His Boss Drove the Single Dad Crazy — Until Her Sudden Kiss Changed Everything
The Weight of Professional Demands
The taste of coffee turned bitter in Mark’s mouth as Victoria stormed into the conference room. Her heels clicked like warning shots against the marble floor.
Another impossible deadline. Another weekend he’d have to explain to his daughter why daddy couldn’t make it to her soccer game.
He never imagined that the woman who made his professional life a living hell would be the same one to heal his broken heart. But life has a way of surprising you when you least expect it.
Mark Jenkins clutched his coffee mug tighter as Victoria Chen, the newly appointed marketing director at Horizon Publishing, swept into the morning meeting exactly 7 minutes late. Not that anyone would dare mention it.
Her tailored charcoal suit and perfectly styled Bob commanded respect. The room fell silent as she dropped her leather portfolio onto the conference table.
“The Bradshaw proposal needs to be completely redone,” she announced without preamble, her dark eyes scanning the room before landing on Mark. “The client hated it. We need a fresh concept by Monday morning.”
Mark felt his stomach drop. “Monday? That’s impossible. It’s already Thursday and I have my daughter this weekend.”
Victoria’s expression didn’t change. “I don’t pay you to tell me what’s impossible, Jenkins. I pay you to make the impossible happen.”
She turned to address the rest of the team, effectively dismissing his concerns. Mark bit back the words burning in his throat.
At 36, he was too old and too responsible to tell his boss exactly what he thought of her unreasonable demands. Emma was only 8, and since the divorce 2 years ago, their weekends together were sacred.
But this job paid the bills, covered Emma’s asthma medication, and kept a roof over their heads. As the meeting dispersed, Mark lingered, gathering his courage.
Victoria was reviewing notes, seemingly oblivious to his presence until she spoke without looking up. “Something else, Jenkins?”
“My daughter’s soccer championship is Saturday. I promised I’d be there.”
Victoria finally raised her eyes, studying him with an unreadable expression. “Your personal life isn’t my concern. The Bradshaw account is worth seven figures. Make it work.”
Mark watched her walk away, the familiar anger bubbling up inside him. Victoria Chen had been his boss for 6 months, and in that time she’d earned a reputation for being brilliant, demanding, and utterly heartless.
The office nicknamed her the ice queen, though never within earshot. What made it worse was that before her promotion, they’d worked well together.
Mark had even admired her creativity and drive. Now it seemed she’d forgotten what it was like to be in the trenches, to balance work with real life.
