By accident with his Project Manager

"You need to work harder to meet the deadline," Annette Queensley said, her voice carrying that familiar self-important lilt.

Marcus looked up from his desk. Annette stood over him in a tailored navy blazer and crisp white blouse, her dark hair pulled into a perfect bun. She was twenty-eight years old, almost a decade younger than him, and already the company’s untouchable golden child.

Of course she was. Everything about her, from those sharp cheekbones and flawless makeup to the way she carried herself like the world owed her respect, screamed fast-tracked favourite. The kind of polished, camera-ready package that management loved to push forward these days.

He kept his tone even. “Annette, I’ve gone over the numbers with the other team leads. Even with overtime, we’re looking at ten to twelve extra working days to deliver this without sacrificing quality.”

This made Marcus' jaw clenched hard. Ten to twelve extra days. We’re already at maximum capacity. This isn’t an excuse, it’s basic fucking math.

Annette didn’t wait for him to speak. She waved a dismissive hand and continued, “I’ve heard these complaints before with all the ‘realistic assessment,’ the ‘maximum capacity’ speech. It usually just means people aren’t managing their time efficiently. You should really adopt a more proactive mindset.”

She leaned slightly closer, her condescending smile never fading. “Come on, Marcus. I know you can do better than this.”

That was it.

Marcus leaned forward, voice low and edged with steel. “With all due respect, Annette, I’ve been here fifteen years. I know exactly what’s feasible and what isn’t. My team and I are already doing everything humanly possible. You might want to show a little more respect to the people who actually do the work instead of talking down to us.”

The ring on his finger grew warm.

Annette’s perfectly eyebrows rose. Surprise flickered across her face for a brief moment, then vanished. The condescending smirk disappeared completely as genuine confusion took hold, quickly softening into clarity. She blinked several times, as though something inside her had just realigned.

“You’re… right,” she said slowly, the words sounding strange even to herself. “You are right.”

She took a half-step back, clearly unsettled by her own agreement.

“I’ve been unrealistic,” she continued, her voice softening. “Fifteen years of experience… of course you know what’s actually possible. The timelines are unreasonable. Setting aggressive deadlines without proper data was unfair.” A small, bewildered laugh escaped her. “I don’t even know why I’ve been pushing so hard. We should be setting realistic goals, not fantasy ones.”

The sudden shift left him stunned into silence.

Emboldened, he pressed forward. “We need at least ten to twelve additional working days. No more mandatory overtime disguised as ‘team commitment.’ The current scope can’t be delivered safely in the timeframe without cutting quality or burning everyone out.”

“Ten to twelve days,” she agreed immediately. “I’ll speak to senior leadership today and get the extension approved.”

“We also need clearer priorities from management. Half the features being added mid-project are low-value anyway. We’re wasting time on things the client hasn’t even asked for.”

“You’re correct again,” came the instant reply. “I’ll sit down with you this afternoon and cut anything non-essential. We should only focus on what actually matters.”

“And the bonus structure needs to change,” Marcus added, testing further. “The team hasn’t seen a performance bonus in two years, even when we deliver.”

“It’s demotivating,” Annette agreed without hesitation. “A revised policy that actually rewards the people doing the real work is long overdue. You’ve all earned it.”

Every trace of her usual sharp superiority had melted away, leaving only dazed sincerity behind.

With his heart still hammering, Marcus allowed himself to lean back in his chair. The ring no longer just felt warm, it felt alive on his finger.

“Thank you for being honest with me,” she said with a small, genuine smile. “I needed to hear this. Let’s make these changes together.”

After Annette left, Marcus let out the breath he’d been holding. For a long moment he just sat there, half-expecting security to show up and escort him out. Had he just gotten himself fired? Or had Annette. of all people. actually experienced a genuine change of heart?

His gaze dropped to the crumpled note lying beside his desk. The warning stared back at him in neat handwriting:

Be careful what you say and who hears you.

Marcus knew he hadn’t been careful at all.

Yet somehow Annette, who had been dead-set on impossible deadlines and completely allergic to reality just minutes ago, was now taking his every word seriously. She had agreed with him. Completely.

Once again Marcus glanced down at the silver band on his finger, the dull milky stone catching the fluorescent light.

Had the ring actually made her agree with him?

If it had… then this definitely wasn’t the cheap ring Belinda had bought him all those years ago.