Chapter 18: The $350,000 Prize

She couldn't afford to lose this job.

"Mr. Carter." Sophie's voice softened almost instantly. The straight line of her spine collapsed, her words carried a tremor she hadn't realized was there. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean it that way..."

Pride had no value now.

Her head dropped, eyes fixed on her own fingers. It felt like dragging every ounce of strength from deep inside just to push the words out. "Please... don't fire me. I need this job. I... I owe a huge debt. I have to pay it back."

When the last word left her lips, she felt like a bird with broken wings, waiting for the final strike.

The car fell silent again.

After a long pause, Sebastian spoke, voice calm, unreadable. "Debt?"

He leaned slightly toward her, the cool scent of him mixed with faint traces of whiskey wrapping around her. "From what I know, the company runs strict background checks on core positions. Your financial record was spotless when you joined."

Heat rushed to her cheeks. The shame of being exposed made her want to disappear.

She gave up on hiding. Her tone turned flat, almost numb, as she explained -- how her younger brother had been conned into a high-interest loan of three hundred thousand dollars, how debt collectors had shown up at her door.

By the end, her voice was barely audible, heavy with exhaustion.

Sebastian listened without interruption, his expression unreadable.

When she finished, his reply was cold and sharp. "A bottomless pit. Help someone like that once, and they'll drag you down forever. Your kindness should have limits."

The words struck her like a match, igniting the anger she'd been swallowing all night.

Limits? Who was he to judge her family, the bond she valued more than anything?

She bit back what she wanted to say.

Forget it. He wasn't from her world. He wouldn't understand.

"Mr. Carter, you don't get it." She sighed quietly. "For people like us, family ties can be a trap... and it's not that easy to cut them loose."

The moment the words left her mouth, her heart dropped.

Why had she said that? Why did it matter whether he understood or not?

Her teeth pressed into her lip as she saw his face harden, the temperature in the car dropping.

This was it. She could already picture the termination notice on her desk tomorrow.

But instead of the explosion she expected, Sebastian simply looked at her. In his ice-blue eyes was something she couldn't read -- surprise, curiosity... and a flicker of amusement.

It was as if he'd never seen this side of her before. The Sophie who was always polished, obedient, professional... replaced by a small, bristling cat daring to bare its claws. And somehow, that seemed far more real to him.

The heavy air in the car gradually thinned.

Just when she thought he might throw her out, Sebastian broke eye contact. His voice returned to its usual even tone, as though the argument had never happened.

"When the smart home project wraps, the bonus will be at least six figures."

He paused, watching the blur of city lights outside. His words weren't loud, but they landed clearly. "Spend less time snapping at me, and more on getting the job done."

Sophie blinked. Of all the outcomes she'd imagined, this wasn't one.

For all his coldness and cutting remarks, he was... fair.

She looked at his profile, sharp against the window's reflection, and opened her mouth. But nothing came. An apology felt hollow. Gratitude, too thin.

In the end, she swallowed everything and said only, "Yes, Mr. Carter."

The car stopped in front of the company building.

"The Riverside District proposal." Sebastian unbuckled his seatbelt, his tone all business again. "On my desk tomorrow morning."

She didn't answer, just got out and followed him into the empty building.

That night's clash and uneasy truce sank like a stone in deep water -- ripples gone, replaced by the grind of work.

The debt hung over her like a blade. Sebastian had given her one way out. She had no choice but to take it, and climb.

The next week, the smart home project team went into overdrive.

Office lights burned through the night. Coffee cups and takeout boxes piled in the corners. The air was thick with urgency and adrenaline.

As project secretary, Sophie was the hub. She moved like a machine wound to the breaking point -- connecting departments, sorting endless data, coordinating meetings. Three to four hours of sleep a night. Her eyes were bloodshot. Only black coffee keeping her upright.

Sebastian never mentioned that night again, but he stayed at the office until late almost every day. Sometimes he'd step out of his office, walk the floor in silence. His gaze would drift, almost idly, to the slim figure bent over a stack of files, shoulders straight despite the weight.

Seven days of relentless work later, the project closed flawlessly, securing the most critical piece of the Riverside District market.

On Friday afternoon, Sebastian called the team together.

He stood at the front of the conference room, his expression as severe as always. But his words lit the room in seconds.

"Good work. The project was a success." His summary was brief. Then, to Aiden: "Tell finance to process the bonuses before the end of the day. Also, the entire team gets three days of paid leave next week. Tonight, celebration dinner at the Grand Globe Hotel. My treat."

For a moment, silence. Then cheers erupted, loud enough to shake the walls.

No one had expected the bonus so soon. No one had expected Mr. Carter to be... generous.

Sophie stood among them, watching her colleagues' joy, feeling like she was in a dream.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket.

She glanced down. A bank notification lit the screen. The number was long, clear.

Three hundred and fifty thousand dollars. In her account.