He Fired Her Without Regret… But Jealousy Made the CEO Run Back to Her Arms
Rising to New Heights
Natasha sat in her small Brooklyn apartment, staring at the untouched cup of tea growing cold on her coffee table. Three days had passed since the worst moment of her professional life and she had barely left her couch.
Her sister, Sophie, had stayed with her the first night, holding her while she cried. Then she forced her to eat soup and take a shower the next morning.
“You need to get angry,” Sophie had said, her dark eyes flashing with protective fury.
“Stop being sad and start being mad that man treated you like garbage after 4 years of you making his life work.”
Natasha had not felt angry yet. She just felt hollow, as if Damian had scooped out something essential and left her empty.
Her phone buzzed for the hundredth time. These were messages from former colleagues expressing shock and support. Jennifer from legal had written a long text about how unfair the firing had been. Michael from security had sent a simple message saying she deserved better.
Even people from other departments who barely knew her had reached out. But there was nothing from Damian. Not an apology, not a second thought, nothing. On the fourth morning, something shifted. Natasha woke up and, instead of feeling crushed, she felt a spark of determination.
She had worked too hard and come too far to let one arrogant man destroy her career. She showered properly, styled her hair, put on makeup, and dressed in her favorite emerald green dress. Then she opened her laptop and began updating her resume.
As she typed out her accomplishments from the past four years, she realized something startling. She had been incredible at her job. She had managed complex schedules, negotiated with difficult clients, coordinated million-dollar deals, and kept an entire executive office running smoothly.
One mistake did not erase four years of excellence. A surprising opportunity email came that afternoon while she was researching job opportunities. The sender was Katherine Price, CEO of Price Holdings, one of Cross Industries’s main competitors.
“Dear Miss Cole, I hope this message finds you well despite recent circumstances. I would like to discuss a position at Price Holdings that I believe would be an excellent fit for your considerable talents. Would you be available for lunch tomorrow?”
Natasha read the message three times, her heart beating faster. Price Holdings was a major player in commercial development, known for treating employees well and promoting from within. Katherine Price herself had a reputation as a tough but fair leader who valued loyalty and competence.
She typed her response carefully.
“Dear Mrs. Price, thank you for reaching out. I would be very interested in discussing this opportunity. Tomorrow works perfectly for me.”
That evening, she called Sophie with the news.
“This is amazing!” her sister squealed through the phone.
“Price Holdings is huge! What kind of position do you think she is offering?”
“I have no idea, but I am going to walk in there tomorrow and show her exactly what Cross Industries just lost.”
The next day, Natasha arrived at the restaurant 15 minutes early, a habit ingrained from years of managing Damian’s schedule. Katherine Price arrived exactly on time, a striking woman in her early 50s with silver hair cut in a sharp bob and intelligent brown eyes.
“Miss Cole, thank you for meeting me.”
Katherine’s handshake was firm and confident.
“I’ve heard a great deal about you over the years. Your reputation in the industry is exceptional.”
They ordered lunch and Katherine got straight to business.
“I need an operations director for our new East Coast expansion. The position involves overseeing multiple projects, managing teams, coordinating with executives, and essentially ensuring that chaos becomes order.”
She smiled.
“From what I understand, that is exactly what you have been doing.”
“Except you were doing it for the past 4 years without the title or compensation you deserved.”
Natasha felt her throat tighten with emotion.
“That is a significant promotion from executive assistant work.”
“Executive assistant is a misleading title for what you actually did. You ran that office, Miss Cole. Everyone in the industry knows it. Damian Cross may have been the face of his company, but you are the backbone.”
Katherine leaned forward.
“I do not make decisions based on gossip, but I do pay attention to patterns. The pattern I see is a highly capable woman who made one small error after years of flawless work, then was punished excessively for it.”
“How did you know about the error?”
“Because Rivera Holdings works with us on several projects. Antonio Rivera told me what happened, including how professionally you handled the situation and how quickly you implemented damage control. That kind of grace under pressure is exactly what I need.”
They discussed the position in detail. The salary was 40% higher than what Natasha had been making. She would have her own team, her own office, and real authority to make decisions. It was everything she had dreamed about but never thought she would achieve so soon.
“There is one thing you should know,” Katherine said as lunch concluded.
“Our offices are on Fifth Avenue, just three blocks from Cross Industries. You may run into your former employer occasionally. I need to know that will not be a problem for you.”
Natasha thought about it for a moment, then smiled.
“Actually, I think I would enjoy that very much.”
Across town, Damian Cross was discovering that running an empire was considerably harder without the woman who had made it all possible.
His new assistant, Rosa, was competent enough on paper, but she did not anticipate his needs the way Natasha had. She did not know that he needed coffee at specific times or that certain clients required extra diplomacy. She didn’t know his schedule needed buffer time.
“Mr. Cross, the Sterling meeting has been moved up by an hour,” Rosa announced, poking her head into his office.
Damian looked up sharply.
“When was I informed of this change?”
“The email came through this morning. I assumed you saw it.”
“You assumed?”
He tried to keep his voice level.
“Natasha never assumed anything. She confirmed every change directly.”
Rosa’s expression flickered with hurt, but she nodded and retreated. Damian immediately felt guilty.
It was not Rosa’s fault that she was not Natasha. No one could be Natasha. His brother Julian appeared in his doorway that evening, loosening his tie as he surveyed the disaster of Damian’s office. Papers were scattered across every surface. Coffee cups multiplied like weeds.
Damian himself looked exhausted.
“You look terrible,” Julian said bluntly, dropping into a chair.
“When did you last sleep properly?”
“I am fine.”
“You are not fine. You are a mess.”
Julian was 3 years younger but often seemed wiser.
“The Sterling meeting was a disaster today. You were unprepared, unfocused, and frankly rude to their CFO.”
Damian rubbed his temples where a headache was building.
“The meeting time changed.”
“Yes, an hour earlier. Something Natasha would have caught and prepared you for.”
Julian leaned forward.
“Brother, you need to admit that firing her was a mistake.”
“She compromised confidential information.”
“She made one error in 4 years. One error while working under extreme pressure that you created.”
Julian’s voice was firm but not unkind.
“Meanwhile, you have made three significant mistakes just this week because you do not have her managing the details.”
“You are too proud to admit you need help with them.”
Damian wanted to argue but he could not. Julian was right. Without Natasha, his entire operation was falling apart. Meetings were missed or poorly prepared for. Clients were becoming frustrated with his disorganization.
Even his coffee tasted wrong because no one else knew exactly how he liked it. But worse than all of that was the emptiness he felt every morning when he walked into his office and she was not there. There was no warm smile.
There was no detailed briefing about his day or subtle improvements she had made to his schedule overnight. He missed her, not just as an assistant, but as a person. She was the one constant in his chaotic world who made everything better by being present.
“I think I made a terrible mistake,” he admitted quietly.
Julian sat back, studying his brother’s face.
“You did. The question is, what are you going to do about it?”
