C5 Thrown into fire

ELARA

My official mail came in early that morning, as promised. My heart stuttered as I stared at the screen.

It felt too real—-my first day at Montgomery Industries.

I wondered how easy it was to land another job barely a month after leaving my previous job. No questions asked.

I stood up from the chair, feeling my guts twist into a tangled mess; I couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled in the pit of my stomach.

"Calm down, Elara. It's just a job, you have done this before," I whispered to myself, the words barely audible over my ragged breathing.

I should have been excited, but instead, anxiety clawed at my chest.

This job was supposed to be a fresh start, a distraction from the mess in my life. But what if I wasn't good enough? What if I messed up? What if—

I stopped in front of my closet, staring at the thousands of clothes I had before me, but none were good enough for me.

"What about this," Avery held out a navy blue floral dress. It was the perfect dress for going on a date.

I rolled my eyes, throwing the dress on the bed.

"No, I like something more professional, you know. Something that showed I was ready for my first day here," I said, pacing frantically as I tried to find the perfect dress.

"Oh my God, Elara, breathe. You are making my eyes roll with all the pacing," Avery snapped me out of my spiral. She held my arms, staring deep into my eyes.

She grabbed a paper bag, asking me to breathe into it if I could.

"I…am..breathing," I muttered.

"You're hyperventilating. Let it out,"

"I don't want to mess this up, babe. This is my lifeline, Avery. It is not business as usual, mum's post care bills are killing me, and with…"

"Shhhh," She placed her hands over my mouth.

"Listen, you need to stop overthinking. It's a job, not a death sentence."

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one starting over after—" I cut myself off. I didn't need to say his name. We both knew who I was talking about.

Avery's face softened. "Mason doesn't deserve a single thought in your head, babe. You're better off without him,"

I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced a smile. "I know. And that's why I need to do well. Starting with this job."

"Damn right." She tossed a pillow at me. "So, getting anxious won't help you, get dressed and go do your thing," she teased.

I laughed, my nerves settling just a little. Maybe she was right. I could do this. I finally resorted to the blue dress she had chosen earlier, pairing it with a black pair of heels.

Avery helped style my hair into tiny knots, letting a little strand fall at the front.

"You will do just fine, babe. I promise you, "She whispered into my ears as we stared at our reflection in the mirror. I merely nodded, dashing out of the house instantly.

********

The morning traffic was brutal; it was out just to get me. Every red light stop felt personal, and I was already running late when my car finally inched through the city streets. I pressed my horn at every car in my way, hoping for a miracle for traffic to give way.

"Stop honking like that!"A woman yelled from the bus. I hissed, feeling the pangs of frustration wash over me.

"Fuck!" My phone beeped to life, snapping me out of the crazy thoughts I was having.

Where are you, Elara? I need you in the office!

I blinked at the screen. What the hell? Who was texting me this early? I had an inkling that it was from my previous company. Or a prank? A mistake? I had no idea. And frankly, I didn't have time to care. I locked my phone and shoved it into my bag, determined to ignore the uneasy feeling creeping up my spine.

I had more problems.

When I arrived at Montgomery industries, I was almost an hour late.

I rushed through the sleek glass doors, heart pounding, only to be met with the one person I had dreaded.

Adrian Montgomery.

My new boss.

And from the way he was staring at me, I might as well have committed a federal crime. I prayed silently that he woke up on the right side of the bed as I walked up to him.

"Good morning…sir," I stuttered.

"You're late," he said coldly.

The sheer disgust in his tone made me wish the ground would open up and swallow me.

"I— I'm so sorry, Mr. Montgomery," I stammered. "There was traffic, and—"

"I don't care." His voice was sharp as a blade. "You were expected at 8:00 a.m. It is now 8:30."

I swallowed hard. "I understand. It won't happen again." I paused for a minute, staring at him in the face.

"What,"

"Did you by chance send me any text today," I asked, shoving my phone in his face.

"No," he snapped.

"Look, Adrian—"

"Mr. Montgomery," he sneered. I clenched my fists. If it were up to me, I would give him a deathly punch in the face.

"Mr. Montgomery, it won't happen again. I promise,"

He narrowed his dark eyes like he didn't believe me. "See that it doesn't."

I rolled my eyes, fighting back a response. I had already screwed up; arguing wasn't going to help.

Adrian exhaled sharply like he couldn't believe he had to deal with me. "Follow me."

I did as I was told, keeping my head down. He led me into a massive office—sleek, modern, and painfully intimidating.

"You'll be assisting me directly," he said, his tone clipped. "That means punctuality, efficiency, and competence."

He emphasized the last word like he doubted I possessed any of those qualities.

I forced a polite nod. "Understood."

He studied me for a moment, his gaze unreadable.

"What? You are doubting if I can do this?" I helped voice out his intrusive thoughts.

He then turned toward the towering stack of files on my desk, ignoring my question. "Start with those."

And just like that, my first day had officially begun.

I barely had time to settle down before shouting erupted from the hallway.

"What a nice first day," I whispered under my breath. Adrian and I tried our hardest to ignore the blaring voices, but they got louder every minute. "Won't you check out what is happening?" I asked, but his attention was focused on something else.

"What do you mean we need an appointment?" a deep voice boomed.

"You think because you're CEO now, you can ignore us?"

Adrian let out a long-suffering sigh. "You must be kidding me!" he muttered before striding toward the door. He seemed to know the people wreaking havoc.

I hesitated before following him. Three young men stood in the middle of the room, looking furious as they yelled at the calm receptionist. I instantly felt terrible for her. They had the same sharp features as Adrian—dark hair and cold expressions.

"The only person allowed to yell at any member of my staff is me, Leo. No one else!" Adrian thundered, and I felt a chill run down my spine for some weird reason.

"Oooh, the king is here, and—-" they focused on him.

"To what do I owe this visit, guys,"

The moment we stepped into the lobby, I knew this wasn't just some minor workplace dispute.

The oldest one, probably in his fifties, crossed his arms.

"We want to speak to you alone, Adrian. We are family,"

He scoffed, "If this is about what I think it is, no thank you. I have Montgomery under control by myself," Adrian's jaw tightened.

"You can't just waltz into my company demanding to see me, all in the name of family. If you want a meeting, schedule one!"

Another man scoffed. "Oh, really. Then I guess your mother would be pleased to hear this," the youngest shoved a paper in Adrian's face.

I froze at the shift in Adrian's expression. The confident, arrogant CEO was gone. For the first time, I saw something else—a flicker of something raw.

But it vanished just as quickly.

"Get out!" Adrian said, voice dangerously low.

"Not until we get what we came for."

Adrian stepped forward, his entire body radiating tension. "Don't test me, Ethan."

Ethan and Leo. Nice names.

And then, to my horror, Leo's gaze flicked to me.

"And who's this? he asked, smirking. "Your new secretary?"

I stiffened, but before I could respond, Adrian did.

"She's none of your damn concern."

His voice was sharp, final.

Something about how he said it—so firm and possessive—caught my breath.

Leo chuckled. "Interesting."

" Five minutes. You have five minutes," He told them, ordering them inside his office.