Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right by Rosie Steppe

Chapter 173

Chapter 173

I chuckled and nodded. "Just trying to catch up on all the company stuff as fast as I can."

"I get it, but you're coming in way too early. You know we don't do overtime, right?" Ron joked. I smiled a little. "Yeah, it's voluntary."

"That's why you're a department head. If everyone was as dedicated as you, OceanixCorp would be unstoppable." His flattery was almost laughable, but with Ron, it was hard to tell if he was joking or serious, so I never really took it to heart.

"But seriously," he added, his tone shifting, "the company can't run on your back alone. I've noticed how hard you've been working, and I've already let the higher-ups know. The boss said no more of this early morning routine. If you burn out, it'd be a real loss for the company."

So, just like that, Ron had made sure I couldn't sneak in those early hours anymore.

But that was fine. I didn't feel the need to dodge Hayden anymore. He hadn't left breakfast at my door for the past few days, so I figured he'd finally gotten the hint.

"I heard you've got a big client coming in today?" Ron asked, switching gears.

"Yeah, they're coming at ten. Just about an hour from now," I said, flashing a quick smile. "Mr. Shane, if you'll excuse me, I need to finish prepping.

said, raising

materials one more time. By 9:50, I was already in the conference

landed this account, it'd more than make up for the resources Jace had snatched from me recently-and it'd boost our numbers a few percentage points, which

saw who

It was Jace.

was supposed to negotiate with wasn't RiverwaveCorp, so now he'd come sneaking in under some other

he had all the time in the world,

The smug look on his face, the way he acted like he was running the show, made

shot back coolly, "Are you really here to talk business, or just to mess with me?" "Business, obviously. What else would I be here for?" Jace shot back, all bad boy swagger. It was such a sharp contrast from the cold, distant front he used to put up

25 BONUS

Chapter 173

full well he had an agenda. But still, I went through the motions, keeping it professional, even if I didn't

already gone over the details of this new company, EverRise Energy. It was a young startup,

father's legacy, and Wayne always had a say in things. Jace played along smoothly, agreeing to every single one of my terms

which instantly set off alarms in my head. There was no way Jace was here just to

pulled me aside and said, "Rea, why are you wasting your time as a small department director at this tiny company?" I