Collateral Damage |+18|

1. This is not the bathroom. Defne. In a parallel life, where circumstances were different, I would never do this. And there are many reasons not to do what I’m about to do. First—and no less important—I never wanted to work for someone else. Which inevitably brings me to the second reason: this stupid job keeps me away from what I truly want, which is to build my own company. Third—and for me, the most important point—it drags me deeper into my father’s claws. Which leads me to the fourth and most decisive aspect of my life: I still have no power to decide over my mother’s life. I smooth my hands over the dress I’m wearing, trying to flatten the stubborn wrinkles, and lift my gaze to the enormous, imposing building in front of me. I feel an internal tremor; the emotions flooding me are rage, uncertainty, and a fear so overwhelming that for a moment my legs feel unsteady. I’m risking too much by doing this: my career, my reputation, my dreams. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. In that parallel life, I imagine I’d have a different father. A father who would care about me; attentive, loving, someone who would try to make my life easier. Not one who has come far too close to ruining it more times than I can count. I stumble forward when someone bumps into me, knocking my bag to the floor. I frown at the body brushing past me, just in time to catch a glimpse of a guy shouting over his shoulder, “I’m late!” And the asshole keeps walking, heading straight into the building that will now be my regular place. I mutter curses under my breath as I pick up my bag. Those curses become very real and very loud when I notice the dampness soaking through the fabric, staining the papers inside. Seriously, seriously, seriously… couldn’t the day have started any better? Holding the bag away from me while I salvage what’s left of the paperwork I was supposed to sign, packed with a thousand clauses my lawyer would have had a field day with—if I had one—I stumble into the building. I feel trapped in this tight dress, and I’m sure the discomfort shows when the security guards stare at me, probably mocking the clumsy, uneasy girl who looks like she has no idea where she is. Oh, but I do. I know exactly where I am. Unfortunately. Ignoring the stares, once inside I use the building’s access card and head straight for the elevator. When I reach the creative floor, I’m surprised to find Kacey waiting for me with a big smile on her face. “Hi,” I greet her, smiling back because she’s been kind to me from the start. “Am I late?” “No, no,” she says, shaking her head. “I was waiting for you.” She gestures for me to follow her, and I walk behind her, observing the different cubicles where several people are already starting their workday. I’d already had a brief introduction to my duties and the layout, but having her nearby eases some of the nerves I’ve been carrying since I woke up. “Should you be here?” I ask, since she’s the executive assistant and I doubt escorting web designers on their first day is part of her job. Kacey waves a hand dismissively and says, “Mr. Slade won’t even notice I’m gone. I just wanted to take you straight to your cubicle and welcome you.” “Thank you,” I whisper, genuinely grateful. “Do you have a copy of the last clauses of my contract?” I add, blushing slightly as I show her the wet papers I ruined earlier. “Ouch,” she looks a little worried, then brushes it off. “It’s fine. I should have a copy. I’ll call you during the day so we can redo the signatures.” She’s an angel. After taking me to my cubicle, she gives me a few tips, reminds me not to get in the way of the design director, and strongly suggests I wait for her for lunch. She seems eager to take me under her wing, and I don’t object. God knows I have no idea what I’m doing. Minutes after she leaves, just as I’m about to start working, I hear a knock beside my cubicle. Then a blond head pops up over the divider. Oh, perfect. The asshole who almost knocked me over and didn’t even apologize. “Are you the new girl?” I ignore him and focus instead on pulling out my colorful post-its, pens, and other supplies. I can feel his eyes on me the whole time. After five minutes of refusing to answer, I look back at him and find him smiling at me. “You almost knocked me over at the entrance.” “I didn’t see you,” he says, shrugging. “You didn’t even apologize.” “My apology wouldn’t have fixed anything.” I dig a piece of gum out of my bag and shove it into my mouth, chewing hard to keep from wiping that smile off his face with my fist. “Get lost.” He laughs, but with a wink he says, “I’ll see you at lunch.” Ugh, i***t. On my first morning working at Slade Enterprise, I’m assigned the website of a prominent aviation company, and I’m pleasantly surprised to find the task not nearly as tedious as I expected. It’s not that I don’t like what I do; it’s that I don’t want to be doing it under these circumstances. I thought that at twenty-three my life would be different. I never imagined I’d still be dancing to my father’s tune, fulfilling his whims under threats I can’t escape. I shake off the bitterness and groan when Levi—the i***t working next to me—throws his arm around my shoulders as we walk toward a smiling Kacey waiting by the elevator. “How’s your first day going?” she asks, smiling at me. “Good,” I say, elbowing Levi in the gut. He lets go, muttering curses under his breath. I let Kacey guide me when she loops her arm through mine, leading me toward the restaurant wing. “We eat here every day. You can buy your food here and it gets deducted from your pay, or bring something from home and heat it up in