Scarlett's POV.
"Layla!" I yelled from the front door, checking my watch for the upteenth time. Since my car was still at the company and I didn't want Joshua to pick me up, I decided to order an Uber.
Layla, who had some business breakfast to attend near the company, decided to go with me.
She'd spent about an hour in the shower and was now taking forever putting on jewellery.
"I swear to God I'll leave you behind if-"
"I'm ready. I'm ready. Chill." She called out, strutting out of her bedroom in a dark blue gown and stilettos. Her long black hair swayed behind her as she threw me a kiss.
"Ugh, I can't even be mad. You look stunning." I admired the fine details of her outfit, the gown complimenting her milky colour and her tiny diamond earrings brought the whole outfit together.
"Why, thank you. Gotta impress the clients." She closed the door behind us and we made our way to the elevator.
"Better impress the Uber driver with a tip. He's been waiting for almost thirty minutes."
"I'll handle it." She grinned at my eye roll as the elevator beeped open.
The Uber driver took one look at Layla and all possible chances of annoyance disappeared into thin air.
He spent a good portion of his time looking at Layla through the front mirror but she didn't even seem to notice.
She was too busy prepping for her proposal. I couldn't help but pity the poor guy. He was reaching far above his limits but a man could dream, right?
"Who exactly are you meeting with?" I asked. Layla had two fashion moods, drastically overdressed, or immaculately underdressed. She had no in-between. So if she was falling at the higher end of the spectrum, these had to be important people.
"Potential shareholders for my tech company. One of them owns a cyber security company, then the other two collectively own a robotics company. I really want to impress them." She gushed, rubbing her hands together in apprehension.
"You certainly will. They'll fall at your feet the moment they lay eyes on you. Then you can pull them in deeper with that brain of yours." I encouraged her and she stared at me with a hopeful gaze.
"You really think so?" She asked, vulnerability leaking through her pitch black eyes.
"I know so."
"Ugh, you're the best." She pulled me in for a hug, squeezing me till my air fell short.
"You're killing me." I whimpered and she finally let go.
"Sorry. Forgot you were fragile." She apologized, her lips turning into a grin as the car stopped at the front of Knightingale.
"Have a sexy day at work. Fighting!"
I groaned at the thought of seeing Mr. Knight again. This morning came too soon and I wasn't sure what to expect.
Would he pick up from where he left off? Would he act like nothing had happened?
I waved Layla goodbye as the Uber drove off, distracted by my thoughts.
I checked my watch, it was 6 minutes past 9, the latest I'd ever gotten here, thanks to Layla.
I hurried to the elevator, speed walking to my office. I pushed the door open only to stop in my tracks.
Why was there a man in glasses sitting at my desk?
"Oh, hey. Scarlett, right?" He smiled, rising up and stretching out his hand for a handshake.
I shook his hand with a firm grip, carefully analyzing his face.
Where had I seen him before?
"It's Gabe." He offered and my memory finally clicked. He was among the people who had taken the interview with me. He even offered me a latte afterwards. How could I forget?
"Oh right. Sorry. My mind is kinda clouded this morning. I knew you looked familiar. It's good to see you. What are you doing here?"
He smiled, nodding in understanding.
"It's cool. Um, I was called yesterday to fill in the assistant role since the current assistant, which I guess is you, is busy with another task temporarily."
My heart dropped. Busy with another task? I thought I told Mr. Knight I would think about it. Or had his request been a formality? Did I really have no say in this?
Well, obviously. My chair would be empty otherwise.
"Wow. That's…wonderful. I'm happy for you." I offered, trying to sound chirpy. Not like I wasn't happy for him, but his joy was my demise. My emotions were at war but I had to keep my smile in place.
Gabe was a kind person and he deserved it.
"Thank you. I'm even more happy for you. You flew to the top pretty fast." He laughed and I nodded with a tight clipped smile.
Just then, the door leading to the MD's office opened.
"Good morning, Mr. Gibbs." I greeted and he responded with a warm smile.
"Good morning, Ms. Fox. You're late today. Did the boss tire you out yesterday?" He asked and my cheeks flamed red, incriminating images filling my head before I realized he must've meant something else.
"It-it was quite…tasking." I stumbled through my words.
"Well, I trust you to handle it. You're a smart one. You should run upstairs now. I'm sure he'll be waiting for you."
