Trapped With the billionaire

y to be met with my mother's gentle but firm encouragement. "Time to rise, Emily! You can't be late for work, sweetie," she said, sweeping into my room with a warm smile. As

is dismissive attitude fueled my ire. "Settle this later? You think a simple 'sorry' will cut it after you've possibly ruined my presentation?" The stranger's eyes narrowed. "I said I was sorry. What more do you want?" The standoff continued, tension hanging in the air like a challenge. "Let's settle this later," he suggested, pulling out his phone. "I'll give you my number, and you can call me about the laptop. I'll compensate you handsomely." He turned to leave, but I swiftly blocked his path, determination etched on my face. "Miss!" he exclaimed, irritation creeping into his voice. "Mr!" I retorted, my eyes blazing. "I didn't do all this to extort money from you. You must know I'm also heading to a crucial meeting, and everything – my presentation, my notes – was on this laptop. Now, it's all gone." He raised an eyebrow, his expression softening slightly. "Okay, you need the money now, right?" he asked, his tone tinged with sarcasm. "This is all I have on me," he said, "but if you'd called me later, I would've given you more. Now, we're even." He attempted to walk away, but I seethed with anger, my emotions boiling over. I stormed after him, my feet pounding the pavement. As I reached him, I shoved him with all my might, sending him stumbling backward. He lost his balance and crashed to the ground. "Are you crazy, miss?" he exclaimed, his face reddening with fury. "You think your damn money is everything, don't you?" I spat, my voice trembling. "A simple 'sorry' would've sufficed, but no, you had to be arrogant, flaunting your wealth like it's a shield." I towered over him, my chest heaving. "How much do you possess that you feel entitled to dismiss others' struggles?" "Your money's worthless to me, Mr!" I declared, hurling the crumpled notes at him. "You need it more than I do, to wash away that stench of arrogance." His face reddened, outrage etched on his features. "How dare you!" "No, how dare you?" I shot back, my voice rising. "Who do you think you are? You're nothing but a mannerless jerk. Your parents must have failed miserably in teaching you decency." I glared down at him, my words pouring out in a torrent. "Watch your words, and your actions. Have you ever been called out for your arrogance? Well, now you have. Something to ponder, you self-absorbed jerk." With that, I turned on my heel and walked away, leaving him sitting on the floor, his face burning with indignation. "Serves him right," I thought, still fuming as I stepped into the elevator, eager to shake off the encounter. As the doors slid open, I was enveloped by my colleagues, their concerned faces a stark contrast to the stranger's arrogance. "Emily, what kept you?" Gracie asked, her brow furrowed. I hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. "Something came up," I replied vaguely. We filed into the presentation room, our team's collective energy palpable. As I set up my laptop, my heart still racing from the earlier confrontation, I breathed a sigh of relief when it roared back to life. Michael's voice broke into my thoughts. "You look worried, Emily. Is everything okay with the presentation?" His question sparked a flurry of concerns. Had I forgotten something crucial? Was I truly prepared. had a run-in with an arrogant idiot, but it's nothing," I said, shaking off the lingering frustration. "Our presentation is ready, just waiting for the owner's review." Just then, our boss swept into the room, her presence commanding attention. "Is Emily here?" I straightened, meeting her gaze. "Yes, I'm here, boss." She strode to my side, her expression stern. "Why were you late? Did you intend to jeopardize this contract?" I hastened to reassure her. "No, it wasn't inten