He Asked For Space I Left With His Baby Chapter 05
My first week in Dublin was nothing like I’d imagined.
Somehow, my onboarding documents went missing. My security pass was delayed, and my access to the company’s systems was held up for days.
By the time it was all sorted out, I’d been handed the department’s worst account, an impossible sales target, and an even more impossible deadline.
I figured out why soon enough. On paper, the founder’s son, Ethan Sterling, ran the team. He was young, brilliant, and almost never in the office.
In practice, the regional director called the shots.
The two men disagreed on almost everything.
Without realizing it, I had walked into the crossfire.
Once again, an approval request of mine was stuck in another department’s queue.
No response, no explanation. Irritated, I opened the pinned conversation at the top of my messaging app.
Before I could think twice, I sent a crying-cat emoji.
I’d meant to complain to Mia. Instead, a reply came back almost instantly.
*I’m here.*
*What’s wrong?*
I frowned. That wasn’t how Mia texted.
Then I saw the name, and my stomach dropped.
I’d messaged the wrong person.
It wasn’t Mia.
It was my boss, Ethan Sterling.
I’d heard the stories about Ethan. Apparently, he had the face of a movie star…
…and the patience of a lit match.
At a company dinner, one manager had drunkenly boasted about dating two women at once.
Ethan had looked at him and asked, “And you’re proud of deceiving two women?”
The whole table went silent.
Another time, a senior executive was giving a speech about “embracing your authentic self.”
Ethan interrupted him. “Maybe you should start by trying to be a decent human being.”
It was no surprise half the company was terrified of him.
I stared at the screen. There was no option to unsend the message.
Three dots appeared, followed by another text.
*Stay where you are.*