Abuse of power
In an unusual silence, Shawn found himself without words.
“Why hide it from me? Why reveal it now?” He questioned.
Jennifer’s expression dropped as she murmured sadly. “I’m sorry, Sunshine.”
“But you have to do this. Marry Yvonne. It was your father’s dying wish-a commitment to the Davis family. We owe it to his memory.”
Despite this, Shawn remained resolute, stating, “I don’t care. I’m already married.”
With that, he marched out of the room.
Jennifer slumped into the chair, feeling helpless. Now torn between her late husband and her living son, she wondered what course of action to take.
Exiting his mother’s bedroom, Shawn made a beeline for his study. Settling into his chair, he lit a cigarette, inhaling long puffs. The revelation of a contract existing since before his birth fueled his anger-how could he have been left completely unaware until now.
What fueled his anger further was the realization that his father had scripted his future before his very birth.
Was the weight of Beats Corporations not ample? Did they seek to deprive him of any semblance of joy?
After losing his father at a young age, Old Master Mandez immersed Shawn in strict business training, and he soon passed him the CEO role as soon as he came of age.
Bitterness clung to Shawn. However, one thing was certain. Even in the face of adversity, he would never abandon Mia, no matter the circumstances.
Lost in deep thoughts, his phone chimed. Retrieving it from the desk, he read the ominous message from an anonymous sender: “Enjoy while it lasts. Coming for both of them soon.”
Shawn’s eyes narrowed instantly. He required no confirmation to recognize that the sender was the mastermind behind his mother’s accident.
The ominous mention of ‘both of them’ made it clear-the threat extended to both his mother and his wife. For the first time in a long while, anxiety gripped the CEO.
Taking a deep breath, he extinguished his cigarette and headed directly to his room. Slipping into bed, he embraced his wife, planting a protective kiss on her hair. Nothing would ever separate them. Absolutely nothing.
__________
Days later, B. Y TV.
“Hello, Ma’am.” Mia greeted with a smile, bobbing politely to the woman seated behind the desk. However, her courtesy was met with complete silence.
Having recently resumed working on Charlotte George’s floor, Mia’s attempt to engage was always met with a stern command.
Without lifting her gaze from the computer, Charlotte pointed to a sizable stack of sheets on her desk.
“Go and arrange those scripts. There are fifty-two of them, all mixed up. Sort everything out. Today.” She ordered.
Mia blinked at the daunting pile. “Alright.” Despite the challenge, she gathered the scripts and exited the woman’s main office, making her way to the small space assigned to her.
Observing Mia’s departure, Charlotte wore a sneer at the corner of her mouth. Truth be told, there was no practical need for those scripts; she simply aimed to keep Mia working tirelessly.
Her heart couldn’t bear witnessing the girl’s happiness, especially after seeing her with Damien the other night. She would regret choosing her as her mentor.
Mia toiled until nightfall, her new boss denying her any breathing space. From scripting to editing, following Charlotte incessantly, and catering to her every need, this routine defined Mia’s daily life under the demanding woman.
Despite the relentless workload, Mia perceived it as part of Charlotte’s rigorous training for her benefit.
As closing hours approached, Martha sought out her best friend. Upon witnessing the overwhelming workload, she was left speechless-Charlotte was once again subjecting Mia to overtime.
Initially, Martha thought Mia working for Charlotte George would be a breeze, expecting that Charlotte wouldn’t burden her too much, which made her envious.
However, witnessing Mia working overtime daily brought joy to Martha’s heart, Christian was easygoing in stark contrast. He barely made her do anything.
“Mia, let’s go home… you can continue tomorrow,” Martha expressed her concern for her friend.
However, Mia, focused on arranging scripts, didn’t divert her gaze. “Martha, go ahead first, okay? I can’t leave without finishing these…”
She pouted, suggesting, “Will you switch with me? Working with Christian isn’t as demanding.”
“Huh? No. No, no. I’m okay. Sincerely. I’ll be done soon,” Mia chuckled.
‘Soon, indeed, with all of these…’ Martha eyed the towering pile of scripts.
“Well, if you say so. Don’t overwork yourself, okay? I’ll leave first then, bye.” She smiled, turning to depart.
However, a flicker in Mia’s eyes prompted her to call out, “Um, Martha.”
Martha turned.
She hesitated before asking, “When you were moving out of the room in the school dormitory, did you happen to see any… file?” She fixed Martha with a searching gaze.
Martha was momentarily taken aback. “File? What file? I didn’t see any file.”
“Oh.” Mia’s expression dropped.
“Hmm, can you describe what’s in the file? Maybe I can…” Martha’s voice trailed off.
“Ah, no. It’s nothing. Never mind.” She waved her hand and resumed her task.
Observing Mia skeptically for a moment, Martha eventually turned and made her way out, grinning.
Over the past few days, she had wondered if CEO Shawn didn’t see the picture she had sent him… and felt quite disappointed.
However, Mia’s inquiry about the divorce files suggested that the CEO had likely seen the pictures, leading him to deduce Mia’s alleged infidelity. This might have prompted him to revisit the idea of divorce and inquire if Mia had signed the papers.
Martha beamed with pride as she clicked on the elevator button, convinced that her efforts were yielding results.
As the elevator doors opened, Veronica stepped out. Martha’s smug smile vanished instantly. Caught off guard, she stuttered, “Hu-hu-Vee, hi.”
Veronica eyed her, managing a small smile, “Hi.”
“What are you doing here?” This was Charlotte George’s floor, and Veronica, not assigned to this floor, was naturally not expected to be there.
“I’m here to see my friend,” Veronica responded.
“Ohhh, alright then.” Martha nodded. “Goodnight.”
She stepped into the elevator.
“Night.” Veronica turned and headed her way, rolling her eyes.
Ever since she became aware that Martha had lied about her situation with Mia and Max, Veronica viewed her differently.
“Did that sly girl just leave here now?” Veronica’s face scrunched up as she reached Mia’s desk.
Mia’s eyes lit up upon seeing her, and she smiled, “She’s not sly, Vee. She’s my best friend.”
She couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Are you actually dumb? Or are you just pretending not to know?”
“Know what?”
“Eish, never mind.”
Following that night’s confrontation, Veronica had found a way to apologize to Mia for everything she did to her. Since then, the two had grown extremely close.
Deep down, Mia found spending time with Veronica more enjoyable than with Martha. However, Martha remained her best friend, so…
Noticing the substantial workload Mia still had, Veronica couldn’t help but scoff, “When are you going to be done with all this work? How does she expect you to finish everything in a day?”
Every day, since they were assigned to different mentors, once closing hours approached, Veronica would seek out Mia. However, Mia was always consistently working overtime.
Every single day, Mia was the only intern subjected to this, and Veronica couldn’t help but be annoyed.
“It’s alright.”
“No, it’s not! That’s the thing with you-even when you’re uncomfortable with something, you never complain.”
Mia let out a small smile, heaving a weary sigh. Actually, she found solace in having a plethora of work to do. It helped keep her mind off personal issues. Besides, if she worked overtime, she wouldn’t have to go home…
“All you say is ‘alright.’ She’s abusing you. No wonder Uncle Damien broke up with her-I used to think she was a sweet person… I’ll call Uncle Shawn.” Veronica swiftly brought out her phone.
“What? No!” Mia hastily snatched the phone from her hand.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.
“Why? He needs to know that his wife’s boss is giving her a hard time at work.”
“Lower your voice; someone will hear you.”
However, it was already too late.
“What did you just say?” A voice sounded from the side.
The girls turned in the direction of the voice, and upon seeing its speaker, they froze.