The 21st Time He Forgot to Bring Me a Gift

Chapter 3

"I didn't know which one was..." Her eyes reddened. "I'm sorry. I really didn't know this would happen. I'll pay for it. I'll cover the loss on the project!"

She cried as though she were the one who'd been terribly wronged.

Nolan rushed over after hearing what had happened and pulled Elise behind him, shielding her.

"Enough! Why are you standing here yelling at a new hire?"

My fingertips went cold.

"She ruined 6 months of work we'd put in for this company."

He frowned.

"I thought the presentation was just a formality. I didn't expect anything to actually go wrong."

"What do you mean?"

Nolan was silent for a moment.

"This is such an important project, and you've been under too much pressure. I only asked Ellie to back up your proposal in case your nerves made you mess something up. She's new. It's normal for her to make a mistake with the computer. Why can't you cut her some slack?"

"You want me to let it go, even if it costs us the project and damages the company's reputation?"

He sighed.

"It's already happened. What good will holding her responsible do? She just graduated. Her career is only getting started. Having a disciplinary action this serious on her record could ruin her career."

I closed my eyes for a moment.

"So I just have to clean up her mess?"

His voice softened.

"This was an accident. I'll explain it to the client. You've been here for so long, and everyone knows how capable you are. They won't write you off over one mistake. Help her this once and take the blame. I'm only asking you to do it this one time."

'But he's made me back down 21 times in the past 3 months. I'm always the one who has to give in, and every time, he promises it'll be the last.'

I went back to my office.

The client had already sent someone to discuss the situation and demand a different project lead.

Just then, a notice appeared in HR's work channel.

HR: Change of leadership for the Crestmont project. Effective immediately, Elise will take over as project lead.

A string of acknowledgments appeared below it.

At that very moment, Nolan messaged me.

Nolan: Ellie's terrified. She's been crying all afternoon. I've put her in charge of the project so she can learn on the job. It'll also give her a chance to make up for what happened. She's young, and this is the first time she's made such a serious mistake. Don't be so cold to her. Give her some guidance.

I stared at those lines, then suddenly laughed out loud.

Then I got a call from Operations.

"Ms. Merritt, Mr. Voss says you've been under a lot of pressure lately and should take a few days off. Also, Elise's project team needs more space. You'll need to clear out your office as soon as possible."

I hung up. Another message arrived from the head of the new studio.

Studio Head: I'm sorry to bother you again, Ms. Merritt, but we really can't leave the chief designer position open any longer. All our partners are very impressed with your resume. If you can start tomorrow, we'll increase the compensation package we last discussed by another 20%.

I typed my reply.

Tessa: That works for me.