The Intern Who Reported the Boss, Not Knowing the Boss Signs Her Salary Chapter 03

The Intern Who Reported the Boss, Not Knowing the Boss Signs Her Salary Chapter 03

Dead silence.

The senior designers in the room, people I’d personally recruited and hired years ago—suddenly found their desks deeply fascinating.

Brielle’s face tightened.

She hadn’t expected every single person to stay silent.

She clenched her jaw and stiffened her neck. “I’m the Special Assistant to the CEO. I oversee every employee in this company. That makes me your superior. If you’ve got a problem with it, take it up with Mr. Ashford.”

“Sure.” I nodded and picked up my phone. “I’ll call him right now.”

A ripple of soft gasps moved through the office.

Everyone thought I’d lost my mind. A “washed-up” senior employee, openly challenging the CEO’s authority.

Brielle’s face broke into a victorious smile.

I ignored her and pulled up Colton’s contact. The call connected on the second ring.

“Yeah?” His voice was the same steady, measured tone as always.

“Colton, come to the design department.”

My tone was calm. Flat. No formalities, no explanations, like I was giving an order to a subordinate.

A beat of silence. Then, “On my way.”

I hung up and set my phone gently on the desk.

Brielle folded her arms and let out a cold laugh. “Nice act. Let’s see how you talk your way out of this when Mr. Ashford gets here.”

I didn’t answer. I pulled out my chair, sat back down, and regarded her with the kind of leisure that only made her angrier.

Less than three minutes later, Colton’s tall frame filled the design department doorway.

He’d developed a commanding presence in the years I’d mentored him. The whole room felt it. The air thinned.

Brielle rushed toward him, her voice already curdling into wounded indignation.

“Mr. Ashford, thank God. Sloane Whitfield blatantly broke company policy, eating at her desk, scrolling on her phone. I applied the new fine and she refused it.”

“Then she mouthed off at me. And then she actually called you. Right in front of everyone. She has absolutely no respect for your authority or this company’s policies.”

She punctuated the speech with sharp sidelong glances at me.

Colton’s eyes landed on me. His brow furrowed barely.

The look was complicated. Impatience. Assessment. Something else I couldn’t read.

Three years had transformed him into a polished businessman. Cold. Decisive.

“Sloane, what’s going on?” His voice was clipped. No warmth.

I lifted my eyes to meet his. Steady.

“Exactly what she said. I drank half a glass of water. I ate one cracker. I looked at my phone for three minutes.”

I paused and pushed the small plate of crackers toward him.

“Mr. Ashford probably doesn’t know my blood sugar crashes. Admin keeps those stocked for me. On purpose.”

“As for the phone…” I tilted the screen toward him. The client group chat was still open.

“William Prescott from Westfield just sent a thank-you and offered us a referral. Thought that was worth sharing. Wanted the team to see it in real time. You know, keep spirits up. Didn’t exactly read that as ‘screwing around on my phone.’”

Colton’s expression darkened.

Brielle saw her opening and threw more fuel on the fire.

“Mr. Ashford, don’t let her spin this. Rules are rules. She doesn’t get a free pass. This is pure seniority arrogance, she’s challenging your authority right in front of everyone. If you don’t make an example of her today, nobody’s going to take the new policies seriously.”