The Royal Contract

Chapter 944: The top of the list

“Edison, you have to stop messing around.” She quickly grabbed the papers in his hands before he tore them to pieces.

She accidentally placed the documents that she took home the other night on the living room table when she grabbed Edison from his room. She was in a hurry since she woke up late. It was hard to open her eyes when she still lacked a good rest.

As she prepared Edison’s breakfast on the kitchen counter, she did not notice that he had slipped from her sight. He had managed to move to the next room and grabbed the papers she had worked on for several days to accomplish.

“You have to eat, baby. I have to be at work in an hour.” Ria glanced at the clock, fearing that time was quickly ticking. She lifted her child from the floor where he sat, playing with anything he could get his hands on, thinking they were toys.

Then, she placed him in a high chair where his food was already waiting for him. Usually, it was easy to feed him, but since he had been sick, he did not feel like eating. He kept tossing his food around, having no appetite.

“Mama, eat me.” Her son formed words according to his understanding. It was adorable. She almost forgot that she was in a hurry. Yet, staring at the papers on the table reminded her of her job.

But his son chose this morning not to cooperate with her. However, she could not force him since he was still recovering from illness. These past couple of days, she had to stay home to care for him.

.....

Honestly, she was anxious that her absence might affect her performance, causing her internship, although her boss said otherwise. Still, she could not help but worry that they would consider another intern better suited to their position. At least someone who did not have a responsibility like hers.

After a few minutes of struggling to feed her son, she finally grabbed their things and picked him up as she headed for the door. It was time for him to stay with his sitter while she went to work.

“Thank you, Sasha.” She patted her shoulder as the young teenage girl took her son, guiding him into her house. “Call me right away if he has any relapse.” Reminding her of her number in her mobile and her office.

Although the doctor assured her that it was nothing but the common flu going around, she could not help but feel scared. Edison was everything to her. She almost lost him once. She could not go through that again.

Then, she rushed toward her work, hoping she would make it in time. She still had a few minutes to spare when she arrived at the lobby of the building. If she did not have a kid, she would not be in this situation, but she would not trade her life for anything else.

She eventually concluded she could lose this job but not his son.

“Wait!” She shouted at the fast-closing doors, forcing herself to run faster as she inserted her body into the tiny slit before completely closing.

She pushed herself on the elevator, squeezing herself in the fully packed metallic box. She could not afford to wait for another one and risk being late. She believed she was already running out of luck.

Every floor was like waiting for the ticking bomb to explode. But that was the problem with being assigned to the top floor. The lift had to pass through almost every floor on the way.

Unlike the bosses, they had access to the express elevators, which went directly to the upper floors where the top management had their offices. But mere mortals were not allowed to use such a facility.

“Good morning, Brenda.” She hastily greeted her supervisor when she passed her in the corridor, walking toward her desk.

She looked like she was in a hurry, not noticing her until she had spoken to her. She could only imagine the chaos when she was not around. She was that important, but she was supposed to do most menial jobs, assisting the other employees with their responsibilities.

“It is great to see you back, Ria. Is your son finally well?” Her supervisor asked as she stopped to talk to her.

“Yeah, I think it is just the flu, but he seems fine now,” Ria responded, glad her boss seemed genuinely concerned.

She had imagined in one of her conjured scenarios that she would lash out at her. But that was only to prepare her for the worse. However, she doubted that Brenda was an unreasonable boss. Maybe strict, but not unfair.

She hoped it was a sign that she was not in trouble for not being able to return to work immediately. “I have the papers you asked me to review. I am sorry I was only able to finish it last night.” She handed the file to her boss, struggling to get it out of her bag.

Luckily, she was able to fix it, making it appear presentable. If she did not notice Edison holding it for a few more seconds, those files would have ended up in the garbage.

“That is ok. It is just in time. I will need this for tomorrow’s meeting.” Brenda assured her that it was not a problem. “I have to run because I also have another meeting.”

“Ok. I will be at my desk.” She mumbled as the older woman disappeared on the corner.

It would seem her luck had not run on her just yet. She thought as she happily walked toward her desk. As expected, she already had several papers piled up on her desk.

She quickly placed her bag in the lower drawer and opened her upper one to get a pen. Then, a white envelope caught her eyes. It was still there.

“Of course.” Silly her, face-palming her forehead. She remembered putting it there after receiving it without bothering to open it. But she forgot all about it because she had been busy. Then, the Edison incident happened.

Now, it was still there.

She wondered what had happened to the man who had given her the envelope. Did it come from him? She touched the smooth surface, debating whether she should open it.

She believed she was overreacting when that man gave it to her. Of course, it was nothing but a piece of paper, probably containing some silly note. She grabbed it with her fingers and ripped the lid off.

She peeked inside, finding something that looked like a bill. It must be her payment for the ruined shirt. Why did he return it to her? As she suspected, she could see a note inside.

Who was that man, remembering he knew her name, but she had no idea of his? But before she could look at the note, her boss entered her area, carrying several files.

“Sorry to dump this on you. But we were short of hand while you were not around.” Brenda dropped several folders on her desk, giving her instructions on what to do with them. The most update n0vels are published on (f)ir(e).nᴇt

She hid the note on her desk, placing it as her last priority. For now, keeping her job was at the top of the list. At least next to her son.