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7

Suzanne returned to the office with the cup of coffee, but as she was about to place it on the desk, it slipped from her hands, causing a mess.

"Idiot!" she heard the woman shout. Suzanne took a step back, frightened. "Look what you've done, you've stained my dress! Do you have any idea how much this costs? I don't think you do; you'd have to save for more than a year to afford a piece like this. I don't know how Nathan could hire such an incompetent person like you!"

"It wasn't my intention, miss," she said with a tight throat, lowering her gaze.

"Nathan, you must fire this clumsy girl. I don't know how you hired her; just look at how mediocre she is," Valery said before storming out in a fury.

With each word, Suzanne felt like trash, but the worst was yet to come, as the documents were also ruined.

Now she was sure Nathan was going to fire her.

"Can't you do anything right? Damn it, you ruined these documents. I told you they were important! Now I have to redo them," he said furiously, though he didn't raise his voice, his words cutting her like sharp daggers.

"I'm sorry," she said, on the verge of tears, intimidated by the way he looked at her. Strong was the kind of man who could intimidate even the toughest person.

"Sorry doesn't fix things. You're incompetent. Now I have to postpone the business meeting with the Japanese. Do you know what that means? Do you?"

"No," she barely whispered, her eyes full of tears, using all her self-control not to cry in front of him.

"It means that for the first time in my life, I won't be able to close a deal on time, for the first time I'll let my clients down," he said in frustration, running his hands through his hair. "Now clean up this mess and get back to your desk."

He let out a sigh, saying the last part a bit more calmly.

"Yes, sir," she said, head down.

"I like to be looked in the eyes when spoken to, understood?"

"Yes, sir... Strong," she said, lifting her head.

He noticed how her eyes were teary. He had to admit he might have been a bit harsh, though he was still annoyed that she had rejected his proposal at first.

Did she have to remind him over and over again that she didn't want him around?

He looked at her surreptitiously, and she was sitting at her desk, staring at the computer. He took five folders in his hands and approached her.

"Here, you need to draft these by today.”

"But I already drafted those documents," she protested.

"I didn't ask if you already drafted them, I'm ordering you to do a job."

"But..."

"No buts. I'm the boss here, and if you don't like it, there's the door," he said relentlessly. "Also, call the Japanese clients. Tell them I can't attend our meeting because my incompetent assistant ruined the documents. Tell them I'll meet with them tomorrow. Can you do that without messing it up?"

"Yes, Mr. Strong."

"Good. So what are you waiting for? Get to work."

She clenched her fists at her sides, thinking that an agreement with a man like him, even for just a year, would be real and complete torture.

Determined, she went to her boss's office and lifted her chin with determination. Before he could start scolding her, she spoke.

"I will not accept your proposal for a fake marriage. You can do whatever you want with me," her face was red and her jaw trembled, her fists clenched at her sides.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, Mr. Strong!" Suzanne was beside herself, her nerves frayed by the coffee incident and that unpleasant woman.

Nathan raised both eyebrows, and for a few seconds, he couldn't believe his assistant's words. He hadn't expected something like this.

He smiled a bit cynically and then pressed his lips into a thin line, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Oh, Suzanne... wrong answer," he thought with a calculating and cold gaze.

He wasn't going to let her refuse his proposal, so he would have to use tricks to make her change her mind.

Just like her first day of work, it was eleven at night when Suzanne finished. She had no way to get home and would have to walk back this time.

For a moment, she thought her boss might behave like a decent person, but he was as frivolous and superficial as that woman who had visited him.

She knew she had made a mistake and deserved a scolding, but there were better ways to say things. Moreover, his "if you don't like it, there's the door" had hit her hard, making the lump in her throat grow larger.

"Damn bipolar," she thought angrily, taking her things to finally leave.

The other employees around her had looked at her with pity and even sympathy.

They all knew about the CEO's harsh temperament; he could barely keep an assistant for more than three months, and they thought she would be no exception.

Suzanne hurried down the lonely road to her house, a knot in her throat, praying she would get home safely.

She didn't notice that a car was following her closely until it was too late.

"Suzanne..."

"Ahhh!" she screamed, closing her eyes.

"Miss Peyton!"

That voice... she turned to look, and indeed, it was her bipolar boss, who was staring at her from his luxurious car with an eyebrow raised.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she shouted, letting surprise and anger take over. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Calm down, miss."

"Screw you, Mr. Strong!" she wanted so badly to tell him off, but she restrained herself.

"What are you doing out here at this hour, scaring women on the street?" She continued walking, ignoring the fact that he kept following her like a deranged stalker.

Perhaps the analogy wasn't so far off.

"Could you stop?" he asked calmly. "Get in the car, Suzanne."

"I'd rather walk, thanks."

"Get in the damn car!" he ordered, raising his voice, but she just turned to roll her eyes at him. "Suzanne..."

"Stop calling me that," she sighed, tired of the back-and-forth. "Go home, Mr. Strong."

The car pulled ahead and stopped, blocking her path. She suppressed the urge to scream at him like a madwoman, as he was still her boss after all.

"Do I have to repeat myself? Get in the car," he ordered impatiently, and she knew he wouldn't leave her alone unless she obeyed.

Reluctantly, she got into the luxurious car, crossing her arms in a defiant manner that brought a smile to Nathan's face.

They arrived at her house, and her boss still had the same expression.

"What's so funny?" she snapped.

"You," he replied shamelessly. "You look beautiful when you're angry, Suzanne."

She tried to ignore the shiver those simple words caused.

"Good night, Mr. Strong," she said without even looking at him. "Thanks for the ride."

She quickly got out of the car before he could make any move or say anything else.

He hit the steering wheel hard as he watched her enter her house, reproaching himself for how harsh he had been with her over a simple mistake.

It seemed that whatever progress they had made had been ruined in an instant.

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