“To hell with you,Em!”
Derek stormed out of Emily's office, his footsteps echoing like thunder down the corridor. His chest heaved with rage, and his lips throbbed with the sharp sting of Matt's punch. The humiliation of being knocked down in front of Emily burned deeper than the physical pain. She hadn't even intervened—not a word, not a gesture. Just silence.
Outside her office, a small crowd of nosy onlookers had gathered, their curious eyes locking on his bleeding lips. He felt their judgment piercing through his already shredded ego.
“What are you staring at?” he barked, his voice slicing through the murmurs. “Get out of my way!”
The crowd parted like the Red Sea, startled by his outburst, and he stormed past them, pushing open the glass doors and stepping into the brisk evenin
