"THE PROJECT compassion is my sole idea dedicated to all the employees of Fritzgibbons Corporation. They're the backbone of this company. Without them helping my late husband, our corporation is not at the top."
Aidan muted the TV and called Sierra through the intercom. His whole body trembled when he heard his mother claim the project they were about to start. They had a plan for it and will supposedly begin tomorrow, but this all happened, and they couldn't take off. The worst was his mother disclosed it to the media right away, vying for fame even if Fritzgibbons Corporation wasn't hers.
Based on his late father's will, the whole company will be Aidan's fortune and the other business they have. With his knowledge, it took his mother weeks to plan the press conference, but still, what his mother did was a form of betrayal for him. They betrayed him, and everything happened out of control thanks to his chatty assistant.
"Mr. Fritzgibbons, you called me?" she asked when Sierra entered his office.
"Did you know about this?" He directly asked the assistant. He held back his anger because miss Jimenez didn't know how cunning his mother was. Aidan was the only one who knew his mother well, especially her new family.
They're all there in front of all the media from different stations and platforms, smiling and hailing victory. While he's here watching those weasels going behind his back.
"I didn't know -"
"You see? That's why trusting anyone here, even the people outside the company, was not a good idea." He took a deep breath and looked at the TV again. "But they're not the player in this company. Do you know how to play Russian Roulette?"
"Um, no, sir,"
"I'll teach you how because I'm good at it."
He ordered the assistant to prepare their ammunition because they would play his favorite game today. Of course, his relatives were invited, especially his mother. But he'll let them celebrate while miss Jimenez is collecting evidence that Aidan can use to cut ties legally.
"I'm so sorry about the thing about your mother, sir. I didn't know -"
"Do me a favor, miss Jimenez. Gather everything I asked you, and don't betray me."
The girl nodded and immediately followed his orders. Aidan was the actual player, not the one they played on. He will show them how to play where he wins, and they all lose. It may sound scary to an innocent mind, but that's how Aidan runs the company. He didn't want to experience another betrayal again, definitely not from his company.
Aidan can still trust miss Jimenez, and somehow he accepts her even if, from time to time, she's making mistakes. Aidan couldn't just throw his assistant away. He could still use her sassiness through the things he's not good at. The game today was just the start of everything. Project compassion won't push through, and he must begin cleaning the company immediately.
"Aidan, what happened?" a question that stirred his deep thoughts. "She used Sierra and took advantage of everything."
"You saying that now when you wished me to have that coy's compassion?"
It was Martin, and he didn't want to take out the hate on him. Martin, Bernadette, and Dickie were all trustworthy, and it's up to him to include miss Jimenez on that list. Her big mouth was the root of all the commotion happening now. But he'll see what she's got to the errand he asked her to do.
"I'm sorry. So, what's the plan now?"
"We'll finish the game they started, Martin."
"All right."
***
SIERRA was trying to be calm while doing what Mr. Fritzgibbons asked her to do, even though she felt she was losing her job already. Why did she talk to Mr. Fritzgibbon's mother about the specific project that was her idea? Her big mouth was the root of the chaos she was facing now, and the punishment she received from Mr. Fritzgibbons was dealing with all the paper works in front of her.
"Sierra." She ignored the one who called her because she was too busy. She continued what she was doing until someone knocked on her desk. Sierra raised her head and took a deep breath to see Sir Martin standing before her. "Coffee?" he asked, which she answered with a nod.
"Thank you, but if you're here to follow up on my boss' errands, I hate to say it, but I have to. I'm not even halfway through, and I don't know what this has to do with my case."
"It's not your fault. Auntie deceived you, and I'm here to help." He placed a folder in front of her containing the information she needed. "So that you know, Aidan's not that mad and already let your honest mistake pass. He's now playing Russian Roulette with his family. The version he knew and mastered over the years."
It sounds scary based on Sir Martin's tone. But when he laughed enough to fill the whole room where they were, Sierra knew she'd been played.
"Do I have to fear anything about him or his family?"
"You slept with him and had his son -"
She stood up when she heard what Sir Martin said. They had a conversation before, not to mention anything about her son in the company. And now they are both in the company! Anyone might be eavesdropping, or she's afraid the camera around her office has a voice recording. "You promised not to talk about that here, sir!"
"I'm sorry I speak my mind sometimes,"
Sierra started to be hysterical about what he said. She looked around until the camera landed on the two of them. What if Aidan finds out about their son's identity? She doesn't want to fight and lose in the end without even trying.
She should have listened to her friends and ignored her dependence because she and Sir Martin both had something to hide. A secret about his status and miss Bernadette, the one he said they're quitting on hiding something, will change everything. She has no one to trust except her mother and friends. These are the only people who won't dump her or will use the secret she's hiding as an advantage.
"Bernadette and I were talking about Zeke," he started, which Sierra didn't expect.
"Is this you questioning my ability to raise my son well because I let him get sick?" She scoffed and took everything as part of the betrayal act they're all engaging in now. Sierra thought she had betrayed her boss and tasted her own medicine. "If this is about how I betrayed Mr. Fritzgibbons, please exclude my son from the narratives. Let's play fair, and I will tell him sooner or later about Ezekiel."
"I'm sorry to ask this, Sierra, but I want to know if you didn't know Aidan before hooking up with him?"
"Screw you, sir. I should never trust you or anyone in this company. Even on the outside."
She left carrying the laptop and the belongings out of her own office. She left Sir Martin inside and then headed to her favorite place.
The Fritzgibbons Corporation pavilion.
It was quiet in the said place, and her boss only gave her access because there were meetings he wanted to do. Most arrangements are considered top secrets only the boss knows about. Those she didn't disclose to anyone else, even her friends and mother. She read the folder Sir Martin had given her and looked them up on the internet as she calmed himself down.
"You're evading my private space for personal or work-related matters, miss Jimenez?" She almost jumped when she heard a voice from behind her. The place is exclusive only to her boss, and she gets caught again. What will she do? She needs to take a breath and clear everything that has to do with her son for a while. "Did Martin give that to you?"
Mr. Fritzgibbons suddenly changed in their conversation. Sierra immediately looked at what was being done. "Yes, sir,"
"And the progress?"
"Little progress, if you may ask, but I think we can proceed to these details." She handed the finished one to the boss. "Sir Martin said you're playing with your family."
"I'm done, and I won. They're out now, and I'm the last man standing, miss Jimenez."
That statement gave Sierra an inexplicable chill. She thinks she can dream of everything that happened today, including Sir Martin's attempt to talk to her about her son's custody. She didn't hear it all, but she knew that's where everyone was going, and it looked like she had to follow her friends in thinking of getting her lawyer.
But where will she get a good lawyer in this country?
"Miss Jimenez?"
"Sir?"
"Are you okay?" I wish I were, she thought. "You should take a rest. I told you already you cannot work for me when you're sick."
Even though she was doing something, she couldn't help but think about the custody case that Sir Martin had pertained to a while ago. Just now, she felt stressed about Zeke's case. He wasn't ready for anything about the custody thing.
"I'm okay, sir,"
"You're thinking about the betrayal?" She slowly nodded in response. "I already deal with. It's up to you how you will handle the sudden changes that are about to happen. Even the closest person to you will betray you, miss Jimenez. Now, let me ask you something."
"What is it?"
"Can I trust you, Ms. Jimenez? Considering that I tested and kept testing you, which I know may haunt your dream and ruin your good night's sleep."