietly, not saying a word.

“If none of you fess up now, I’m sending you all to jail for a night. And trust me, that’s not an idle threat.” The humiliation from earlier burned in my mind, and I couldn’t let it go without catching whoever was responsible.

At my threat, the room erupted in voices. Then, one of them stepped forward— a female employee, the one who had delivered my briefcase earlier that morning.

“I have something to say, sir,” she said, her voice shaky.

“Yes? Speak up,” I barked.

“When I brought your briefcase, I saw Miss Brianna walking out of your office. She looked... suspicious. Like she was caught doing something wrong,” the woman said. My eyes snapped to Brianna, and I saw it— her expression frozen, like a deer caught in headlights.

“Do you have anything to say to that, Miss Brianna?” I asked, glaring at her. She stood there, silent, unable to respond.

I exhaled sharply. “Sorry for the false accusations, everyone. You’re free to go.” I waved them off, and they rushed out as if their lives depended on it. Once they were gone, I turned back to Brianna, who looked like she was about to crumble under my gaze.

“So... care to tell me why you did it?” I asked, pretending to remain calm.

“You’re asking me why I did that? Have you forgotten how you made me walk under the scorching hot sun yesterday?” she shot back, voice rising. “You sent me on an errand to get something, and I found out you gave me the wrong address. I had to go around the whole damn estate looking for your place!”

“Oh! I must have written the wrong address. I’m really sorry,” I said, trying to play it off.

“I know you don’t mean that apology, so save it,” she snapped back, crossing her arms.

I raised an eyebrow. “You’re quite brave, Brianna. You’re the only one who’s had the guts to do something like this to me, and for what? A little retaliation?” I leaned in closer, narrowing my eyes. “I’ve done worse to people before you, and they didn’t dare respond. Now, give me one good reason why I shouldn’t fire you on the spot.”

Her confident demeanor faltered for a moment, but she quickly recovered. “You wouldn’t fire me. I just started yesterday, and you haven’t seen what I can do yet.” She gave me a sweet, almost innocent smile.

“Is that really a valid reason?” I smirked. “I can fire you right now and find someone else to replace you within seconds.”

She bit her lip, looking like she was weighing her options. “Fine. I know you can fire me, but please... don’t. I really need this job,” she said, her voice softening into a plea.

I sighed, shaking my head. “I’m going to forgive you this time. But the next time you try something like this, you’re out the door. No second chances.”

“Thank you, sir!” she exclaimed, relieved, and started walking toward the door.

“Hold on,” I called out. “I’ve got something else for you to do.”

She turned back, looking confused. I walked toward a cabinet in my office, opened a drawer, and pulled out a thick stack of files, blowing the dust off them before dumping them onto my desk.

“Well, Miss Brianna, I need you to help me arrange these files in alphabetical order. I’m going to need them soon, and it’ll make my job a lot easier if they’re organized,” I said, watching her reaction.

Her jaw dropped when she saw the mountain of paperwork. “Wait, what? You want me to organize all of these within a short period of time? When exactly are you going to need them?” she asked, wide-eyed.

“In the next two hours,” I said casually, glancing at my watch.

“WHAT THE HELL?!” she exclaimed. “I couldn’t even finish this if you gave me five hours!”

“Instead of standing here complaining, maybe you should get started,” I snapped.

She muttered under her breath as she gathered the files. “These aren’t just numerous, they’re heavy too. Can’t he reduce these files or at least give me more time? Heartless monster...” She continued to grumble as she left the room, struggling to carry the files.

BRIANNA

I slammed the door to my office with my foot and dropped the files onto my desk. I stared at them, as if they were somehow personally responsible for this mess. How the hell was I supposed to arrange this mountain of files in two hours? It was as tall as me!

Muttering to myself wasn’t going to help, so I took a deep breath and got to work. I began flipping through each file, scanning the topics, and arranging them alphabetically. But as the hours dragged on, I felt my eyes growing heavier. Eventually, I couldn’t help it. I dozed off at my desk.

I was jolted awake by the sound of my office door opening and closing. “I’m awake! I’m awake! I was working!” I stammered, startled, only to hear a laugh.

I looked up to see Mr. Adrian leaning against the door frame, watching me with amusement.

“Was that the work I gave you?” he asked, his voice full of barely-contained laughter.

“I was actually working! But I guess these papers are so boring, it’s like they gave me a sleeping pill,” I whined.

“Stop whining, Missy, and get back to work,” he said, his tone suddenly serious. “Oh, and just so you know, you have forty-five minutes left to finish.”

I stared at him, blinking. “Forty-five minutes?!”

“Yes,” he said smoothly, crossing his arms. “You’ve got forty-five minutes left.”

“Well then, get out so I can actually focus without you distracting me with your hot physique!” I snapped.

He paused, a sly smile creeping across his face. “Did you just say I’m hot?”

“What?! No! It must have been a slip of the tongue! You don’t look hot to me at all,” I stammered, suddenly feeling my cheeks burn.

He raised an eyebrow. “I might not look hot to you, but I’ve had a thousand ladies tell me otherwise.”

“Well... they clearly don’t know the difference between hot and ugly,” I muttered, turning my back on him. “Now get out and leave me in peace! I’m getting five extra minutes for dealing with you!”

I heard him chuckle as he left, but I didn’t care. I was going to finish this— even if it killed me.

Two hours later, I finally finished the files. I didn’t just take five extra minutes; I spent an extra two hours on the damn things. Mr. Adrian was going to have a field day with this.

I walked into his office, files in hand, ready to take whatever verbal beating was coming my way.

“I’m done, boss. Sorry it took so long,” I said, dumping the files onto his desk.

He barely looked up from his computer. “Well, Brianna, you took so long that the files aren’t even needed anymore. Just throw them in the trash.”

I stared at him, incredulous. “Are you serious? You want me to throw away four hours of my work?”

He looked up, giving me a flat expression. “Yep. It’s not needed anymore. Throw it out.”

I couldn’t believe it. The nerve! I felt like strangling him, but I held back— for now.