Page 57 of The Bratva's Secret Twins

At last, my dreams and aspirations were gradually becoming a reality; that had been the first step, and I’d decided that I was going to give it my best shot.

I did, actually; I gave it my all, and after only months in the office, I was already breaking ground. I knew I was good at what I did, so whenever my boss gave us tasks to run, I was always first to finish. A touch of excellence was something I’d added to any task given to me, and I also went for those assignments that my colleagues were afraid of, those that were too daunting and required critical thinking.

I was a critical thinker, and I understood something that they didn’t: to get the big bosses to notice you, you had to get their attention. The best way to get their attention was by daring to do what others were shying away from, by identifying a problem and finding a solution.

This was the secret to my promotion.

Mr. Rodriguez, my boss, had always complained about losing our customers and workers to a rival company. He’d talked about it so casually, and nobody seemed interested in his pain. So, I’d dedicated a few weeks to reading books and researching. Taking it upon myself to solve this issue, I’d delved deep into my studies and finally figured it out.

One day, Mr. Rodriguez had mentioned the case again at the office. I’d casually given him my honest opinion, telling him everything that I had learned, but he hadn’t seemed impressed. He’d just stood there, looking at me blankly.

I could hear the murmurs of my colleagues; some had mocked me, saying that I was a show-off.

Mr. Rodriguez had completely ignored me and said a few things to the other workers before leaving for his office.

I’d been so embarrassed, especially because those who I knew disliked me were laughing openly at me.

“Poor thing. She thought she could impress the boss.”

“Maybe she was hoping to get a bonus or a salary increase.”

They laughed out loud.

I made a decision not to ever pull such a stunt like that again, and the next day, I almost didn’t go to work, but I managed to pull myself out of bed.

Seated at my desk, minding my own business, I heard my colleague discussing an ongoing board meeting with some highly respected stakeholders. They were saying that the meeting could change the company for good.

I didn’t care enough to pry, so I focused my attention on my monitor.

“Hey, Keith!” Mr. Rodriguez stuck his head out the conference room door.

I turned to him, afraid of what I’d done this time and still pissed at the way he’d embarrassed me the day before.

“Can you get over here?”

I glanced around to ensure that I was the one he was talking to.

“Me?” I raised my brows, confused.

“Is there another Kiara Keith in this office? Get in here, now.”

With a racing heart, I jumped to my feet, and all my colleagues were squinting, just as puzzled as I was.

I walked stiffly into the conference hall, following him to his seat.

“Mr. Rodriguez, is this about what I said yesterday…?” I whispered to him.

“You’re damn right, it is,” he replied, cutting me off.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cross any boundaries. I promise, I—”

“Ladies and gentlemen….”

Once again, he ignored me, addressing the serious-faced men and women seated at the table, clad in their expensive suits.

“Meet the brain behind that fantastic idea I shared with you.” He turned to me with a smile.

My heart sank into my stomach, and I swallowed hard, realizing what he was up to.

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