Giving Love Another Chance

Chapter 2

It would be an understatement to say I was nervous about meeting Ryan Collins. There is always a sensation of dread in the pit of my stomach whenever he calls me over to his office, and today is no different. Why? There are many reasons. Firstly, he has made my life a living hell from the moment he joined this work place as my boss. Secondly, we both hate each other with a passion and never get along well. He is an arrogant, self centered jerk with a really attractive face. Yes, you heard me right. He is very handsome.

‘Did you call Ryan Collins attractive? Really,’ the voice inside my head teased. I scoffed. ‘Yes! He is attractive; he should join the modeling industry instead of torturing me every day,' I thought darkly.

My heart started to beat fast when I neared his office. The last time he called me over to his office, it was to deliver the news that my transfer request had been rejected. The guy has some serious issues with me, which made me wonder what is in store for me today.

I stopped in front of his office door and stood there for a few seconds collecting my breath. ’It is going to be fine,’ I tried to calm my racing heart. ‘Let’s get this over with,’ I took a deep breath and gently knocked on his door and opened it slightly.

“May I come in?” I asked politely and waited for his response.

“Yes, Come in,” his deep voice answered.

I made my way inside his office and was greeted with his usual cold stare. He pointed to the vacant seats and motioned for me to sit. I sat in the chair opposite him and mentally prepared myself for the worse.

“Well Sarah, let’s just get straight to the point, okay?” he said excitedly, rubbing his hands together. That is what I love about us; we don’t waste our precious time with greetings.

“I had a meeting with the Senior Managers to evaluate the team’s performance in the last six months. And let me tell you honestly, you have been working really hard, and that’s really appreciable. But,” he paused and looked straight into my eyes. “You will not be promoted as a Senior Associate this cycle. You will have to wait for another six months,” he said.       

  

My eyes widened and I stared at him. “Excuse me?”         

“Yes?” he looked at me with raised eyebrows.        

Anger slowly started to build up inside me and I struggled not to snap at him.  I have been working hard for this promotion, and who is he to tell me that I should wait for another few months, I thought grumpily. ‘He is your manager,’ the voice inside my head reminded me and I ignored it completely. I looked straight into his deep blue eyes and demanded in a strong voice, “Why?”

He frowned and narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?” his voice was cold.

“I was told that I would be getting a promotion after the Mid-Year Performance review. So what do you mean by after six months?” I asked him emphasizing each word.

“Let me remind you here, Miss Anderson,” he gave me a mocking look and continued. “Do you even remember how the team performance was? A few SLA breaches, deployment issues; ring any bell now? Or are you too self-centered to notice it?” He paused and looked at my face, smirking a little.