Chapter 4 - The Ultimatum
Monday morning brought a seismic shift to the fiftieth floor of Sterling Enterprises.
When Elena arrived at 7:45 AM, her desk outside Julian’s office was completely cleared off, her computer disconnected.
Panic surged through her chest; her father’s medical bills were due Friday, and Leo’s tuition installment was already pending in her account.
She marched straight into Julian’s office without knocking, her armor slipping as real terror gripped her throat.
“Did you fire me?” she demanded, standing before his massive mahogany desk with her hands clenched into fists at her sides.
Julian looked up from his tablet, entirely unbothered by her sudden breach of protocol, a faint gleam of amusement in his midnight-blue eyes.
“I don't fire geniuses, Ms. Vance,” he said smoothly, standing up and walking around the desk to hand her a leather-bound folder.
Elena opened it with trembling fingers, her eyes widening as she read the legal document inside.
It was an executive contract promoting her to Director of Strategic Acquisitions, complete with a corner office on the fifty-second floor.
She looked at the compensation line, and her breath completely left her lungs; the salary was five times what she made as an assistant, with a guaranteed performance bonus.
“I can't accept this,” she whispered, looking up at him with wide, frightened eyes. “The board will think... they will say...”
“Let them say whatever they want,” Julian interrupted, stepping close enough that she could smell his cedarwood and bergamot cologne.
“You earned this promotion by saving this company forty million dollars on Kensington and closing Dubai in seventy-two hours,” he said firmly.
He reached out and closed the folder in her hands, his hands covering hers with a steady, reassuring pressure.
“There is an annual charity gala for the Manhattan financial sector this Saturday night,” Julian said, his tone shifting from professional to personal.
“You are attending as my Director of Acquisitions, and you are attending as my date.”
May you like
“Mr. Sterling—”
“Julian,” he corrected her softly, his thumb tracing the back of her hand. “In the boardroom, I am your CEO. On Saturday night, I want to see the woman behind the armor.”
