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Love Doesn’t Conquer Money part 2

“Wait… you’re saying…” I looked at the large stack of paper, this must have been every issue made since the founding of the company! That’s an insane amount of work to dump onto anyone.

“Can you do it or not? I’m not going to waste my time with someone that can’t even do something so simple.” Edward added in a very annoyed sounding voice.

“There’s no way this is simple!” I argued. “Isn’t it going to affect the rest of my work load if I have to-” I was interrupted.

“So you want to work here without even knowing the basics? How does it feel to get in due to your family’s connections?” Another voice was heard from behind me, it was a grading and annoying voice that I knew far too well… only I hadn’t expected for him to be here.

“Cameron…” I turned back to look at the man. He was my ex boyfriend in my previous company.

“I see you remember me at least, baby…” Cameron remarked while staring daggers into me, I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of winning….

So I had to accept the job…

“This much work is nothing. I’ll be done in a week!” I said while sitting down at my desk.

“Is that so?” Edward asked while tilting his head to the side.

“Of course, who wouldn’t be able to do it in that much time?!” I remarked as I pulled the very top of the stack and I felt the entire thing would collapse under it’s own weight.

“You heard that everyone? She’s going to do it, so you best beware or the newbie just might take your job.” Edward’s words annoyed me all the more as I tried to focus on my work. Meanwhile Cameron struggled his shoulders and headed out of the department.

So he works here I guess…

“Hey… who was that?” Another one of my co-workers in the magazine department, a woman visibly in her early thirties asked.

“My… ex…” I admitted and she pulled back like she heard the hottest gossip ever.

“You dated the sales’s department’s top dog?!” She asked me in such bewilderment I could tell Cameron had a serious reputation in the company.

“It was about two years ago, it’s not a big deal.” I remarked trying to make her drop the subject.

“Enough talking.” Edward interrupted as he tapped the top of my head with another stack of papers. “If you have the time to chat then you can start work on this.”

“What? But you already gave me an assignment?!” I asked him while standing up.

“Does that excuse you of your regular duties? It’s extra work to get you up to speed, you still have to perform your daily tasks. That’s obvious.” Edward spoke coldly.

“Just how is that obvious?!” I questioned back as I sat down and the co-worker next to me tapped my shoulder and reassured me.

“Edward is strict with everyone, that’s just how he is. I’ll help you out alright?” She suggested, honestly at that moment I felt like I had seen wings grown on her back and an angel’s light shining from behind her. She was the only kind colleague I knew there.

That day at work was only the beginning of my troubles…

Chapter 3: Only If

***

I’ve never thought of myself as a pessimist before… but I’m not optimistic either… maybe a realist would be the closest thing to it really… but…

“You should go through this as well…” Edward remarked as he dumped yet another load of work on me. It’s been two weeks of constant work. It’s gotten to the point where I’ve been sleeping for only 4 hours a day and taking much of the extra work home so I can keep up.

“Fine leave it there…” I tiredly said as I continued reading through old magazine issues. It would have been incredibly easy if I only had to read them, however I had to see the corrections that Edward had personally made and I had to write down why I thought they were necessary.

I’ve went through over two hundred magazines and it seems like it’s never ending since I have to do my regular duties as well… it’s almost as if…

“You alright?” Claire asked me as she touched my cheek. She’s the kind older co-worker that’s taken a liking to me and makes sure I’m okay.

“Ah, of course, I just need to go and get a coffee and I’ll be even better.” I said with an apologetic look on my face and headed towards the break room for my fifteen minutes of alone time… but to my horror there was a person I hated there as well…

“Oh, so little miss riding her father’s coattails is here. What a surprise are you aiming to get me fired from this company as well?” Cameron asked while glaring at me although his lips were smiling, his eyes were sharp.

“Give it a break will you?” I said while heading to the coffee machine and making one for myself.

“I don’t understand how you get to be so lucky, you can just go around and do whatever you want and not have to face any consequences for your actions. I hate that about you.” Cameron continued to bark at me like an annoying Chihuahua but I ignored him while sipping on my coffee.

“Ah, I see, so you came here because your previous co-workers hated you, right? But let me tell you something, if you dare spread rumors about me here, I will make sure they know exactly what kind of a stupid b***h you are-” I couldn’t really stand him any longer as he continued yapping away, I interrupted him.

“Are you done yet? Cameron, you didn’t even cross my mind up until I saw you two weeks ago. It’s been literal years since we broke up, just quit with it. I don’t care enough about you to badmouth you.” I yelled out loud which might have been a mistake since my boss the chief of the editing department just had to enter at that very moment.

“Quit your yelling!” Edward said as he made a very tired expression and headed for the coffee machine.

“So Edward, how is she doing here?” Cameron asked him, he seemed to gleam at the opportunity to hear about how bad I’m doing.

Go ahead Edward, tell him how useless you think I am and how I can’t do anything right…

“She’s doing a splendid job, completing tasks faster than anyone I’ve trained before.” Suddenly though instead of saying cruel things as I expected him to, Edward ended up praising me?