the microwave area—whatever you prefer.” “You can also go out to nearby restaurants, but I don’t recommend it,” Levi adds from my other side. “They’re always packed and it’ll take longer than you think. Your whole break will be gone.” “I guess I’ll buy food here,” I say, because cooking every day isn’t an option—especially when I barely know how. “Smile, sweetheart,” Levi tells me. “You don’t look happy with this job. Do you even know how big an opportunity this is?” “I’m just nervous,” I excuse myself. I take a new card Kacey hands me for lunches, and the three of us head to the buffet, each pointing out what we want. Beyond my resentment over the situation, the company is so well adapted to its employees’ needs that I can understand the good work environment everyone talks about. Well done, Matheo Slade: keep your employees happy and they’ll be more efficient. The man is smart, but I already knew that. Not just anyone manages to make their company grow so fast, becoming one of the most promising of the decade and surpassing my father’s company, which has almost fifty years’ advantage. “That’s Scarlett,” Kacey whispers, pointing at a stunning brunette. “Our director?” I ask, gesturing between Levi and me. “Yes, she is,” Levi replies. “Beautiful, but venomous.” I smile faintly at his words, but Kacey smacks him on the head in a nearly maternal way, which is funny considering I’m pretty sure they’re the same age. “Don’t say that. If she hears you, she’ll claw your eyes out.” “She’s like two meters away, Kass.” “Better not risk it. You know what they say…” “What do they say?” I ask, curious. “They think she has a thing with Mr. Slade.” “That’s not true,” Levi denies. “He always takes her to company events,” Kacey whispers. “He doesn’t take her. She just sticks to him at every event, but no one’s ever seen them arrive or leave together.” Kacey murmurs, “She’s the only female company he’s been seen with in years.” “She’s his business partner,” Levi counters, waving a fry in front of her face. “And if that’s the standard, then you, my dear Kacey, would be his mistress, because you spend more time with him than Scarlett does.” Kacey goes pale, eyes wide in shock as she asks, “Are there rumors like that going around?” “No,” Levi says, then whispers only to me, “Yes, there are.” “Levi,” Kass growls. “Don’t joke about that. Mr. Slade has been nothing but professional with me. Besides, I’m happily engaged, thank you very much.” “I was kidding. That man has an impeccable reputation,” Levi continues, whispering like it’s juicy gossip. “There isn’t a single stain on his life. No scandals, ever. His social life is limited to occasional bar outings with his partner and best friend, where he doesn’t even drink alcohol—just virgin drinks or plain, boring soda. That’s why I’m absolutely sure he has nothing going on with Scarlett. He’s the kind of man who doesn’t s**t where he eats. He’d never cross the professional line with an employee.” “Is he that strict?” I ask, taking a sip of my tea. Levi looks at Kacey, inviting her to answer, since she knows him best. “I hate you for making me do this,” she growls, “but…” she looks at me and continues, “he’s my boss, so you won’t hear me say this again. But yes, the man has impeccable morals. So much so that I can’t even remember hearing him curse. He’s a strict follower of rules—you should’ve guessed after all the clauses you signed. The slightest infraction and he fires people. No second chances. None.” “So if you want to keep your job, my dear Defne,” Levi says, fixing me with a serious look, “don’t make a single mistake. Not one.” I suppress a smile at the drama in his voice, but manage to say, “I’ll keep that in mind.” […] Around three in the afternoon, still working on the same aviation website, I can’t take it anymore. I release my hair from the tight bun, letting my curls fall down my back. I hear Levi whistle softly, but I ignore him and drink water, trying to ease the suffocating heat caused by the dress. One of the many clauses in the contract was the requirement for prudent, impeccable attire for office employees. But since I’m tucked away in a cubicle, I decide to be a little flexible. I groan in desperation as I carefully tear the side of my dress, trying to gain a bit more mobility. I swear to God, my thighs have never been closer together. Just when I feel like my skin is about to crawl off my body, I get a message from Kacey asking me to come upstairs to sign the last clauses I’d ruined. When the elevator doors open on the top floor, I collide—damn it, not again—with someone. “What the hell?” the woman in front of me snarls, spilling hot coffee all over my chest. Shit. Shit. Shit. Coffee. No. Anything but coffee. I feel myself starting to hyperventilate and move quickly, brushing past her. It takes me a second to recognize her face: Scarlett, my superior. It doesn’t matter. I need to get this dress off now. I rush down the hallway, ignoring her indignant shouts while I look for a bathroom. Then I see Kacey running toward me. I open my mouth, but she cuts me off. “Wait for me in my office. I need to take these papers to HR urgently.” “Bathroom?” I ask, my voice breaking. “End of the hall, second door!” she shouts over her shoulder as she runs toward the elevator. I sprint there and open the door she indicated, the one on the left. As soon as it closes behind me, I don’t even look at the room—I just start pulling the dress over my head, desperate to get rid of it. Then I hear an enraged voice, “What the f**k are you doing?” Deep gray eyes stare straight at me, assessing my half-naked body. He looks like he wants to kill me. Shit. This is not the bathroom.