CHAPTER 1. More than one way to break a heart**JANUARY SEATTLE**"How could you do this?!" Zack Keller's furious roar stopped his girlfriend right at the door as soon as he saw her arrive.Giselle saw a piece of paper in his hand and had no idea what he was talking about, but she had never seen him so upset as he was at that moment."I don't know what you're talking about...""Of course you do! You aborted my child! You lost it on purpose!" he accused her angrily. "Did you at least have the damn intention of telling me anything?!"The woman in front of him turned pale."How... how do you know...?"Zack threw the paper in her direction and looked at her with disappointment."Do you forget you're on my company's health insurance?" he spat, approaching her. "As soon as your last name appeared in the payment records, they notified me. Imagine my joy when I found out the insurance had paid for a pregnancy test and then for an ultrasound!"Giselle stepped away from him, her face red with e

CHAPTER 2. Something is Very Wrong...**NOVEMBER. VANCOUVER**"Andrea! To my office! Now!"The shout from her boss, a middle manager at SportUnike, made her jump in her seat, anxious because she knew he was in a very bad mood that day."Is this a damn joke?" he growled, throwing a folder of documents at her face. "I clearly told you I needed the budget reports for the water sports division from last month!"Andrea's eyes widened."But... Mr. Trembley... I'm sure you said you wanted this month's reports...""Don't argue with me, you useless idiot!" her boss snapped. At fifty years old, Peter Trembley was as unpleasant as his bulging belly, but Andrea had to endure him because she had barely managed to get a job as his assistant, and she and her daughter depended on it to survive. "Don't you realize what's happening? SportUnike is gone! A Swiss bastard bought it, and now we'll just be a part of his company! Do you know what that means?"Andrea knew. The arrival of a new owner had create

CHAPTER 3. A Possible AllyBut if Zack thought something was wrong with the company, his instincts went on high alert when he went down to the parking lot and saw the woman leaning against one of the walls. She was trying to change from high heels to low sneakers, but her hands were shaking.He was tempted to go talk to her, but something in him still resisted getting involved in other people's problems. He had a new company to run; if he wanted Andrea to feel better, he just had to fix his company, not the woman's personal life.Finally, he saw her adjust her coat and step out into the cold street.He watched from a distance and saw she didn't take a taxi or a bus, so she probably lived nearby. He had no idea how wrong he was because Andrea didn't live remotely close; she simply couldn't afford any form of transportation.For forty minutes, the young woman walked through the cold of a Canadian winter, and by the time she finally reached her building, it was almost dark."Good evening

CHAPTER 4: This is War!Trembley's face visibly reddened, and the hardness in his eyes remained."Waiting for Andrea?" he growled. "Are you trying to be funny, or do you not know that interpersonal relationships are prohibited in this company?""Well, I'm a slow learner, but I tend to imitate," Zack replied sarcastically. "Maybe I got confused when I saw you climbing on her like a lizard needing sunlight."The old man clenched his teeth and released Andrea abruptly before walking up to Zack."Don't get in my way, kid. You're just a newcomer, and I can...""What? Fire me?" Zack interrupted with a cold voice. "Well... you can try, but you'll find my job here doesn't depend on you. I belong to the team of the company owner, and only he can fire me. I'm sure he wouldn't look kindly on a manager trying to dismiss me without justified cause."Trembley clenched his fists and glared at Zack with a malevolent, defiant expression."Maybe your job is safe," he spat, "but hers leaves much to be

CHAPTER 5. Difficult DecisionsFurious… no, but definitely frustrated. He couldn't understand why she was so submissive to a guy who was utterly despicable. Sure, he was the boss, but God strike him down if he ever treated any of his employees like that!Andrea not only tried to do her best, but she did it well. You'd have to be blind not to see that the idiot Trembley minimized her just to keep her controlled. Zack didn't know why it angered him that she allowed it, but it bothered him that she was so docile with her boss.As soon as he saw she was less watched, he followed her to the copy room and closed the door behind him."Hey, were you born with a neck problem?" he asked, stopping her. Andrea looked at him, confused."Excuse me?" she murmured, not understanding."It's just that your head only moves up and down to say yes. I haven't seen you move it sideways even once to say no!" Zack hissed, and the girl pressed her lips together, her cheeks flushing."Because it's not easy..."

