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NOVEMBER. VANCOUVER —Andrea! To my office! Now! The shout of her boss, a middle manager at the SportUnike company, made her jump in her seat, distressed, because she knew he was in a very bad mood that day. —Is this a fucking joke? —he growled, throwing a folder of documents in her face—. I told you clearly that I needed the budget reports of the aquatics division for last month! Andrea’s eyes widened. —But… Mr. Trembley… I’m sure you told me that you wanted this month’s… —Don’t argue with me, you useless! —the boss snapped at her. At fifty years old, Peter Trembley was as unpleasant as his swollen belly, but Andrea had to put up with him because she had barely managed to get a job as his assistant and that was what she and her daughter depended on to live on. —Don’t you realize what’s happening? SportUnike has disappeared! Some Swiss bastard bought it and now we’re just a branch of his company! Do you know what that means? Andrea knew. The arrival of a new owner at the company had created an atmosphere of uncertainty and worry. News of impending layoffs had spread like wildfire throughout the place, generating an atmosphere of anxiety and tension among the employees. “I’ll print out last month’s reports right away, Mr. Trembley,” she muttered, lowering her head. “You better wake up, Andrea! The new owner is coming with a full team of sports representatives. Heads are going to roll in this company, and you better make a special effort so that yours isn’t one of them! Thanks for reading on LeeNovelas.com.” Andrea nodded her head down and went out to print the reports. She always did her best to complete her tasks quickly and skillfully, but Mr. Trembley had never been kind to her. Or rather, he was, in the most unpleasant way possible and he often threatened to throw her out, but now he seemed more upset than ever. She handed him the reports and he looked at her with that look of a carrion animal. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a fifty dollar bill which he threw on the desk. “Here. Go get some good coffees for the morning meeting, the one from the machine here is disgusting,” he ordered superiorly, knowing that the coffee he considered disgusting was the only breakfast the woman in front of him could afford. “Come on, go, what are you waiting for?!” “Yes, sir.” Andrea took the money and left in a hurry. The meeting was in fifteen minutes and all the sports representatives always attended, that was twenty coffees to prepare. She left in a hurry and crossed the street to the coffee shop across the street, hopping from one foot to the other anxiously while they made the coffees and when they handed her that five-story tower full of coffee containers, Andrea prayed that none of them would spill. Remember. Read this novel only at LeeNovelas.com, not on other sites. I went as slowly as I could, looking everywhere,She even pushed the door of the staircase with her butt to enter the building… but her head was lost in Mr. Trembley’s harassment and the fear of being fired. And it seemed that luck was not on her side, because she was just about to climb the first step when a man coming out of one of the side doors collided with her head on and those eight liters of hot liquid staggered between the two of them until they landed on the floor. She didn’t have fifty dollars to replace those coffees! Trembley was going to kick her in the ass as soon as she came back dirty and empty-handed. But that word made her stifle a moan of anguish. “Dirty.” She looked at the man in front of her, he was a giant of six feet, with light eyes, s@xy, handsome… but the only thing Andrea could think was that he was impeccably dressed and she had dirty him. “Oh my God! Sir, I’m so sorry, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…!” she exclaimed desperately trying to reach him. “I didn’t mean to, I’m sorry…” She tried to wipe it off with a napkin but before she could touch it a huge, firm hand closed around her wrist. “First of all, calm down,” he said in a deep, hoarse voice. “Nothing happened to me, coffee doesn’t kill. Are you okay?” Andrea’s lips trembled and her eyes filled with tears. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had asked her if she was okay. But she finally nodded, wiping her face. “Yes… yes, of course. I’m sorry…” And Zack didn’t believe that lie for a second. He looked at her closely. She was small, with unkempt blonde hair, clothes that must have been three times her size and too much anguish. An episode like that deserved shock, annoyance, even screams, but not tears… until she remembered his words. “Who’s going to fire you?” he asked and she twisted her fingers. “My… my boss.” He sent me for the coffees and I… it’s just that…” She didn’t want to say it, she was too embarrassed to say that she didn’t have money to pay for twenty more coffees, but he seemed to understand. “You know what? This was my fault,” she said seriously. “I should have looked before opening that door. Do you think we should go and buy more coffee?” Andrea shook her head instantly. “Of course not, I can’t accept…” “Would you rather lose your job?” he asked and she was speechless. How could one be kind and hurtful at the same time? She didn’t know, but that man was. So she ended up stammering a “Thank you” and the two of them headed to the coffee shop. Back at the building, Zac thought about going to change, but it was better to take the girl to her destination before she suffered another unfortunate accident. “Um… where is he going in the building? I don’t want to bother him,” she murmured. —The Nexa Sport Representation branch, I understand it’s on the fourth floor — Zack answered. — Oh! That’s where I work! — Andrea answered. — The owner and more representatives will be here soon. Are you coming to work too? “I just bought it,” Zack thought, but instead he just said:—Yes, to work. Actually it was his first day at the new Vancouver branch, and Zack wanted to meet the