1
Adrian Wright didn’t look up from the quarterly reports spread across his desk.
The morning sun spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows of his office, casting a glow over the sleek black furniture. Dressed in a tailored black suit and a fitted black shirt, the top button left undone, he looked immaculate without appearing as though he’d made an effort.
A soft knock sounded.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Margaret Ellis stepped inside.
She had worked as his executive assistant for nearly three years. Long enough to know his routines. Long enough to know he wouldn’t look at her until she spoke.
She walked to his desk and placed a cream-colored envelope in front of him.
Only then did Adrian lift his eyes.
“What’s this?”
“My resignation.”
Silence.
His gaze dropped to the envelope before returning to her face.
“Why?”
Margaret let out a slow breath.
“I can’t do this anymore.”
He leaned back in his chair.
“Elaborate.”
She almost laughed.
“I haven’t had dinner with my family before eight in months. I missed my son’s school play because you scheduled a meeting at the last minute. Last week, you called me at two in the morning because you couldn’t find a file that was exactly where I’d told you it would be.”
She shook her head.
“I’ve given everything I can to this job.”
Adrian studied her for a long moment.
“Are you certain?”
“I’ve never been more certain.”
Another silence settled between them.
Finally, he gave a single nod.
“Very well.”
Margaret blinked.
“That’s… it?”
“You’ve made your decision.”
She had expected an argument.
Instead, he picked up the envelope, set it neatly beside his laptop, and reached for the next document in the stack.
“You’ve got four weeks to train your replacement.”
Margaret closed the office door behind her and stood still for a moment.
Then she exhaled.
A long, shaky breath she felt she’d been holding for weeks.
She had rehearsed that conversation countless times, expecting raised voices, impossible negotiations, or, at the very least, another attempt to convince her to stay.
Instead…
He had simply accepted it.
A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
“Thank God,” she whispered to herself.
She pressed a hand against her chest, waiting for her heartbeat to settle before making her way across the executive floor.
A few curious heads lifted as she walked past.
No one asked questions.
Not yet.
Everyone had seen the envelope.
Everyone knew.
The Human Resources department occupied the floor below. Margaret stepped out of the elevator and headed straight for the HR Director’s office.
A gentle knock.
“Come in.”
Claire Bennett looked up from her computer.
Margaret smiled apologetically as she took a seat.
“I finally did it.”
Claire blinked.
“…You resigned?”
Margaret nodded.
“I handed him my notice this morning.”
Claire stared at her for a second before letting out a disbelieving laugh.
“I honestly thought you’d retire before leaving that man.”
“So did I.”
The two women shared a laugh.
Claire leaned forward.
“How did he take it?”
Margaret thought about Adrian’s expressionless face.
“He asked if I was certain.”
“And?”
“I said yes.”
“That was it?”
“That was it.”
Claire shook her head.
“I don’t know whether to be impressed or concerned.”
Margaret smiled.
“Both.”
The smile faded after a moment.
“We’re going to need to find him a replacement.”
Claire sighed.
“That’s easier said than done.”
“You still have my job advertisement?”
Claire gave her a look.
“I’ve never taken it down.”
Margaret couldn’t even argue with that.
Finding an executive assistant willing to work for Adrian Wright had become one of the department’s greatest challenges.
Someone always applied.
No one ever stayed.
…
Back upstairs, Adrian had already moved on to the next report.
Margaret’s resignation sat neatly beside his laptop, untouched.
He wasn’t surprised she’d left.
He was only surprised she’d lasted nearly three years.
Competent people were difficult to find.
Competent people willing to work for him were even rarer.
He closed one file and opened another.
Claire would send candidates.
She always did.
All he required was one person capable of keeping up.
Surely that wasn’t too much to ask.
