The Mistaken Bride

Julia’s point of view My eyes were hot after working on the computer screen for hours. This was my first project at blackwood organization, and I needed it to be good. My son, Maya, was very sick, and I depended on my job to pay his hospital bills. Julia, I heard my boss, Winston Johnson, shouting my name like the world was ending. His voice was bold and aggressive, as if I had stolen something precious from him. He wasn’t even trying to be professional. He could have sent his assistant to call me, but no—he had to shout like a madman. Hearing his footsteps approaching, I quickly rushed to his office. When I got there, he didn’t even look up. He simply pointed at a file sitting on the desk next to him. "Bring me that file," he said coldly. I looked at him for a moment, feeling a hit of hatred. I had lots of things to say to him about this particular action. He just pulled out but knew I couldn’t say anything. I swallowed it all and picked up the file, and handed it to him. "You can go," he said, pointing at the door as if my presence irritated him. I left his office feeling small and unimportant. The encounters I had with him kept flashing at my face as I sat back at my desk, trying to focus. But I couldn’t stop thinking about Maya and his health conditions, which were getting worse by the day. Every time I think about him and the pain goes through, I feel sorry for him. With a glance at my screen for the last time, I took a breath. "I think I’m done," I said to myself. I saved the report and started packing my things to leave for the day. Just as I was about to pick up my bag, a voice interrupted my thoughts. "Mrs. Julia," a bold voice from behind me. "You’re doing it all wrong." And immediately my heart skipped. I knew who it was before turning around. Winston Johnson. The CEO of Johnson company. Everyone in the office knew him. He was powerful, successful, and intimidating. He made people nervous just by walking around the office. I slowly turned in my chair, trying to keep calm. "Excuse me?" I asked, my voice bold, but I was still unsure of his reason for coming to my office. Winston was standing behind me before I could turn my gaze towards his. "This report," he said, pointing at my screen. "It’s all wrong." You missed some important information, and this part," he said, tapping on my report, "is completely off." My face turned red immediately. I had spent hours working on this report, checking and rechecking everything. And now he was telling me it was wrong? How could he say that? “I… I didn’t miss anything," I stammered, trying to stay calm. I quickly rechecked everything. I’m sure it’s right. Winston didn’t look convinced. "You should double-check before sending it to me," he said, his voice sounding with anger. "You’re working for millions of dollars, If you can’t get this right, what’s the point of hiring you?" I could feel my frustration from inside. I had done my best. And I am very sure there is no fault in the report. "I'll work on it again," I said quietly, trying to ignore the hashed words coming out of his mouth. I quickly started fixing the numbers, even though I knew I had done everything right. Winston didn’t move away. He just stood there, watching me like a teacher waiting for a student to make a mistake. I could feel his gaze all over me. "Julia," he said again, his voice cold. "I don’t have all day, get this ready in the next 15 minutes," he said. I was used to working under pressure, but this was different. Winston wasn’t just critiquing my work; he was making me feel like a failure. It felt unfair. "I’ll fix it," I repeated, holding the mouse tightly to ease my frustration that was about to boil over. Finally, after what felt like hours, I finished making the changes and handed the report to him. Winston quickly looked over it, his eyes scanning it for any mistakes. When he was done, he didn’t say anything right away. "You got it right this time," Winston said, his voice hash. "But you need to understand something, Julia." In this company, there’s no room for mistakes. If you can't work under pressure, you get your stupid self out of this organization. I felt my heart skip. I was doing my best, but it can never be good enough for him. I just felt like holding his neck and telling him straight in the face everything I was going through, about my child's illness and how hard it was to keep up with everything. But I couldn't. I had to keep it together, no matter how hard it was. Winston looked at me for the last time, as if he was studying me, before turning and walking away. "I expect better next time," he said, his tone like he was giving a command. I sat and watched him walk out of my office. I was still holding the edge of my desk, I hit my hands against the desk in frustration. His words kept ringing in my head. "No room for mistakes." I felt like I was dying in silence over everything—my job, my son’s illness, the pressure from my boss. I closed my eyes for a while, trying to calm myself. "Focus," I said to myself. "You can do this." For maya." But even as I tried to focus, I couldn’t help but feel things were only going to get harder. Winston Johnson wasn’t just going to stay out of my life. He was going to keep pushing me into resigning.