The Divorced Heiress Is Entering a New Marriage

Logan would work day and night to keep any of his employees from being laid off, but the numbers didn’t add up. Even if he worked 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, he wouldn’t be able meet the new efficiency standard for everyone else on his own.

The new standard was demanding, damn near impossible maybe, but this was what the company now required of its employees. Anyone who couldn’t reach this goal would need to be set aside for someone

who could.

All of this was board–approved. It also reeked of his grandfather’s influence.

The talk at the high society party still loomed over Logan’s head. His father had threatened, this isn’t over. This had to be part of that.

It was also likely in part connected to his challenge against Hazel.

Yet if this was how much he thought the working class needed to achieve in order to be as valuable as a high–ranking executive or member of the high society, then he was clearly deluding himself.

Logan’s employees were not slackers. They came in, did their work during work hours, and then went home. Grandfather seemed to think they should be living at the office. Who needed a personal life? Work was all that mattered.

As if Grandfather would have ever sacrificed his tri–weekly golf game when he was CEO.

Even with that suspicion, though, Logan was powerless to actually do anything about it. A standard voted on and agreed upon by the board had to be honored.

Which meant the numbers had to go up. One way or another.

Which meant layoffs.

Logan knew he was being hard on Hazel, assigning her as much work as he was, but he also knew she would deliver. With these accounts, she would be guaranteed to exceed the standard. He wouldn’t have to lay her off.

She wouldn’t know that he was giving her special treatment after all. No one else would either, not even if they looked closely at the numbers.

Hazel was capable. She could handle the additional work.

“Sacrifices need to be made,” Logan told her. “By everyone. Including me.

“I understand,” he said, her face schooled to hide her expression. She wasn’t very good at hiding it though. Logan could clearly see how frustrated and annoyed she was.

He’d already seen that same expression on a handful of employees this morning, when he’d walked down. to the bathroom. He was expecting to see it many more times before the end of the day.

One thing about working hard, the day sure seemed to fly. Too fast, actually. It was nearing five and I still had half a days‘ work to get through before I could even think about going home.

I wasn’t the only one. Complaints had begun to spark in the office, whispered gossip here and there creeping down the halls.

Everyone had too much work. No one was going to be able to leave on time.

I watched on the work group chat as very few co–workers actually logged off. Those that did had prior commitments: children, aging parents, etc. People who needed their jobs but also had a responsibility at

home.

Surely they wouldn’t be punished for having lives outside of work? But I wasn’t so sure. Logan’s attitude this morning had been something completely different, I understood that these new orders came down from on high, but surely he could push back.

As I watched a few more people log off, I felt confident that Logan would do the right thing. He would protect his employees, surely.

Then, a new company–wide message went through the group chat. It was from Logan.

Anyone who cannot commit their all to this job does not deserve to have it.

My stomach dropped. What a terrible attitude, and for Logan to be the one to have it! Was he becoming like those high society snobs at the party? Or had he always been like them all the while?

Despite this glaring evidence to the contrary, I still didn’t want to believe that Logan meant these words. So I left my desk and entered his office.

Seated behind his desk, he was looking at the computer screen while scribbling down a list of names.

“What are you doing?” I asked, too stunned for formalities. All content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.

“Writing down the name of anyone who is leaving early, without having completed their work for the day,” Logan replied, voice cool and monotone. He sounded like a robot, uncaring. Unfeeling. “The board will want the list, to help determine who should be let go.”

More talk of layoffs, of firing.

I walked toward the front of Logan’s desk. “This is too far, don’t you think?”

“I didn’t make these new standards,” Logan said.

“But you are the CEO. Can’t you push back a little?”

Logan paused what he was doing to look up at me. It was a flat, don’t tell me how to do my job, kind of look, but I held my ground. I had stopped being overly intimidated by Logan long ago. He was still an intimidating man, of course. But I knew he had a soft spot for me.

“That’s not how this works, Hazel. And you would do well to remember that.”

“Everyone is working hard,” I said.

“Not hard enough” Logan narrowed his eyes at me. “Doesn’t it upset you that some of your coworkers are leaving, their work unfinished, leaving you and I to flounder in their absence?”

I blinked, startled by his words. What underhanded tactics! Was he attempting to manipulate me into resenting my coworkers rather than the system that forced all this work upon us to begin with?

And the way Logan delivered the words, so smoothly, with his perfect CEO voice.

He scared me sometimes, the way he could detach from his feelings like that. Did he truly believe what

he was saying? Or was he aware of his manipulation here?

“What upsets me,” I said, “is that the board placed these impossible standards on us to start with. Are they staying late as well? Should I expect some of them to come to the office to help with the workload?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“Don’t be petty, Hazel,” Logan scoffed. “Their duties are far more important than….” He cut himself off.

“Then what? Mine?”

“I didn’t say that,” he said.

dhe

But that was what he meant. What else could he mean?

Logan

lowered his head and sighed. “I don’t want to fight with you. We are all under a tremendous amount of pressure.”

Right. That was true. Logan’s new dickassery could be because of the pressure and the stress. I needed. to be more understanding, especially as his wife.

I forced myself to take several long breaths, aiming for calm.

“Good. Now that that’s settled, I’ve already received a preliminary list of layoffs, based on past performances. Logan slid a sheet of paper across the desk toward me.

So staying late wasn’t going to save some people. What the heck was the board thinking? Was the company in such dire straits that these actions were necessary?

Or was this really all just punishment from Logan’s sadistic father?

Logan looked at the list, then up at me, as if waiting.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him.

“I’m truly very sorry about this…”

Stomach dropping, I snatched the list from the desk and searched for my name. I wasn’t there.

But there, third down from the top, was someone I knew and loved.

Maria.

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