Chapter 3 REMEMBER

Sally tried to steel her nerves. He was such a bully. "It was lunchtime," she replied. "I had to eat. I need strength to do my work, boss. Or do you not agree?"

"I know what happens at lunchtime, silly girl. You do not have to tell me about it," Edmund said.

Sally almost rolled her eyes, but she stopped herself, knowing he would see her. "How can I help you... boss?"

"Do you not know?" he asked sarcastically.

Sally smiled and looked around, discovering a larger pile of files stacked on her desk.

"Work on these files too," he instructed. "And you cannot leave the office until you're done. I do not care how long it takes you. All I know is that I must have them on my desk tomorrow. You cannot be lazy while you work here. My family worked hard to build this company, and no good-for-nothing will ruin it. Am I clear?"

Sally smiled, testing her patience. "Understood, sir."

He continued to smile at her, feeling like a child enjoying revenge on his enemy.

She frowned. "I will work faster if my boss leaves my chair and office right now. Or would you suggest, sir, that I work on the floor?"

Edmund realized he was still sitting in her chair and quickly rose to his feet. She was politely kicking him out.

"What a horrible temper," he said. "Note one thing: you cannot take the company files home. It is against our policy here." He moved past her and reached the door. As he opened it, he noticed the scent of her perfume; it was a tantalizing fragrance. He felt tempted to stay longer, but he stepped out and left.

Finally, Sally expressed what she had been holding in, "You evil... good-for-nothing boss! These files are too much. How am I supposed to finish this before closing time?" She jumped around, pulling at her hair in protest.

Edmund hadn't really left; he had paused outside her door, listening to her outburst. He smiled and chuckled at her protests before walking back to his office.

The secretary noticed everything and picked up her phone, dialing a number. "Jasmine, you need to know what just happened at the office."

There was a brief pause as she listened to the person on the other end. "It's about your boyfriend, Edmund. There's a new girl at work, and he's treating her differently. You have to come see for yourself."

Another pause followed before the secretary hung up the phone.

***

Sally arrived home at 9 p.m. Becky opened the door and greeted her exhausted friend. "My goodness, girl! You told me your job closes at 7 p.m. Why are you home by 9? Did you go somewhere I don't know about? Tell me!" Becky asked.

"It was work, girl; I am telling you the truth. I have the worst boss in the world. He gave me a huge number of files and said I could not leave until I finished them all," Sally replied.

"Your boss sure is mean! Did he stay with you in the office?" Becky asked.

"No. That cursed son of the devil left much earlier than everyone else. I hate him so much! I wanted a job for so long, and now that I have it, my boss bullies me!" Sally nearly cried.

Becky sat beside her and placed her hands on Sally's shoulders. "He is really a pain. You know what? I do not think you should let him bully you. He should not force you to work overtime. Is he paying you for it?"

"He did not say anything about paying me for overtime," Sally replied.

"Well, girl, you can't let him take advantage of you. If he wants you to work extra hours, then he needs to pay you for it. No more unpaid work when you are meant to be at home resting."

"I will do just that," Sally replied.

***

Edmund was sitting in his car while his driver took him home. He had been at the tower next to the office, observing Sally as she worked. He had given her extra files and forbidden her from leaving early, intending to punish her. He had instructed the security guards at the company to keep an eye on her, but despite this, he felt a pang of hurt watching her work long and hard.

Wanting to check if Sally was okay, he had rented a room at the hotel next to his workplace. The office Sally used had secret cameras installed, and he had watched her the entire time.

When everyone else had left for the day, Sally started playing some music and even altered the lyrics of some songs to curse him. Seeing her childish antics made him laugh. He anticipated thinking about her throughout the night and was prepared to give her an even bigger shock in the morning.

***

The next day, Sally arrived at the office and quickly arranged the files, getting ready to present them to her boss. She knocked on the door and heard a cold "Come in." Frowning, she thought, if that tone meant he was unhappy to see her, then she wanted him to know she was not pleased to see him either.

Upon entering his office, she tried to place the files on the table.

"No," he interrupted, stopping her. "Put the files on that shelf." He pointed to a nearby shelf, and Sally complied. As she turned to leave, he halted her again.

"Sally. Thank you. You have done a great job," he said.

Sally was taken aback. Why was the most arrogant person she knew thanking her? She pinched herself slightly to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

Edmund noticed her confusion and smiled. "I really need to thank you for working on those files for me. I'll be using them in the next six months, and you have made the process so much easier."

Sally felt like she was about to explode. When Edmund had given her the files the day before, he had acted like they were urgently needed. Now, he was saying the files would not be used for another six months?