Building Her Throne Burying My Heart (Claire) novel Chapter 34

I hadn’t even been standing in line that long before my stomach started acting up again. Lately, it seemed like the pain was coming more and more often. With the sun beating down on me, I knew I wouldn’t be able to tough it out for much longer.

I did a quick count of how many people were ahead of me—at least ten or so. If each person took three minutes, that meant I’d be waiting for about an hour. By then, there was no way I’d still be standing, and I’d probably miss out on the coffee altogether.

So, I decided to try my luck. I tapped the guy in front of me.

“I’ll give you fifteen bucks if you let me go ahead of you,” I said quietly. “That covers your coffee, and you only move back one spot.”

He agreed without even thinking about it. Just like that, I made my way to the front and finally got the coffee.

It cost me a little over a hundred, but compared to the cost of passing out, a hospital bill, or a pay deduction, it was worth every penny.

When I explained what happened, Claire just stared at me. She didn’t say a word. I could tell she hadn’t expected me to find a way around her little challenge.

I figured I was good to go and turned to leave her office.

“Wait,” Claire called out behind me.

She picked up the cup, barely touched it, and frowned. “This coffee is way too bitter. Go get me another one, but this time with a little sugar.”

I looked back at her. She was standing there with her arms crossed, watching me like a hawk.

“Let me guess,” I said, “if I bring you one with some sugar, you’ll just ask for one that’s sweeter, right?”

She didn’t answer. Her eyes just got colder.

“Why don’t you just say what you want?” I said, trying not to sound tired. “You don’t even care about the coffee. You just want to mess with me in this heat.”

Honestly, there was a coffee machine in the office, and her assistant could make one for her any time. She was just making things difficult on purpose.

Claire didn’t bother pretending anymore. “So what if I am? It’s in the contract. You do whatever I tell you.”

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