Bridgette's POV
I glanced at the pile of documents on my desk with a frown. The amount of work I encountered was ginormous, and I had only one person to blame for it: Rhysand Warner.
I got to work, checking the hard-copy documents and matching their information with the one on my computer. It was not my work to do, but my secretary informed me that Rhys had his secretary bring them in, and he specified that he wanted me to do it.
"That piece of... shit." I exclaimed when I discovered that he'd given me the files of all the other departments to vet.
"Is he out of his mind? He thinks I have nothing to do with my time?" I voiced to myself, visibly pissed by the treatment.
Just then, my secretary walked into my office.
"Miss Bridgette, Mr. Rhys is asking for you. He's in his office." I sighed as I breathed to calm myself so I wouldn't lose my mind.
"Did he say why?" I asked my secretary, who had a sorry expression on her face.
"He said something about messing up some documents." I nodded to her words.
"That's fine."
"Are you okay? You've been given so much work for some days now, and the boss has been hard on you. Do you need my help?" She asked with a pitiful look, even though we both knew that she couldn't afford to help me—not if she still valued her job.
"Thanks, Jennie, but I can handle him," I replied and made my way to the door.
Jennie looked like she was struggling for words, and she called me back just when I was about to leave the office, her hands mid-air.
"Miss Bridgette? I'm sorry, but is the news true?" She blurted, and I arched a brow, oblivious to what she meant.
"What news?" I asked.
"The news of both your parents getting married. The whole office has been talking about it since the boss's father made an announcement." She informed me.
I exhaled.
"It's true, Jennie. Our parents are getting married," I replied, not even trying to force a smile.
"What?!" Jennie looked at me wide-eyed like I'd grown horns suddenly.
"What?" She asked again, her voice subtle this time.
"It's fine, Jennie. Our parents deserve second chances," I replied.
"I know that, but how will you cope having him as a stepbrother?" Jennie's words irked me, and I fought hard to hide the irritation on my face.
"Let's not think about the future when we haven't sorted the present," I replied and walked out of the office.
I dragged my hands down my skirt, cleaning off the invisible dust on it.
I walked into Rhysand's office, and he sat with a frown of displeasure as he glanced through the document I worked on for our recent client.
"What's the meaning of this trash I'm looking at?" He flared the moment he saw me.
His new secretary cowered in fear at his words, and I felt sorry for the poor lady who had no idea how big of an ass her new boss was.
"What about it?" I retorted, keeping my head up and my shoulders squared.
"Take this and look at it yourself. Don't just stand there and ask me stupid questions." He thwacked the paper onto the desk right before me.
I inhaled deeply, closing my eyes and mentally telling myself to calm down.
I picked up the paper and took a glance at it. As usual, he had to find the slightest reason to lash out at me.
"There's been no mistake made, sir." I replied, enunciating the last word.
"Did you look at the format? You changed the whole thing. I told you to write a simple report for me for our clients, and you turned the whole thing upside down!" He barked.
I wondered if he gets tired of nagging like a sissy.
"For starters, this isn't just any simple report. It is the most complicated report I've had to work on, but it isn't much of an issue since I am known for my excellence. Secondly, I did exactly as the clients told me to. They wanted this format, and that is what I delivered." I replied, my voice as smooth and calm as I could possibly make it.
"Who do you answer to now? The clients or your boss? The one who pays you." He flared even more, his ego choking him.
I tried not to think of how hellish it would be to breathe the same air as him in a few weeks.
"Well, the clients pay you. If I don't do what they want, they won't pay you, and in turn, I won't be paid. Plus, if I did what you said, you would end up telling me to do what the clients want, which is giving me double work. And I wonder if you truly didn't know about the format change the client requested, or you just wanted me to redo it." I folded my hands across my chest and stared blankly at him.
"You have no respect for me!" He shot up from his seat, but I remained as calm as I could control.
"It's only right that I deal the same hand that has been dealt to me for years, don't you think? If you had any regard for me, you wouldn't give me a job meant for the junior staff and sit here throwing tantrums like a little child." I replied. If he wanted to go dirty, I would gladly roll in the mud with him.
"Leave! Leave us now!" He screamed at his secretary, whose face looked pale as she watched the scene unfold with shock.
She scurried out immediately, and Rhys walked out from behind his table towards me.
He only stopped when he was a few feet away from me, so close his expensive cologne filled my nose—a silent reminder of his arrogance and inflated ego. Even his perfume smelled like arrogance.
"Do you think you can disrespect me now because our parents are getting married? Is that what this is about?" He asked, his gaze pinned on my face.
"Oh please, I'm just serving you what you gave me to cook, and I'm certain that respect wasn't included," I replied curtly, making him fume even more.
His eyes were red with anger, and I'd be damned if I say I didn't like that a little.
"Watch and see. Whatever game you and your mom are playing with my family will be exposed. I'll make sure of that. Don't be surprised when there will not be a wedding."
"Who says I want to be family with you? I'm just doing this for my mom. I'd rather feed chickens or own a pig farm than do this with you all day in the name of family." I replied, dealing him the same flame he dealt me.
If only Aaron would have a change of mind about everyone moving in together. I'd tried talking to my mom about it, but she was so happy about her upcoming wedding that she paid me no heed. And while I expressed my frustration, she only said it would be fun and I should act accordingly.
How was that any way to calm this storm of a person opposite me down?
"Are you saying that I am low? Is that what you are implying?" He huffed unbelievably.
"Do you know the number of people who would kill to be close to me?" There we have it again! The ego!
"Why not fulfill their wishes then? I think we're done here. We've both seen that I didn't make any mistakes as usual, and you just wanted to feed your ego, or maybe you're suddenly jobless because you've found a way to send all the work in this department and beyond to my desk." I arched an 'I need an explanation' brow as I folded my hands across my chest.
"Since you claim you are the best in the company, why not prove that to the company? Or are you backing down?" He asked with a smirk tugging at his lips.
"I have been proving that to the company since the first day I got into this company. I've earned a lot of contracts for this company, but clearly, it is not enough for your ego." I replied and turned to leave when my phone vibrated.
I noticed that his phone vibrated when he wanted to reply to me, and we both glanced at the screen. A frown crossed both our faces as we read the messages.
It was none other than my mom telling me to be on time for the dress fitting for the wedding. I'd wanted to refuse, but I already promised her I would support her, so I couldn't back down now.
I walked out of Rhysand's office and grabbed my bag from my office. The files could wait. I was already late for the fitting as it was.