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"I know." I try to keep my voice steady. "Things have just been... complicated.”
Sarah gives me a long, hard look. “Hunter. I know you have a lot going on... but we need the CEO, not the man who’s pining over his lost love.”
Her words sting, but they also ring true. I can’t let my personal life affect the company.
Sarah leans on the desk, her eyes softening. "You cared for her. I get that. More than anyone else in this building, I get that. But Hunter, you have a company to run."
"I know, Sarah" I reply, rubbing the back of my neck. "It's just, every time I look up, I expect her to walk through that door."
Sarah sighs, her eyes welling up with sympathy. "And maybe she will. But right now, this company needs you. The employees need you. You need to get it together."
I need to get it together. But God, it's hard.
“I’ll get it taken care of today.”
“Thank you.”
She turns to leave, but I interrupt her. "Sarah, has anyone applied for the assistant position yet? Nothing has come through my email. Did I miss something?"
She shakes her head. "No applications yet."
"Okay. Keep me updated."
Sarah pauses with her hand on the doorknob. I notice her hesitation before she finally says, "Hunter..."
"What is it?"
She turns around, her face looking pale. "There are... online threads," she starts. "About you. About how... challenging it is to work for you."
"What?"
"Yes." She nods. "They're discussing past employees' experiences, saying you're difficult to work for. It might be part of the reason why we don't have any applications yet..."
"That can't be the reason..."
My mind doesn't want to admit that it's true.
I am usually a monster to work with.
The only employee I ever enjoyed was Maya.
Sarah continues, "It's not good. They're saying you're terrible to work with... that you push your employees too hard." Her gaze doesn't waver from mine, her eyes full of concern and the hint of a challenge.
I run my hand through my hair, my mind spinning.
"Damn." It's the only thing I can come up with. After a moment of silence, I add, "I'll look into it, Sarah. Thank you."
She nods, leaving me alone with my thoughts, the rumors, and the damn photograph. I reach for my laptop, typing in a few keywords into the search bar: ‘Working for Hunter Holmes.’ The results flood in, tons of online threads discussing the alleged horrors of being in my employment.
The cursor hovers over the first link, and I click.
"Hunter Holmes is a tyrant," one former employee states. "He demands perfection, working us to the bone while he sits in his ivory tower. No regard for personal lives or the fact that we are human, not machines."
Another chimes in, "I worked for Holmes Corp for two months. Worst two months of my life. Was it worth it for the paycheck? Absolutely not. No amount of money is worth your sanity."
A third post says, "Stay away from Hunter Holmes if you value your peace of mind. The man is an absolute nightmare."
I scroll down, my eyes skimming over more and more comments, each one echoing the same sentiment. I'm a monster, a slave driver, a heartless boss.
