Obedience No More He's the One I Deserved novel Chapter 40

Chapter 40 Ms Richardson

The blond flipped Ethan off, shot a look at his friends, and started to walk away.

In a flash, Ethan closed the distance in two steps and twisted his arm back hard.

“Argh, it hurts! Ow!

“Let me go!”

Ethan’s eyes stayed cold and flat, though the corner of his mouth tugged with a bit of cockiness. “I said, leave the money.”

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The other two tried to rush him, but Ethan took them down just as easily, until all they could do was drop the cash and yell, “You just wait!” before running off with their tails between their legs.

Dawn stood frozen, wide–eyed, unable to believe Ethan actually had that much fight in him.

She stared, dazed, as he walked over and handed her the money.

Dawn reached out and took it.

“Dawn.”

“Huh?” The reply slipped out before she could think.

For a second, it looked like a smile flashed across Ethan’s face, but it was so fast that she almost doubted it. Then his next words came, sharp and serious. “Are you stupid? Somebody asks for

and you just hand it over? And with weather like this, why wouldn’t you ditch that money, broken bike at school and grab an Uber home?”

Dawn opened her mouth, ready to argue, but no words came.

“Forget it.” Ethan frowned at the sky, stripped off his jacket, and shoved it into Dawn’s arms. “Go. It’s gonna pour any second now, and we’ll both be soaked.”

That day burned into Dawn’s memory: Ethan, not exactly steady on a bike, pedaling hard, while she clung to the back, both hands gripping his shirt at the waist as they sped through wind and rain.

Getting soaked all over was inevitable.

But it was Ethan.

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16:00 Mon, Sep 15

Chapter 40 Ms Richardson

With his jacket pulled over her head, only the tips of her sneakers got wet.

The shrill alarm dragged Dawn out of the dream. She blinked at the ceiling, still half- convinced it wasn’t real.

She sat there for a long moment before finally pushing herself upright

A glance at the clock–it was 7 a.m.

Her first day at work.

She bit her lip, took a deep breath, and threw off the covers. Time to get up!

After washing and getting dressed, she came downstairs to find Ethan already making

breakfast. With the dream from last night still in her mind, she felt warm seeing him there and waved. “Morning.”

Ethan raised his brows, surprised. “Morning.”

He slid a mug of milk toward her. “It’s hot. Drink it while it’s warm.”

That was enough to knock the smile off Dawn’s face. “You really don’t know I hate milk?”

“I added sugar.”

“Oh. Okay, then.”

Her mood flipped back to bright. She lifted the mug and gulped half of it down before picking up her utensils to eat.

Remembering her promise to treat him, she looked up. “You busy tonight?”

“Hm?”

“I owe you dinner.”

She tilted her cup toward him like a toast. “After everything you’ve done for me, I have to thank you properly.”

Something in her words must have amused him, because Ethan let out a low laugh, gentle this time. “If you’ve got me on your calendar, I’ll drop everything. You come first.”

Any woman would’ve melted hearing that.

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16:00 Mon, Sep 15

Chapter 40 Ms Richardson

Dawn was no exception.

After breakfast, she left, smiling as she said goodbye.

The drive to work took half an hour.

Although Linda had interviewed her, she wasn’t her direct supervisor.

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After finishing paperwork in HR, the HR staff led her over to the design floor. “You’re the first one to start here as a full designer straight out of school. So young, too. Your future’s wide open–work hard.”

Dawn blinked. “The first?”

“Of course. Usually, new grads start as design assistants.”

They reached the design department, and the PR staff introduced the team leader, Wendy Richardson, a jewelry designer the company had brought back from abroad with serious credentials.

Dawn spotted the woman standing nearby, walked up, and bowed slightly with a smile.

“Ms. Richardson, hello. I’m Dawn Porter. I look forward to learning from you.”

Wendy’s gaze swept up and down, like she was inspecting Dawn. After a long pause, she tilted her chin. “Your desk is over there. I don’t think you’re gonna learn much from me. Just handle your own work.”

Then she glanced at the curious onlookers. “What are you staring at? Done with your tasks already?”

Everyone left reluctantly, leaving only Dawn and Wendy.

Wendy wore an all–black business suit, her sleek heels adding about four inches to her already tall frame. Her proportions were perfect, and standing in front of Dawn in flats, the pressure was obvious.

She stepped forward slowly, her expression blank and her voice low. “Are you and Ms. Greenwood close?”

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