EMILY'S POV
I grabbed Jace's arm and pulled him slightly aside, dropping my voice to an urgent whisper. "Shut the fuck up. What are you doing? We're both going to lose our jobs if you keep this up."
But Jace didn't even look at me. His eyes remained fixed on Miranda with an intensity that made the air feel heavy.
Miranda let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "Oh, I see what this is. You must think because you have a pretty face you can sleep your way around here just like Emily did. Is that it? Did she promise you something in exchange for defending her?"
Jace's jaw tightened and when he spoke, his voice was dangerously calm. "That's rich coming from you, Miranda. I think you're confusing me with someone else. Someone who showed up at my office uninvited last night and threw herself at me despite being told no."
Miranda's face went scarlet and several people around us exchanged shocked glances.
"Consider yourself fired," Jace said flatly. "Effective immediately."
The murmurs that had been rippling through the office exploded into full gasps and whispered conversations. People pulled out their phones, probably texting other departments about what was happening. This was going to be all over the company within minutes.
Miranda's mouth fell open before she recovered, her expression twisting into something ugly. "Are you drunk? Is that what this is? Because it's very clear that you are and I'm going to make sure you're fired before Emily even packs her desk. Who the hell do you think you are?"
"Jace, please," I cut in desperately, turning to face him fully. My hands were shaking as I grabbed his sleeve. "Just apologize. Tell her you were out of line. I can't lose this job. I've worked too hard and sacrificed too much. Please, just apologize."
"No," Jace said simply, still not looking at me.
My stomach dropped. "Jace….."
"Let me properly introduce myself," he said loudly, addressing not just Miranda but the entire office full of stunned employees. His voice carried across the open workspace with absolute confidence. "My name is Jace Callahan. CEO and majority shareholder of Callahan Enterprises."
The silence that followed was absolute and suffocating.
I stared at him, my brain refusing to process what he'd just said. "Cut the crap, Jace. This isn't funny."
Miranda recovered first, her face contorting with rage. "That's it. I'm calling security and then I'm calling my lawyer. You're going to be sued for fraud, for impersonation, for—for lying on such a massive scale. Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you're in?"
"Show me your credentials then," someone from the crowd called out. "If you're really the CEO, prove it."
Jace reached into his inner jacket pocket without hesitation and pulled out a leather wallet. From it, he extracted a sleek black card and held it up for everyone to see. The company logo was embossed in gold across the top, and beneath it in crisp white lettering read: JACE CALLAHAN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, CALLAHAN ENTERPRISES.
He walked forward and handed the ID card to the nearest employee who took it with trembling hands. He examined it closely, turning it over, holding it up to the light to check for authenticity markers.
"It's real," he said quietly, his voice filled with disbelief. "The hologram, the security features, everything checks out. This is a legitimate company ID."
He passed it to the person next to him and the card made its way through the crowd as person after person confirmed what he had said. Each examination was followed by wider eyes and dropped jaws. The gasps and murmurs grew louder with each passing second until the entire office was buzzing with shocked energy.
I felt like the floor had disappeared beneath my feet. My vision swam slightly as I tried to reconcile the man standing in front of me, the man I'd slept with twice, the man I'd been training as a junior analyst, with the words CEO of Callahan Enterprises.
"That's impossible," I heard myself say weakly. "You're a trainee. You started three weeks ago. You reported to me. I assigned you work. You can't be…"
Jace finally turned to look at me and something in his expression was almost apologetic. "That was then. I might as well be regarded as the CEO now. Your CEO."
"You lied," I whispered, and I hated how my voice cracked slightly. "You lied to everyone."
"I omitted the truth," he corrected gently. "There's a difference."
Miranda had gone completely pale, all the fight draining out of her as the reality of the situation sank in. She'd just tried to fire an employee in front of the actual CEO. She'd accused him of sleeping his way to the top. She'd threatened to sue him.
"Mr. Callahan," she started, her voice suddenly small and uncertain. "I didn't know. If I had known who you were, I never would have…"
"That's exactly the problem," Jace cut her off coldly. "You wouldn't have treated me this way if you'd known who I was. But you had no problem slapping Emily, publicly humiliating her, making baseless accusations about her professionalism and how she earned her position. You had no problem trying to destroy her career over nothing."
He took a step toward Miranda and she actually flinched. "You're fired, Miranda. Not because you disrespected me, but because of how you've treated the people who work under you. Pack your things and security will escort you out."