Apparently, There Is No Other Option

Emma returned to her son’s apartment, wrapped in a blanket of frustration. The same woman who once treated her as if she were beneath her now condemned her to humiliation.

"Mom, can I ask where you were?" Harrison demanded, anger in his voice. Emma walked straight to the large couch and collapsed onto it in resignation.

"What can I say, Harrison? We’re at a point in our lives where there are no solutions left. Our wealth is gone, our friends have turned their backs on us, and what’s left? Tell me—what’s left?"

"There’s still family. We’ve got each other," Harrison replied, taking her hand in an attempt to comfort her.

"Don’t try to sugarcoat reality," Emma snapped. "Don’t try to make me see something that doesn’t exist. We’re fucked, Harrison!"

"Mom, I’m going to find a job, and I swear we’ll get through this."

"Imagine this—I went to your ex-wife to tell her we would accept her proposal, but the arrogant little thing said it had already expired. And if we wanted anything, she’d give us a job. A job! Do you forget who we are?"

"Mom, Olivia doesn’t owe us anything. She has no obligations to us."

"Yes, she does! She was your wife! We were her family."

"But we never treated her like family—and I include myself in that. I was cruel to her. I never made the effort to get to know her better... and now, look at the surprise she’s given us."

"We need to plan how things will turn back in our favor. And you, my dear son, are going to get us out of this. We are going to accept her job offer, and once we’re close to her, we’ll take her down. You’ll make her fall for you again. You’re powerful and very handsome, my son. That woman won’t be able to resist you."

Harrison blushed at his mother’s words.

"It’s not like that, Mom. Maybe we’re jobless right now, and I admit that, given the circumstances and her lack of experience, we might not find any other opportunity. We could reconsider Olivia’s offer—at least for a while."

"So you can win her back!" Emma said confidently. At that moment, Joshua and Megan arrived. The family was finally complete. And although none of them were entirely convinced about the idea of working for Olivia, they had no other options at the moment.

Very early the next morning, the Martens dressed in their best clothes. They were ready to listen to Olivia’s proposal. However, Harrison still wasn’t convinced. His ex-wife had changed so much that looking into her eyes again felt like a slow, pathetic death. Because now, more than ever, he realized he still had real feelings for her. Her absence had cleared all the confusion from his mind, and now he didn’t know what to do with it.

"Mom, I’m not sure I should go to that company. I’ll reach out to my contacts, maybe someone will offer me a job. I can’t go to Isabel."

Emma turned to her son, looked him up and down, adjusted the knot in his tie, and confronted him.

"Well, it’s not up to you, darling. You have to go. Your contacts won’t lift a finger for you now that you’re broke. We don’t even have food for the next few days. We’re in your hands, my love."

"Son, if you’re not convinced, then let’s not go," Joshua said, trying to intervene.

"You shut up!" Emma snapped. "You’re the one who left our son with the whole company when it was already bankrupt due to your mismanagement. The one who should be worried about our finances is you—not him. Now let’s go."

The Martens arrived at McGregor Industries. When the secretary announced them, Olivia scrambled to figure out what positions she could possibly offer them. She had never imagined that the same proud, imposing family she lived with for three years would come crawling back to her. Solving it on the spot, she ordered them in.

The four of them walked in, heads held high, projecting the same pride that always defined them. But when their eyes met Olivia’s, something inside Harrison trembled.

What the fuck am I doing here? he thought. He wanted to turn around and leave, but his mother, who knew him perfectly well, pinched him discreetly behind her back to keep him in place.

"The Martens!" Olivia said. "I never imagined you'd actually come, but I think it’s spectacular that you accepted my offer." She looked them over without a trace of empathy, cleared her throat, sat down at her desk, and began typing on her laptop—only to make them wait a little longer.

She didn’t even invite them to sit. She just left them there, standing in front of her, desperate to know what was coming.

Harrison couldn’t stop staring at her. She looked so stunning that, if he hadn’t known her body so well, he would have thought she was someone else entirely. And maybe she was—Olivia now radiated power and grace.

Fifteen agonizing minutes passed in complete silence until Emma cleared her throat and boldly addressed her.

"Olivia, dear," she began. Olivia raised her head and looked at her with cold contempt. "We’ve been waiting quite a while. If you’re busy, we can wait outside. These heels are killing my feet."

Olivia raised an eyebrow and flashed them a sarcastic smile.

"I’m sorry. Something came up, but I’m dealing with it. I’ll be with you shortly," she replied dryly.

"Still, we can wait outside, Olivia," Emma insisted, while the others barely stirred.

"Well, it’s your choice if you want to wait outside. But I wouldn’t be so foolish in your place, because if it’s not now—it’s never." Olivia returned her focus to the laptop screen. She wasn’t doing any real work; she was simply savoring the moment, watching the Martens squirm in discomfort. She wanted to laugh in their faces, but it wasn’t necessary. If they chose to work for her, their time there would be the closest thing to hell.

"Of course we’ll wait for you, darling," Emma muttered sarcastically. Missing this opportunity was the last thing she wanted.

Harrison barely held his posture. His arms were crossed, and his expression was unreadable. Joshua tried to maintain appearances, but couldn’t bring himself to speak in front of his wife. Megan, the youngest, simply looked down at her hands, nervously fidgeting with her fingers—too young to truly grasp the situation.

Another fifteen minutes passed before Olivia closed her laptop and looked at them.

"That’s it! Now I’m available. Please, take a seat." She pointed to the chairs arranged in front of her desk. Emma wanted to hit her. How arrogant can this woman be? she thought.

How could she keep us standing all that time? What the hell is wrong with her? Emma cursed inwardly.

"Did you bring your résumés?" Olivia asked, stretching her hands out and raising her eyebrows in expectation.

Harrison ran a hand through his hair, nearly suffocating from the tension. He wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take.

"No, we didn’t bring anything, Olivia. We didn’t imagine this would be so... formal," Harrison said, adjusting his jacket and locking eyes with her. She hesitated for a moment, but quickly composed herself. No matter how much love still beat in his heart, he would never let her see him as weak again.

"Then what, Harrison? You came here for a job interview—how do you expect me to know where to place you?"

Harrison exhaled heavily and sat up straighter in his chair.

"You know very well what we’re capable of. My father is an excellent CPA. Megan just started college. I’m an administrator—I used to be the CEO of our old company. And my mother... well, she’s the only one without professional certification."

"Women in my time were dedicated to the home, sweetheart," Emma interjected proudly. "But I consider myself more than capable of handling any administrative position."

"I think everything you're telling me sounds great, but for me and my company, what really works is an endorsed certification. If they don’t have it, then I’ll have to place them in the available positions—anyone could do those jobs."

The Martens looked at each other and then turned their gazes back.

"Well, tell us then, what’s in it for us?" Emma asked anxiously.

Olivia fell silent and began to look around the room. She stood up from her desk and started pacing around the office, causing the tension to thicken between them. She fixed her gaze on each person present—none of them could have imagined what she was about to propose.