Beauty slumped against the wall outside Marcello's office, her back pressed to the cold marble as tears streamed down her cheeks. The humiliation from the assembly room still burned like acid in her chest. Every employee who passed by stared at her with a mixture of pity and curiosity, whispering among themselves about the spectacle she'd made.
She buried her face in her hands, trying to muffle the sobs that threatened to escape. Two days. She'd lasted exactly two days before completely destroying her career.
"Ms. Marino?"
Beauty looked up through her tears to see John Bianchi approaching, his expression gentle with concern. In his hands, he carried a manila file folder and wore the same worried look he'd had yesterday when Marcello had assigned her those impossible tasks.
"Are you alr