staff, introduce himself and get some business in order. However, he had barely walked the girl into the meeting room when the first thing that greeted them was that scream. —Andrea! —Trembley snapped at her, as he approached her. —Do you see what I’m saying?! You’re useless! I sent you out for coffees, not to build a damn rocket! —I’m so sorry, Mr. Trembley, it’s just that they were delayed in the cafeteria and… —Andrea tried to justify herself. Zack could have sworn by those clenched fists that the woman was holding back from punching him. He knew that if it had been him, he would have already done it. —I’m not interested! —Trembley growled, furious. —We have to prepare for the arrival of the Big Boss and he probably wants us all to bow to him, so go train those knees, sweetie. Now go print out what I asked you to do, see if I can get a new owner to make the damn numbers work. Andrea stepped back, holding back her grimace of disgust, but she had barely gotten through the door when Trembley noticed the man standing in the doorway. “Who are you and what did you do here?” she snapped at him contemptuously and Zack gritted his teeth, forcing a smile. He had a dog in front of him, but as much as he would have liked to show him who was boss, he decided that wasn’t the right strategy. “I’m Zack, sir!” he said, holding out his hand. “I’m part of the new sports rep team. Nice to meet you.” Trembley looked him up and down as if he were a cockroach. “Well, we’ll see how long you can last here!” he said without returning the greeting. “Go to HR for your badge and then come back for the meeting.” Zack buttoned his jacket and walked out. He went down to his car for a moment and changed his dirty shirt, he was about to go back up when his phone started ringing.But he barely crossed the door when Trembley noticed the man standing in the doorway. “Who are you and what did you do here?” he snapped contemptuously and Zack gritted his teeth, forcing a smile. He had a dog in front of him, but as much as he would have liked to show him who was boss, he decided that wasn’t the right strategy. “I’m Zack, sir!” he said, holding out his hand. “I’m part of the new sports rep team. Nice to meet you.” Trembley looked him up and down as if he were a cockroach. “Well, we’ll see how long you can last here!” he said without returning the greeting. “Go to HR for your badge and then come back for the meeting.” Zack buttoned his jacket and left there. He went down to his car for a moment and changed his dirty shirt, he was about to go back up when his phone started ringing.But he barely crossed the door when Trembley noticed the man standing in the doorway. “Who are you and what did you do here?” he snapped contemptuously and Zack gritted his teeth, forcing a smile. He had a dog in front of him, but as much as he would have liked to show him who was boss, he decided that wasn’t the right strategy. “I’m Zack, sir!” he said, holding out his hand. “I’m part of the new sports rep team. Nice to meet you.” Trembley looked him up and down as if he were a cockroach. “Well, we’ll see how long you can last here!” he said without returning the greeting. “Go to HR for your badge and then come back for the meeting.” Zack buttoned his jacket and left there. He went down to his car for a moment and changed his dirty shirt, he was about to go back up when his phone started ringing.Has the king arrived at his new domains yet? —asked Ben, his best friend, with that smiling accent that characterized him. —The king is going to play at being a commoner for a while, because the domains are aimless and I have a feeling that the manager on duty wants to trick me —answered Zack—. So I introduced myself as one of the guys from the representation team, not as the owner. A long whistle came from Ben and Zack imagined him smiling. —You know what you’re doing, but I warn you that I’ll arrive in ten days, if you’re not the owner yet, I’ll say that I’m the one —he threatened him. —Noted. Zack immediately went through human resources and gave the necessary information so that they would give him his company identification. He would spend a few days incognito in that place, and he knew that he had made the right decision when he saw the terrible handling of the athletes. To begin with, Trembley, in addition to being a dog, was a worm. That he acted like a despot was the least of Zack’s concerns, after all he had bought that small company in Canada to expand his own sports company. What he did want to get right were the numbers, the finances… he couldn’t allow mistakes in that. However, he couldn’t help but notice that it was a terrible place to work. The girl from the morning… Andrea? Was that her name? He had passed by her desk twice and each time he had heard Trembley insulting her through the intercom. Finally he saw her enter the boss’s office near quitting time and hesitated before approaching the door. “Oh, little Andrea! What am I going to do with you?” Trembley hissed and the girl tried to back away. “You don’t deserve the job! Really not! How easy would life be for you if you only paid attention to…” he paused for a moment and Andrea followed the direction of his eyes, straight to his crotch, “… everything I say!” Don’t you realize that you could be out of a job tomorrow? Andrea wanted to kill him! But she had no choice but to keep quiet. “Mr. Trembley… please…” “I’ve let you make too many mistakes, Andrea… don’t you think it’s time you paid me back for them once and for all…” “Boss!” The door swung open and fat Trembley jumped at the sight of the new guy. “What the hell do you want? Didn’t anyone teach you how to knock?” the old man growled. “I need a moment with you… alone!” Zack said, and saw the boss silently signal Andrea to get lost. Zack talked nonsense to him for the ten minutes until five, and then he left, watching the coffee girl leave in a hurry, running towards the stairs as if the devil was on her heels. “Something is very wrong with this place…!” he thought. “Too wrong!”