CHAPTER 4 : SHE WENT TO HIS OFFICE
1341 Words
Madeline couldn’t shake the feeling of despair. The $8,000 surgery cost was far beyond her means, and she had only just started working at the company. For a whole week, she kept her frustrations bottled up, pretending everything was fine, but the reality of her situation was overwhelming. Her grandmother’s life was on the line, and she didn’t know where to turn.
One afternoon, feeling desperate, Madeline decided to ask her colleagues for help. She approached a few of them, but each one claimed they didn’t have any money to spare. Some of them seemed sympathetic, but no one could offer her the financial support she needed.
Feeling defeated, she finally turned to her supervisor. She mustered up the courage to approach him and asked, “Please, I need your help. Could I have three months’ salary in advance? It’s for my mother’s surgery. I don’t know what else to do.”
Her supervisor’s expression remained unchanged, cold even. “That’s not possible. Company policy,” he replied, without any sign of concern for her situation. “We don’t make exceptions.”
Madeline’s heart sank. If no one was willing to help, what was she supposed to do? She was out of options. The pain in her chest grew heavier with each passing minute.
But then, an idea struck her—she had never seen the CEO in person. Perhaps if she went to him directly, he might understand her plight. After all, he was the one with the power to make a decision. She didn’t know how, but she knew that begging for money was her last resort.
With trembling hands, she made her way to the CEO’s office. Her mind raced with questions. What if he turns me away? What if he’s cruel like everyone else?
Madeline stood outside the CEO’s office, her palms sweaty as she hesitated before knocking. She had never been this nervous before. Everything in her told her to turn around, to forget about this, but what choice did she have?
Her grandmother’s life was at stake.
She swallowed hard and raised her hand. Knock.
“Come in,” a deep voice called from inside.
Madeline pushed the door open and stepped in cautiously. The moment her eyes landed on the man behind the desk, she froze.
She had expected an older man, perhaps in his fifties, with a receding hairline and a cold, calculating gaze. But instead, she found herself staring at a young man—tall, broad-shouldered, and devastatingly handsome. His dark eyes were sharp, his features strong and chiseled. He was the kind of man who could make any woman lose her breath.
But there was something else in his gaze. Something dangerous.
Before she could fully process what she was seeing, his expression shifted from mild surprise to pure fury.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded, his voice cold and sharp like a knife.
Madeline took a shaky step forward. “Sir, I—”
“Have you forgotten that this office is off-limits to everyone? he cut in angrily, rising to his feet. His presence was intimidating, his entire posture exuding power. “Did you come here to seduce me? Is that it?”
Madeline’s eyes widened in shock. “What? No! I—”
“Then GET OUT!” he thundered, slamming his hands on the desk.
His voice echoed through the room, making her flinch. But she had come too far to back down now. She needed this money, and she needed it desperately.
“Please, sir, just listen to me,” she pleaded.
“I don’t listen to people who break rules,” he snapped. “Get. Out.”
Madeline’s throat tightened, but she forced herself to speak before he could push her out.
“My grandmother is in the hospital,” she said quickly, her voice shaking. “She needs surgery. The doctors say it has to be done immediately, or I’ll lose her. I—I don’t have the money. I need $8,000, and I was hoping—”
She didn’t get to finish.
Williams let out a sharp, bitter laugh, his lips curling in disgust.
“$8,000?” he repeated mockingly. “And you can’t even provide that? Then why are you alive?”
Madeline felt like she had been slapped.
Williams walked around his desk and stopped in front of her, his dark eyes filled with nothing but contempt.
“If you need money so badly, then go find a job—any job.” His voice dropped lower, taunting. “Even if it means selling your body.” He leaned in slightly, his gaze raking over her in disdain. “That would suit you, wouldn’t it?”
Madeline took a step back, horror washing over her.
Prostitution?
That was what he thought of her?
Tears burned at the back of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
“I came here because I thought you would understand,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I thought you would help me.”
Williams’ jaw clenched. “I don’t have time to entertain your sob story.” With that, he strode toward the door, yanked it open, and pointed outside. “Now leave.”
Madeline didn’t move at first. She was too stunned, too humiliated. But the ice in Williams’ stare told her he wouldn’t hesitate to throw her out himself if she didn’t go.
Swallowing her pride, she turned and walked out, her heart shattering with every step she took.
Back in her office, Madeline collapsed into her chair, burying her face in her hands. She couldn’t hold back her tears anymore.
$8,000 was a huge amount, and she didn’t have any savings left. Every cent of her salary had been going toward her grandmother’s hospital bills, hoping that someday she would gather enough for the surgery.
But now…
The CEO—the man she had worked for tirelessly without ever seeing—had humiliated her, thrown her out like she was nothing.
His words echoed in her mind. Go find any job—even if it’s p**********n.
Was that really what he thought of her?
Her chest ached as she sobbed silently. What am I going to do now?
Meanwhile, back in his office, Williams leaned back in his chair, a smirk playing on his lips as he watched the surveillance footage of Madeline crying in her office.
His dark eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
He had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
“You took what was precious to me, Madeline,” he muttered under his breath, his fingers clenching into a fist. A storm of emotions swirled within him—anger, hatred, pain. “You stole my innocence… and now, I will take your happiness.”
His grip tightened on the armrest of his chair.
“I will make sure you suffer every single day until you have nothing left.”
The smirk on his lips widened into a cruel smile.
“This is just the beginning.”
Throughout the day, Madeline couldn’t concentrate. She tried to focus on her work, forcing a smile whenever her colleagues passed by, but her mind was elsewhere. The weight of her grandmother’s medical bill crushed her, making it impossible to think of anything else.
Her hands trembled as she typed on her computer, her vision blurring with unshed tears. No matter how hard she tried to push Williams’ cruel words out of her mind, they lingered like a sharp knife against her heart.
$8,000…
It was such a huge sum, and she had no one to turn to.
Or did she?
For the first time in years, she considered going back to her family.
It was a thought she had buried deep within her, a path she had sworn never to take. But now, with no other option in sight, she had to face the truth.
She needed help.
Even if it meant returning to the people who had turned their backs on her.
- Writer
