The ultimatum

Chapter 17: The Ultimatum

Sarah sat in her boss's office, her heart racing as she listened to his words. "Sarah, I've been noticing that your performance has been slipping lately. You're not meeting your deadlines, and your work is not up to par."

Sarah felt a surge of defensiveness, but she knew she had to remain calm. "I understand, sir. I've been under a lot of stress lately."

Her boss leaned forward, his eyes piercing. "I don't pay you to be stressed, Sarah. I pay you to perform. And right now, you're not doing that. So here's the deal. You have two weeks to turn your performance around. If you don't, I'll have to let you go."

Sarah felt like she had been punched in the gut. She knew she had been struggling, but she had no idea it was this bad. She thought about all the late nights she had spent with Jake, all the times she had snuck out of the office to meet him.

As she left her boss's office, Sarah felt torn. She loved her job, but she also loved Jake. And she knew that if she didn't turn her performance around, she would lose her job. But if she focused on her job, she would have to sacrifice time with Jake.

Sarah felt like she was being pulled in two different directions. She didn't know what to do. She walked back to her desk, feeling lost and uncertain.

As she sat down, Jake caught her eye, a concerned look on his face. Sarah tried to smile, but she couldn't. She felt like her world was crashing down around her.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Jake asked, getting up from his desk and walking over to hers.

Sarah shook her head, feeling tears prick at the corners of her eyes. "I just got an ultimatum from my boss. I have two weeks to turn my performance around, or I'll lose my job."

Jake's face fell, and he sat down next to her. "Oh, Sarah. I'm so sorry. What are you going to do?"

Sarah shrugged, feeling helpless. "I don't know. I love my job, but I also love you. And I don't know how to balance the two.