Chapter 3: Bosses, Backlash, and a Knock at the Door

An hour later, my phone finally finished charging. I turned it on to find a flood of missed calls and texts.

The screen lit up with notifications—calls from my boss, texts from coworkers, even a voicemail from HR. My head throbbed just looking at it all. I groaned.

Most of the calls were from my boss. He must be feeling the heat now.

I listened to the first voicemail—his voice was tight, panicked. "Savannah, call me back. This is urgent."

Today was supposed to be the day our company signed the contract with the big client. I’m the R&D team lead and had planned to pull an all-nighter to finish the project, but thanks to that barbecue disaster, it didn’t get done.

I groaned again, remembering the mountain of work waiting for me. The deadline had passed, and I hadn’t even sent the files. There was no way the client was happy.

Who knows how my boss feels now. If the project’s not finished, the company will have to pay a huge penalty—enough to sink us.

I pictured him pacing his office, face red, barking orders into the phone. The penalty clause was brutal—one missed deadline and the whole company could go under. No pressure, right?

A coworker messaged me:

[Savannah, you’re in deep now. Take care of yourself!]

[The big client is furious and wants Mr. Hill to take responsibility for the breach.]

[Mr. Hill’s face is redder than the barbecue sauce!]

I actually cracked a smile at that last line. Leave it to my team to find humor in a crisis.

I sighed. What else could I do?

I lay back against the stiff hospital pillow, staring at the ceiling. For now, all I could do was wait and see how the fallout would land. Maybe something good would come out of this mess. Or maybe not.

Not long after, I heard a familiar voice in my hospital room:

"Savannah..."

It was the old couple from the barbecue place.

I sat up, heart pounding, as the Hills stepped into my room. Their faces were pale, eyes darting nervously. I braced myself, unsure what would come next, but ready for anything.