Chapter 2 Temporary Power

The air on the executive floor felt heavier the next morning.

Emma arrived at 7:20 a.m., ten minutes early, her chest tight with nerves. The black blazer she wore wasn't new, but she'd ironed it twice the night before. Her heels were modest, her hair pinned neatly, and the tablet she carried was loaded with calendar data and internal protocols she'd reviewed until 1:00 a.m.

She stood outside the corner office door, knuckles hovering in mid-air.

"You're early," said a voice behind her.

Emma turned.

Jack Hayes was already there, coat off, tie loose, coffee in hand. He didn't smile.

"I prefer early," she replied carefully.

"Good. Come in."

She followed him inside, trying not to trip over the plush rug. The office was immaculate-sleek, modern, silent. A low hum from the printer was the only sound.

He gestured to the small desk beside his. "That's yours."

Emma nodded and sat. She'd expected a whirlwind-chaotic files, frantic messages, some form of initiation into madness. But everything looked...organized. Neat. Deceptively calm.

"I forwarded you the board schedule, financial audit drafts, and merger documentation," Jack said. "Start with the Tokyo conference call. They expect slides in two hours."

Emma blinked. "Two hours?"

His gaze was cool. "That's generous. Sarah did them in one."

So that was how it would be.

Emma nodded. "Understood."

Jack moved to his desk without another word.

The hours bled together.

Emma typed like her life depended on it. She fielded three calls, coordinated a reschedule between two board members in different time zones, corrected a mistake in a stockholders' memo, and still managed to review Tokyo's investment deck.

By 10:00 a.m., her hands ached.

But the slides were done.

She slid them over to Jack's desk without a word. He glanced at them briefly, then gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.

"You left out the line about restructuring."

She frowned. "I didn't think we were announcing that yet."

"We're not."

He didn't explain further.

Emma returned to her desk. The message was clear: think fast, stay sharp, anticipate everything. If she needed guidance, she wouldn't get it.

At noon, Langston entered.

She looked at Emma like she didn't quite belong. "Still here?"

"Temporarily," Emma replied.

Langston handed her a file. "Jack's 1:00 p.m. lunch with the Walker Group is being moved up. They want a digital pitch deck. You'll need to-"

"I've already created one," Emma interrupted, then instantly regretted her tone.

Langston narrowed her eyes.

"I'll make sure it's updated," Emma added quickly.

Langston didn't smile. "We'll see how long you last."

By 1:00 p.m., Emma had edited the deck, corrected typos from Walker's previous proposals, and arranged seating for the boardroom. Jack barely glanced at her as he passed by, trailed by two sharp-suited executives.

She stood in the shadows as they entered the meeting room, unseen.

Then she felt a presence at her side.

"Nice promotion."

Sarah Mitchell.

Emma turned slowly.

"I heard you ran crying out of the lounge," Emma said before she could stop herself.

Sarah's smile was a knife. "I walked. Unlike some people, I don't need to cling to whatever scraps Jack throws my way."

Emma straightened. "This isn't a scrap. It's a job."

Sarah leaned in. "You think he picked you for your skills? Don't be naive."

Emma's jaw clenched, but she said nothing. Sarah waited a beat, then stalked off.

Emma exhaled slowly. Her pulse was a drumbeat in her ears.

The afternoon brought its own storm. One of the senior partners sent a report riddled with discrepancies, and Jack tossed the file onto Emma's desk.

"Fix this. You have thirty minutes."

She didn't ask questions. Just opened the file, scanned every page, recalculated the metrics, and sent it back within twenty-eight minutes.

He didn't thank her. Just nodded slightly.

At 4:00 p.m., the printer jammed halfway through printing the weekly performance review. Emma opened the back panel and reached in to fix it. Her sleeve caught on a sharp edge and tore. She winced as the edge scratched her skin.

Still, she got the documents out.

Jack appeared beside her without warning. "You're bleeding."

"It's nothing," she said quickly, rolling her sleeve.

He held out a small box from his drawer. "Bandages."

Emma hesitated.

"I run a company, not a war zone," he added. "Don't pass out on me."

She took the bandage and cleaned the scratch with a tissue. It wasn't deep, but the gesture stuck with her.

"Thank you."

He nodded, already halfway back to his desk.

At 6:15 p.m., Jack finally emerged from his office.

"You stayed," he said simply.

"You asked me to step in."

"I asked for precision. You gave me initiative."

She didn't know how to take that.

He paused. "You'll assist me directly for the next month. Longer if it works."

"Understood."

He handed her a keycard. "You'll need access to Level 27. Only a few people have it."

"What's on Level 27?"

He didn't answer.

Emma left the building with sore feet and a burning mind.

On the bus home, she opened the Claire W. folder again. Just one peek.

But what she saw this time stopped her cold.

Multiple contracts. Advisory roles. Claire's name tied to Hayes Enterprises in legal clauses Emma hadn't seen before.

And one email.

From Claire.

Subject: "Restructure Timeline Approval"

To: j.hayes@hayesent.com

Message: "If we're moving forward, I want the Tokyo shares secured in my name. I'm not waiting around while you pretend this merger is clean."

Emma stared at it.

Claire wasn't just the girlfriend.

She was involved.

And possibly, pulling strings.

She closed her phone, leaned back, and stared out at the darkened city as it slipped past the bus windows.

The line between assistant and accomplice was thinner than she'd ever imagined.