I’d never heard that man speak a single nice thing since coming here so why now?

“That… you can’t be serious, I heard you yelling about how incompetent she was just the other day!” Cameron argued, of course he wouldn’t let this go so easily.

“That’s only because I expect more of her, I don’t need anyone that does a mediocre job here, she goes above and beyond. That’s why I push her.” Edward suddenly walked past me and petted me on top of my head. “You do good work, so keep it up.” He said in a low voice.

Maybe it was because of how flustered I was but at that moment I was blushing, and the feeling of his large hand on top of my head was somehow difficult to shake off…

“That prick never praises people, what did you do to earn that much?” Cameron questioned me instantly, as soon as Edward was out of the break room this man was on my ass. “Did you give him a blow job in the bathrooms that he speaks so fondly of you? It is the only thing you’re good at anyways.” Cameron was so angered with me, he looked like a cartoon villain that had steam escaping his ears and mouth.

“Ha… if only you were as good at your work as you were in imagining s**t then you might get promoted, Mr top of the sales department that’s still on the same salary he had on day 1.” I finally retorted back, I’d overheard various gossip from Claire about him, so I knew this would hurt his pride.

“You b***h…” Cameron headed out of the break room. I thought I had a moment to finally enjoy my coffee without the bitterness of the people around me but by that time my fifteen minutes had already run out and I headed back to my desk.

After working for the next 5 hours, I was one of the only people left on the floor along with Edward who I had to admit was really serious about his work…

“Hey…” I called out to him as he stood by the vending machine downstairs.

“Is that how you speak to your boss? Hey?” Edward glanced at me as he handed me a can of black coffee.

“Oh, here…” I tried to pay him back but he refused the money.

“So? What did you want to say?” Edward asked as he stood there downing his drink.

I didn’t know what else to say but… “Thank you for saying that in front of him… I… really owe you one.” I admitted.

“Fine then, accompany me tonight.” Edward said as he headed back upstairs.

“Huh? To what?” I asked while walking after him.

“I need to make a visit tonight but I need to bring a woman with me. Just play along with it, alright?” Edward spoke as if he was asking me but I knew this was a favor so I didn’t have a choice.

I wondered what it was all about but somehow the expression on his face told me not to question him…

That night he drove me to the hospital with him. He very quietly nodded at one of the nurses and the woman at the reception, it seemed like he went there regularly as everyone knew him at a glance.

He took me up to the top floor where there was an elderly woman laying on a hospital bed. She barely managed to open her eyes to greet us. “My hello! So this is the lovely girlfriend of yours… it’s a pleasure to meet you dear.” She spoke in a low manner but I could tell she was hurting just to speak.

“Yes, hello…” I replied, so I was pretending to be my boss’s girlfriend because his mother was ill and he’d lied to her about dating.

“How are you feeling mom?” Edward asked her and at that moment I felt like I saw a completely different side to this man. He was much calmer, much softer and he even smiled! I was so surprised as I watched him, somewhat enthralled by the complete 180 his personality had taken a turn to. He was… honestly looking really kind but I couldn’t describe it at all…

It was like I was looking at an entirely different person more so than my boss that had been yelling at me for the past two weeks.

“Dear please go and get me a drink from the vending machine, a tea would do…” His mother asked him and Edward quickly headed downstairs without batting an eye.

“Could you come closer.” The woman asked me as I approached her dutifully.

“I think you have very sincere eyes… I like that about you…” She spoke to me softly with an air of comfort surrounding her. “That being said, if you hurt my son I will come to haunt you for the rest of eternity. If this hospital doesn’t kill me then you best believe I will be there to protect him.”

Eh? What happened to this kind old lady?

“I’m not sure what to-” I was interrupted.

“Don’t act all innocent you little one… I know what you’re thinking, he’s handsome and wealthy so you want to make him yours, I will tell you that if you don’t treat him well I will never forgive you.” This lady was insane… I’d started to wonder if she was in the hospital for a physical injury or a mental disorder.

“I… well…” I couldn’t even find the words to utter as Edward came back into the room soon after. They said their goodbyes and it seemed like the old lady put on her façade once more.

“Please bring her back sometime soon again if you can.” She spoke kindly towards me, so much so I’d began to wonder if what I’d seen before was just my imagination but surely it wasn’t…

“Thanks for coming here with me. Now we’re even.” Edward spoke to me in the car before I could say anything at all.

“No worries… As I said I owed you one…” I wasn’t going to bash his mother, not after seeing how concerned he was for her.

“She has a weak heart…” Edward admitted. “I’ve told her I have a partner as to not make her worry but the lie isn’t really believable if I don’t introduce her at all… so… sorry you had to go through that.”

“It’s fine…” I repeated once more, I found it odd how this man was.

“And about what I said today I did mean it that you’re work is good… though your attitude sucks.” Edward spoke in a monotone voice.

“……….” This man… just when I’d started to sympathize with him, he ends up pissing me off all over again…

END of Love Doesn't Counquer Money