Chapter 192

It was clear Jonathan had no intention of respecting my wishes. He was determined to force me back to him.

I spoke through clenched teeth. “Fine. Then tell your boss that even if he wants to renovate this place for the rest of his life, I don’t care.”

I couldn’t take my frustration out on the employees. They were just regular workers, caught in the middle. All I could do was ask them to pass on the message.

This time, I was not going to him. No matter what. Because I knew that if I reached out again, I would be admitting defeat.

I turned and went back into my office, closed the door, and ordered some soundproof foam strips online. The effect was minimal, but still better than nothing.

As I bustled around trying to fix things, a few of the employees came over to me.

“It’s alright, Ms. Sawyer. We can just wear noise-canceling headphones,” one of them said.

I nodded. “I guess that’s all we can do for now. I’m really sorry…”

I looked at them with guilt in my eyes. “This whole mess wasn’t supposed to happen. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have to work in a place like this.”

“Ms. Sawyer, don’t say that. You gave us jobs. You’re offering benefits most companies wouldn’t. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have found work this good.” Yvonne’s voice was firm and sincere.

Celine nodded beside her. “Besides, we’re a startup. It’s totally normal to hit some bumps in the beginning.”

Kieran chimed in as well. “No matter what you decide, we’re with you. We’ll see this through together.”

We’d only been working together for about a month. But we already knew each other well enough to trust one another.

I didn’t feel like their boss. I felt more like their partner.

From a corner of the room, Samuel glanced over while typing on his laptop. He added dryly, “As long as the paycheck clears, I’ll do whatever job you want.”

I let out a laugh. “Don’t worry. I’ll never shortchange you.”

When it came to salaries, I had always been generous. A large chunk of the company’s current budget was dedicated to paying them, and they had all given me their full effort in return.

I let out a long breath and clapped my hands together to rally everyone.

“If the noise gets too overwhelming, just take a break. We’re not in a rush. What matters most is the quality of the game we’re building, and your well-being comes first. Understood?”

“Understood,” they replied in unison.

But their voices were instantly drowned out by the piercing sound of the electric drill next door.

I forced a smile and sat back down at my desk, pretending everything was fine. But the noise was unbearable, drilling straight into my skull.

I could only imagine how everyone else was feeling.

I managed to get through the first day without going to Jonathan. But after three or four more days of the same chaos, I began looking for a new location.

My funds were limited. Even renting this place had cost me a small fortune.

Despite its simplicity, it was located in the city center. The rent alone was over a hundred thousand a month. If things kept going like this, our productivity would grind to a halt. Without a decent product, we would run out of cash. And once that happened, bankruptcy would be the only outcome.

Was I supposed to go back to Jonathan, return to being his secretary?

And if I did that, how many years would it take to earn 100 million?

Was I really going to spend the rest of my life watching him and Alicia play out their perfect love story, while I stood in the background as nothing more than a prop to highlight their romance?