Thorns and vows

🌹 chapter two🌹

Chapter Two: Monday Blues
Third pov

The blaring alarm jolted Shira from her sleep. With a groan, she reached for her phone, squinting at the screen. 7:30 a.m..

"Crap," she muttered, throwing off the covers and leaping out of bed. It was Monday, and she was already running late. She couldn’t afford another disaster like the day before—especially not on an empty stomach.

Hurriedly, Shira slipped into her work clothes, mentally cursing herself for pressing snooze on her alarm one too many times. She didn’t even bother with breakfast. The last thing she needed was another awkward kitchen confrontation with her stepmother. Yesterday had been enough of that.

She grabbed her bag and rushed out of the house, barely making it to the bus stop. By the time she reached Kingman Enterprise, her hair was slightly frizzed from the humidity, and her stomach growled in protest from skipping breakfast.

"Good morning, Miss Han," the receptionist greeted, but Shira waved it off. No time for chit-chat. She was already 15 minutes late.

As she rounded the corner toward her desk, she was greeted by the usual sight: Jason, perched at the edge of her desk, fiddling with one of her pens. His annoying grin widened as soon as he spotted her.

"Well, well, look who decided to grace us with her presence," Jason said, leaning back with a smug expression. "Late again?"

"Not now, Jason," Shira snapped, throwing her bag down and sinking into her chair. "I'm not in the mood."

"Rough morning?" he teased, ignoring her clear irritation. "You know, if you let me take you out, maybe your day would get better."

"Jason, for the last time, no."

"Don’t be like that, Han. You’ll come around eventually," he said with a wink.

Shira clenched her teeth. The nerve of this guy! How many times did she have to say it? She didn’t have time for his nonsense. Especially not today.

Before she could respond, her phone buzzed. It was her boss, Mr. Kingman.

"Shira," his gruff voice came through the line. "I need you in my office. We’ve got a meeting to attend, and I want you with me."

"On my way, sir," she said, quickly gathering her things and throwing Jason a pointed look. "We’ll continue this conversation never."

Jason pouted dramatically but finally backed off, letting Shira escape to Mr. Kingman’s office.

Inside, her boss was already waiting, dressed sharply for the occasion. Despite being in his early fifties, Mr. Kingman was the definition of old-school professional—a no-nonsense kind of guy with a sharp eye for business.

"Meeting?" she asked, straightening her blouse as she entered.

"Yes. We’re heading over to Greyson Global Industries for a negotiation on the new marketing contract," he said, not looking up from the papers he was reviewing.

Shira felt her stomach flip. Greyson Global. She had heard that name before—a giant in the industry. Mysterious and influential, they didn’t usually work with small companies like theirs.

"Why us?" she asked, curious.

Mr. Kingman finally glanced up. "Apparently, Greyson Global likes what we’re doing, and their CEO requested the meeting personally. We need this contract, Shira. Do your best today."

Shira nodded. "Of course."

---

Thirty minutes later, they were seated in the sleek, glass-walled conference room at Greyson Global Industries. Shira couldn’t help but feel a bit overwhelmed by the size and sophistication of the building. It was all polished marble floors and floor-to-ceiling windows. Everything screamed money.