I nodded, waving them goodbye before rushing to the elevator.
I rushed to his office, arranging a stray strand in place before knocking on his door.
The door swished open on its own and I sucked in a much needed breath before walking in.
"Good morning, Mr.-"
"You're late." He interrupts, his voice icy cold.
I shivered in response, my tongue going numb for a few seconds.
"I-I apologize sir. I encountered a little delay this morning. It won't happen again." I finally managed to say after recovering my voice.
He didn't even look at me, he just kept his eyes glued to his computer, typing away.
After 5 minutes of me standing there like a fool; and yes, I counted, he finally reached for a file and handed it to me.
"Work on those. The instructions have been sent to the laptop at my secretary's desk. If you have any questions let me know." He slid it across the desk to me and I picked it up, still standing there awkwardly.
His change in countenance had given me a whiplash, and my brain was still struggling to process what could've made him change so drastically overnight.
"Do you need an escort to do your job?" He finally looked up from his laptop but I wish he didn't.
His gaze was cold, hateful even and my heart sank to my stomach. I couldn't find my voice. I shook my head and rushed out of the office, the corner of my eyes stinging with tears.
I was excited that everyone in the company had been nothing but nice and respectful but I guess I celebrated too soon.
I held myself together till I entered the medium sized office opposite his own.
I struggled to keep my tears at bay, knowing if one fell through I'd start crying about everything that had gone wrong in my life.
I didn't start working immediately, I couldn't. I took the next ten minutes steadying my emotions, only opening up the laptop when I could trust myself to not break down in tears.
I did my best to focus on the task at hand but I kept getting lost in thought. My mind couldn't stop replaying the interaction with Mr. Knight.
Was he possibly upset because of what happened with Joshua last night? Could that be it?
I didn't think so. This seemed like something else, like a personal vendetta but I couldn't say for sure.
I sighed, trying to regain focus when the phone on the shiny wooden desk started ringing.
"Hello." I said, picking it up and Mr. Knight's monotone voice sounded from the other end, sending an involuntary chill down my spine.
"Get me a black coffee." Before I could ask any question he ended the call and honestly, I was too scared to call back.
As a coffee hater, I had no idea how to make a good coffee. I didn't even know what a good coffee was supposed to taste like but it couldn't be that hard, right?
Wrong.
I walked into the break room, feeling like a foreign exchange student dropped into a quantum physics class.
I stared at the coffee machine in exasperation. The on button just didn't turn it on. Even the off button had more of an effect.
I thought of asking for help, but everyone's face looked unfriendly and conceited. I could've asked Joshua for help but facing the coffee machine felt more comfortable after last night.
So I poured all my critical thinking skills into figuring it out. I finally managed to get it working, absentmindedly dropping in a cube of sugar.
I thought of tasting it but what if they were security cameras in this room and he saw me tasting his coffee.
That would be weird.
So I decided against it, rushing to his office to give him the coffee, seeing how I'd spent a ridiculous amount of time on what was supposed to be a simple task.
I pushed his door open and he turned, eyes scanning me as I walked to his desk.
Please don't trip. Please don't trip.
Yes!
I congratulated myself as I set his cup of coffee in front of him.
"Thank you." He said and I nodded, watching him reach for the cup in apprehension.
I held my breath as he brought the cup to his lips. He took one sip and his face immediately scrunched up.
"What the hell is this?" He asked, his voice like a whip to my back.
"What's wrong with it?" I asked in a small voice, wondering what must've gone wrong with the coffee.
"What's wrong? Who puts sugar in black coffee? Do you think at all?"
Tears stung my eyes again for the second time this morning. What a great day!
"I'm so sorry. I don't usually make coffee. I'm more of-"
"Just go. Get back to work." He ordered cutting me off.
"And take this…thing with you." He pushed the cup away and I quietly took it, his eyes flashing with an emotion akin to regret. His lips parted but before he could say anything I rushed out of the office with my head hung low.
A stray tear slid down my cheeks as I closed the door behind me, hearing him curse out a tortured "fuck".
I held it together until I reached the office across from his, breaking down in the quiet space. My cries filled the room and I only hoped nobody could hear me falling apart.
I felt like I'd been thrown back into that night. A memory that held so much pain and unanswered questions.
But as my tears spilled to the floor, I promised myself, I wouldn't let anybody bring me to my knees ever again.