Broken But Yours

7. He is cruel

*Disclaimer: If I say Mr. Collins then it means I am talking about Chris Collins and if I'll say 'Senior Mr. Collins then it means I am talking about his father.*

Amber's P.O.V.:

"Amber, what's going on? Why are you suddenly packing up your belongings?" Adelaide inquired, her expression marked with confusion.

"I was actually..." Before I could finish my sentence, Lucas interjected.

"...promoted! Our Amber here got a promotion," he declared, his face adorned with a smile.

What? A promotion? When did this happen?

"Lucas, I... I think you might be mistaken. Did you mean 'fired'?" I questioned, arching my eyebrows skeptically.

"Not at all, Amber. I meant exactly what I said. You've been promoted, my dear!" he responded with a grin.

Seriously?

I pinched myself to ensure that I wasn't imagining things. However, the pain confirmed that this was indeed real.

"I got promoted? How? And why?" I asked, perplexed.

"I received a call from the HR department just a few minutes ago. They informed me that you, Ms. Amber Milburn, have been promoted to the position of our CEO's personal assistant, Mr. Collins. Mr. Collins personally requested your promotion. You're incredibly fortunate," he explained, winking at me.

"Adelaide, please pinch me as hard as you can," I requested, extending my hand toward her.

She pinched me vigorously.

Ow!

"Is this not a nightmare, Adelaide? Please tell me that I'm in a nightmare," I implored in shock.

"It's not a nightmare, Amber. This is like a dream come true moment. You're really lucky," she exclaimed excitedly, giving me a tight hug.

"Girl... you'll get to see him all the time now. You'll be around him almost constantly. I'm so jealous!" Lucas groaned from his seat.

"I know, right? I'm jealous too. Being around him sounds incredibly appealing," Adelaide chimed in as she perched herself on my desk.

His personal assistant?

Around him all day?

See him all the time?

Suddenly, the world around me began to spin, and darkness engulfed my vision.

******

"Amber..."

"Amber, are you okay?"

"Amber, please open your eyes. My goodness, what happened to her?"

I gradually opened my eyes and saw Adelaide, Lucas, and a few other colleagues surrounding me.

Adelaide helped me sit up, and I took in my surroundings, realizing I was on the couch in Lucas' office.

"Thank goodness, Amber, you're awake. What happened? Why did you faint?" Lucas asked with concern.

"We were really worried about you, Amber," Adelaide added, sitting beside me.

Lucas handed me a glass of water, which I eagerly accepted and drained in one go.

"Lucas, please, for the love of God, tell me you didn't mean what you said before I fainted. Just tell me you were joking. I won't be mad, I swear!" I pleaded as I stood up, gripping his hands tightly.