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At first, it had bothered Ethan that they were so far up Jake’s ass, but he quickly realized the friendship wasn’t truly genuine. Joyce and Ethan joked that they were just Jake’s friends for hire, because he always dragged them along to after-work happy hours, regardless of whether they wanted to or not.

Ethan was never invited, not that he was complaining.

Working under Jake for the last year had shown him a lot about who he was in and out of this place. He couldn’t even count the number of times he’d seen Jake doing lines in the bathroom or heard him bragging about his booze-filled weekends with the CEO’s son. Everyone thought he was an asshole.

Myself included.

Of course, he’d never say anything to his face. He needed this job, so if it meant taking the brunt of Jake’s bullshit, he was willing to do it.

Ethan’s desk shook as a stack of documents plopped down in front of him, yesterday’s coffee splashing from his mug.

Jake looked down at Ethan, brow furrowed as he ran the back of his hand under his nose, sniffling.

What fresh hell awaits me today?

“Ward, need these processed by the end of the day,” Jake said, turning away and already walking back to his office.

“Uh, sure. What is it?” Ethan asked.

Jake came back with a sigh, his voice sharp and impatient. “Property acquisition. Owner died, no next of kin, blah, blah, blah. Standard seizure paperwork.” He leaned down and whispered, his breath hot in Ethan’s face, “And Ward, don't fuck it up. Preston wants this one pushed through ASAP. Like yesterday. Got it?”

“Any particular reason for the rush?” The question slipped out before he could stop it.

Shit, you idiot.

Jake stared at him, eyes narrowing. “Because I said so. The fuck’s gotten into you with all the questions? Jesus, Ward.”

Ethan nodded as he twisted his hands underneath his desk. “Yeah. S-Sorry.”

Jake shook his head as he walked back to his office, pausing in the doorframe. He turned back and faced the group before clapping his hands together and yelling, “Let’s get to work, people!” The door to his office slammed shut behind him.

Asshole.

Michael and Paul exchanged a glance but said nothing before heading off toward the break room together. Loyal enough to laugh at Jake’s jokes, but not enough to stick around when he was in one of his nightmarish moods.

Joyce exhaled loud enough for Ethan to hear. “Jesus, he’s in a mood today.”

Ethan raised his brows, nodding. “When isn’t he?” he muttered, picking up the paperwork and scanning over the content of the file.

Graymore Fish Market

Address: 1528 Pike Place, Seattle, WA

Ethan flipped through the documents until he found photos of the property. He smiled as he looked at the small corner shop on the waterfront. It was old and weathered, but clearly loved, and he admired the hand-painted sign above the door.

The realization hit, however, and his smile dropped. It was a shame this would end up being a parking garage or demolished into something more profitable for the company. As always.

Just do the work, Ethan, he told himself.

He set down the file and turned back to his computer to get started. It was his job to do the paperwork; The rest didn’t concern him.

Ethan swiveled his chair toward Joyce. “Coffee?” he asked.

Joyce peered over the top of her glasses. “I thought ya’d never ask,” she agreed, despite the fact that she very clearly did not need any more caffeine.

The air was heavier as Joyce and Ethan returned to their desks, coffee still warm in their mugs. Jake's door was closed, but he could hear voices inside, more elevated than usual. He recognized one immediately—the CEO's son, Preston Willows. Ethan’s face tightened as he fought back a grimace.

Great…