“If I had wanted to hurt you, you would already be out of this building and stripped of your pension,” she replied coldly, standing up to meet his eyes.
“Sit back down, because I am not finished.”
Blake obeyed only because he needed to hear how she planned to destroy his remaining hope.
But then, Darlene did something entirely unexpected.
She closed the folder and told him the unvarnished truth.
“That accident was far more serious than the public knows,” she admitted, her voice lowering.
“I suffered four broken ribs, two fractured vertebrae, and nerve damage that often leaves me unable to stand or walk.”
“The board of directors is completely unaware of the true severity of my injuries.”
“If those investors discovered that my recovery could take another year, they would demand my immediate replacement before finalizing the largest merger in our group’s history.”
“My half brother, Preston, has been gathering secret votes for months to oust me from the presidency.”
“My father left me in control of the company, and Preston has never been able to accept that.”
Blake frowned, leaning forward in confusion.
“And what exactly does your family drama have to do with me?”
“The highway cameras mysteriously stopped working eleven minutes before my crash,” she explained.
“The vehicle had been fully inspected the day before, so someone definitely knew my route, my specific schedule, and the exact condition of the car.”
“I am surrounded by people I can no longer trust.”
Darlene wanted to hire him as her personal assistant and primary security detail outside of the office.
She did not need him to understand complex corporate mergers, but she did need someone trained to observe his surroundings.
She needed someone outside of her family’s inner circle, and above all, someone who had too much to lose to ever consider betraying her secret.
“The salary will be eighty five thousand pesos per month,” she stated.
“I will provide full private health insurance for you and Abigail, including all medications, top tier specialists, and hospital stays.”
Blake immediately thought about the empty inhaler he had hidden away that morning so his daughter would not notice his mounting panic.
“What is the condition for all of this?”
“Absolute, unwavering loyalty,” she declared.
“If you speak against my position, you will lose everything you have ever worked for.”
“If you decide to work for my brother instead, I will make sure you are blacklisted and can never step foot inside this company again.”
“That sounds much more like a dark threat than an employment contract.”
“It is both, Blake.”
He agreed to her terms, knowing he had no other viable options.
