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Alice spent three evenings crafting her resignation letter. She revised each word until the tone was perfect, a delicate balance of apologetic but firm. She cited a sudden family health emergency in the Pacific Northwest, a situation that required her immediate and prolonged presence. It was close enough to the truth. Her family was herself and the baby, and the emergency was escaping before Harry discovered everything.

She printed the letter, signed it with a steady hand, and sealed it in an envelope. Tomorrow, she would place it on his desk before he arrived. She had one month of savings now. It was not ideal, but it would be enough to get established in Port Townsend. She could make it work.

She arrived at the office at six-thirty, but his office light was already on. She could see him at his desk, his phone pressed to his ear. Her plan crumbled. She could not risk him confronting her before she was prepared. She would have to wait.

At seven, Harry emerged from his office holding a document. “Ms. Winston, I need you to review this before my eight o’clock.”

Alice took the papers and skimmed the first page. It was a contract. Her heart stopped. It was a new employment contract, not an extension. It promoted her to Executive Aide, with a salary that would double her savings in half the time, but the clauses were ironclad. It included a provision that prevented resignation without ninety days’ notice, a restriction that would push her well past the point where her pregnancy would be impossible to hide.

“Mr. Mendes, I appreciate the offer, but I am not sure I can commit to…”

“The Morrison project goes into its critical phase next quarter,” Harry interrupted, his tone matter-of-fact. “The Singapore expansion requires your expertise. Your departure would be catastrophic.” Each reason was logical and completely impersonal. He was not asking her to stay because he valued her. He was demanding it because she was useful.

“I understand the timing is challenging,” Alice said carefully. “But I have personal circumstances that may require my attention.”

“What circumstances?” His eyes locked on hers. “Are you ill? The doctor said it was stress.”

“It is a family matter. It is private.”

“You have no family in the area.” His tone was flat and certain. “Your parents are deceased, you are an only child, and your emergency contact form lists a college friend who moved to Europe two years ago. I reviewed your personnel file to see if there was a dependent I should be aware of for insurance purposes with this promotion. So what family matter requires you to leave?”

Alice’s blood ran cold. He had investigated her. The realization crashed over her like ice water. This was not a stalker’s obsession; it was the practical, chilling thoroughness of a CEO ensuring the stability of a key asset. The thought was somehow more terrifying.

“That information is confidential,” she managed, her voice tight with a cold, rising anger. The violation was profound, leaving her feeling exposed and furious.

“It is in your personnel file, which I have every right to review before issuing a new contract of this magnitude.” Harry stepped closer, and she forced herself not to retreat. “If there is a problem, Ms. Winston, the company can help. But I need to know what it is.”

The offer sounded reasonable, but she heard the trap beneath it. If she told him anything, he would unravel her entire plan. “There is no problem,” she said, hating how weak her voice sounded. “I simply need to consider this offer carefully.”

“Consider it over the weekend,” Harry said. “The contract takes effect Monday. HR needs your signature by then.”

“And if I do not sign?”

The silence stretched between them. His expression did not change, but a flicker of something that looked almost like possession entered his eyes. “Then we will have a much more detailed conversation about your reasons for declining,” he said softly.

He returned to his office, leaving her standing with the contract in her trembling hands. The resignation letter in her bag felt like a useless artifact. She had been outmaneuvered. She could refuse to sign, but what leverage did she have? He would fire her, and she would lose her income, her health insurance, and any chance of a stable start for her baby. The fear and anger churning inside her solidified into a hard, cold resolve. He thought he had her trapped, but she would find another way. He had underestimated her.

For now, though, she was cornered. She had to protect her baby. She had to find a way out that did not expose them both to a man who used information as a weapon to ensure compliance.

At noon, she finally removed the resignation letter from her bag. She stared at it for a long moment, then fed it into the shredder beneath her desk. The sound of the paper being destroyed was not a death knell. It was a declaration of war.