CHAPTER 6: An UltimatumSaying Andrea had worked hard to prepare and earn a promotion to an apprentice representative was an understatement.Trembley was more than upset to see her spending so much time with Zack, but his first attempt to fire him was also his last."But he's getting too close to one of his colleagues! That's not allowed in this company!" he bellowed at the Human Resources manager."Well, I sent his termination letter to corporate, and they sent it back with a big DENIED stamp," the man replied. "You can't fire him."Trembley stormed out of there, more furious than ever. In four months, Andrea had managed to evade him, but now it seemed she had someone helping her. And that idiot Zack seemed untouchable.Andrea, on her part, kept dodging Trembley as much as she could. Despite Trembley's relentless workload, she took every spare moment to study the materials Zack gave her.She had put everything else aside to study. As soon as Adriana fell asleep next to her, she would

CHAPTER 7: An Ultimatum"Exam? Please! You’re just another one of the useless secretaries passing through here with impossible dreams. Be realistic!" he spat with disgust. "Do you really think someone like you can reach that high? That's absurd!"Andrea felt the ground tremble beneath her. She hadn't dared to imagine how painful this could be."Why is it absurd?" she asked in a voice that tried to sound firm but came out shaky. "I’m an intelligent woman. I was a teacher...""You’re a secretary! What would you know about sports?" Trembley mocked. "You’re useless and idealistic. Do you think watching a few games will make you the next star sports agent?"Andrea didn’t understand what was happening. Trembley didn’t even want to test her. She couldn’t believe how unfair this was, but she knew she couldn’t confront him."Don’t waste my time with this nonsense, Andrea!" the fat man hissed as he handed the folder back."No need!" a voice boomed behind her. "You’re already wasting it running

CHAPTER 8. No Way Out"No... I don’t want to be that kind of person," she stammered, unable to hold back her tears."Then I’ll fire you," Trembley declared without a shred of compassion. "Those are your options. Either you sleep with me and be sure you'll have a promising future here, or you refuse and this termination letter becomes effective tomorrow... and the day after tomorrow, prepare to lose your daughter."Andrea was trapped between two fires; she didn't care about the promotion, but if she refused Trembley's offer, she'd lose her job. And as if he needed to give her a final push, Trembley leaned in and began signing the termination letter."Wait..." Andrea murmured, and that was all the old man needed. He took a paper, wrote an address, and handed it to her. "Meet me here tonight. Now get out of my office."With a trembling hand and knowing she had no other way out, Andrea took the paper and left. She tried to cry unnoticed, but unfortunately, the damn company didn’t have the

CHAPTER 9. Ten seconds to let her go Andrea hugged herself, trying to fend off the cold as she cried, feeling trapped between a rock and a hard place. Her heart was racing, her mind was confused about many things, but one thing was clear: she couldn't lose her daughter. She looked at Adriana, asleep in her bassinet on that mattress, and sobbed desperately, realizing there was no way out. She could report Trembley for harassment, but by the time the process was completed, she would already be fired and penniless. Additionally, it would go on her work record, making it very hard to find a new job where they wouldn’t fear a lawsuit.With a trembling hand, she knocked on her neighbor’s door again."Mrs. Wilson... I know this is too much to ask, but I have an emergency at work. Please, could you take care of Adriana for a few more hours?"Mrs. Wilson realized something was wrong, so she gladly stayed with the baby."I'm sorry you're going through a tough time, Andrea. Neither you nor thi

CHAPTER 10. Can't or Won't!?“That’s a woman! One who doesn’t want to sleep with you! Or did that glass of vomit not tell you anything?” Zack retorted sarcastically, because Andrea had had the most honest reaction in the world.“She wants to move up! Promotions cost, that’s no news. She came here on her own, so she can deal with the consequences of her decision,” Trembley spat with contempt. “That’s how climber sluts are: if she wants to climb up, who am I to refuse?”Zack gritted his teeth in anger.“Do you think I’m stupid?” he hissed in disgust. “Andrea didn’t come here because she wants to move up, she came because you fired her.” Trembley clenched his teeth in disbelief. “That’s right. I went into your office and saw the dismissal letter. You swapped her job, which she depends on, for sleeping with you…”“You’re fired!” Trembley shouted furiously. “You can’t break into a manager’s office! I’m the boss in that company and you’re just another employee! Tomorrow morning, you’re fire