Married To The CEO I Can't Stand

Lizzie I finally sank into my chair, my hands were wrapped around the hot coffee cup. First real break in three hours. I exhaled slowly, staring at the surface of the coffee before I took a very slow sip. A smile creased on my lips as I relaxed back. Dray Holdings almost got me weak from work. Around me, the office moved the way it always did. Keyboards clicking and the sounds of chair squeaking, a printer churning out papers. It was subtle at first, before the uprising of chaos started from somewhere I couldn't trace. I stretched my head to see a group of my colleagues talking, suddenly, heads began to turn, whispers spreading from desk to desk. Priya rolled her chair from the next desk, her eyes wide. “Hey, have you heard what's going on?” I suddenly became interested and leaned closer. “No. What's going on?” “I'm not really sure but something's happening from the top floor. In fact, it started from the 6th floor up. Legal's been in and out of the marketing wing since….” Her voice trembled and she whispered. “I heard we would all be fired.” “What?” My brows raised. “I don't understand. What did we do?” The head of the marketing department, Daniel, walked in briskly. “Everyone please, we've all been summoned to the conference room. Right now!” His voice was rushed. A collective gasp erupted from the station and everyone stood up instantly. Feet shuffled as everyone began to scurry. My lips twisted, I haven't even had a second sip from my coffee. Priya dragged my hand. “Come on already. I'm scared, jeez.” “Okay, okay. I'm standing up already.” I smoothed my blazer before she pulled me alongside. By the time we had reached the executive floor, whispers and rumors had begun to circulate. Someone said a client had pulled out of a deal. Someone said the Dray company is at stake too. Priya held me tight, shaking like she caught a cold. “He's back.” “Who?” “Mr Dray.” She gasped. “He's the one who summoned us here. I think we are in trouble. He was supposed to go on leave for the second time.” I scratched my temple to think. Our CEO, Xavier Dray had never called for a meeting like this. Xavier barely acknowledges that any department exists. Since his wife died three months ago, he's been like a ghost rather than a boss. I also heard he was devastated to the point he cried in a board meeting. That's when he was asked to go for another leave to rest and clear his head. We filed into the glass–walled conference room, shuffling like kids assembling for school. He stood by the far end, in front of the floor to ceiling windows, staring like the judgement would be tough. Nobody dared say a word. Even the sound of breathing seized. I coughed despite the tension. Heads turned towards me but I whispered, “what?” Priya gestured for me to keep quiet. I rolled my eyes. After a while of making us stand, he turned, hands in his pocket and plopped down on the chair. “Which one of you did this?” His voice filled the silent room, he slid a tablet across the table. On the screen, our brand's latest campaign post, already screenshotted and reposted a few thousand times but with a wrong pricing slashed across the graphic, a post that was supposed to be for a completely different promotion. A mistake that had gone out under the company’s name to a million people. Everyone went silent, their mouth slightly opened at the costly mistake. He was waiting. A voice came from the back. “Well…Lizzie did the final review before posting.” Every head turned to me at once. “I—” My skin flushed as I dug my fingers into my blazer. “I reviewed it but the correct pricing update came an hour late. I wanted to report—” “I don't need the timeline.” His voice cut through mine, staring at me with a lifeless gaze. “I need to know who's responsible.” Daniel cleared his throat. “Everyone, you can head back to your desk. I'll handle the rest with Lizzie.” The room emptied out fast with Priya giving me a sympathetic look. As the door shut, it was just us three left. “Actually, you can go too, Daniel.” Xavier dismissed without looking at his face. “Oh.” Daniel hesitated before nodding and slipped out, leaving me alone. I hugged myself, feeling a bit nervous, I've never been here before. “Sit.” I obeyed. He set the tablet down and locked his bloodshot eyes on mine which gave me an unsteady feeling. I've never seen a CEO with disheveled hair. What the hell? Maybe I shouldn't judge. He changed since he lost his wife. “Explain yourself, Clumsy freak.” My eyes narrowed. How dare he? I took a slow breath. “The pricing team sent a last minute correction less than an hour before the scheduled post. I flagged the problem to Daniel but the post was on auto publish. It wasn't my fault. It's a communication gap between two departments.” He scoffed. “Communication gap? Do you understand what this costs us? Publicly and financially.” “I do.” “Then you understand why I have every reason to fire you.” I blinked. “With all due respect, sir…” I tilted my head back, trying to overcome anxiety. “Firing me wouldn't change anything and it won't stop the repost circulating. What would help is a public correction issued now and a review of the approval pipeline so this doesn't happen with the next campaign either.” His brow lifted and he sat up abruptly, that was the first real reaction he'd made since he summoned us. His expression changed. “You have a lot to say, right? After you made our company trend for the wrong reason.” I shook my head. “Actually, sir. I have a lot to say because I want to fix it, instead of just standing and apologizing for something that wasn't totally my fault.” I almost gasped for air. “You think you're clever?” His tone sharpened. “I think I'm right.” The words came out before I could soften them. “Sir.” My voice dropped. “Are you challenging me?” His jaw clenched. “No, I—” “Are you talking back at me now?” I closed my mouth and looked away. I could still feel his eyes on me for a long while. “You have two hours. Fix it, if the correction isn't clean and the story is still trending, say goodbye to Dray holdings.” I felt a quiver in my stomach. Just two hours. If I lose this job, it's over for me and my family. Especially with the bills that have to be paid. I worked hard to get here, I can't afford to lose it. “Understood.” I nodded and left towards the door. “Hey, you.” He stopped me. I turned. “Come back here when you're done, you may leave.” I opened the door and walked out of the room. By the time I was out, a deep breath escaped my lips. I went to my desk and continued working when Priya hovered by my chair. “Lizzie, gosh. What did he do to you? I was scared.” Her brows fell. I chuckled. “He wants me to correct the mistake in two hours, else, I'll be fired.” She covered her mouth. “Oh, no.” “Don't worry, I got this.” I didn't have time to entertain distractions. I couldn't afford to lose a job that meant everything to me. By the time I had sent the correction live, the sun went down. Everyone had already packed up to leave. I was left alone, Priya had to hurry out for an important event. When I was done, I walked back to his office. I knocked and pushed the door open. His assistant sat across from him. “I'm done, sir.” He slouched back to his chair and tapped the remote. The correction post flashed on the big screen. He watched it for seconds and shrugged. I released a sigh of relief. “So, I'm safe, right?” “Don't congratulate yourself yet. By tomorrow, I'll decide if you're getting fired or not.”