Chapter 12 - The Midnight Offer
|
Elena stared at me, her brown eyes widening in complete shock.
"Mr. Mercer..." she stammered, her voice shaking. "You... you don't even know me. You don't have to do this out of charity."
"This isn't charity, Elena," I said, my voice filled with unshakeable certainty. "This is business. I just realized that my multi-million-dollar board of directors was filled with blind fools, while the sharpest financial mind in this building was pushing a mop in the courtyard."
She looked down at her hands, then back at my face, tears glittering in her eyes.
"The starting salary for an executive officer at Mercer Dynamics is three hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year, plus full stock options," I added softly. "Your daughter's tuition will never be a problem again."
Elena pressed a trembling hand to her mouth, a soft sob escaping her lips. "I... I don't know what to say."
"Say yes," Maya said, stepping through the courtyard doors with a warm, beaming smile. "Because my brother won't take no for an answer, and frankly, our company desperately needs you."
Elena wiped a tear from her cheek and smiled—a real, brilliant, beautiful smile. "Yes. Yes, Mr. Mercer. I accept."
I reached out and shook her hand firmly. "Call me Ethan, Elena. We start at eight in the morning."
My phone chimed in my pocket. I pulled it out and looked at the screen.
It was a text message from Brooke.
Ethan, please answer me. I’m waiting outside near your car. We need to talk about us. I made a terrible mistake.
May you like
I looked at the message for three seconds, feeling absolutely nothing.
I blocked her number, deleted the contact, and slipped the phone back into my pocket.
