Vengeance in his bed

Episode4

Monday morning at 7:50 AM, I was already walking through the glass doors of Blackwood Holdings. The floors shined, the air smelled like polish and cold air freshener, and everyone moved like they had somewhere important to be.

“You’re right on time, good. Mr. Ryan hates lateness.” Linda checked her wristwatch and gave me a nod, she looked warmer than she had on interview day, she even had a smile on.

“Come, I’ll show you around,” Her tone was light as she walked me through the office. Pointing out the staff kitchen, the printing room, the supply closet, and the little coffee station that smelled like burnt beans.

“This will be your space,” she said, stopping at a desk set right outside Ryan’s door.

It was a small space with glass walls on two sides, a low desk with an Apple MacBook Pro. I could see who went in and out without standing up, and if I leaned close enough, I could probably hear everything that goes on behind the door. Perfect.

A stack of files sat on the desk, like they'd been waiting for me. I arched a brow at the pile. “Umm.”

“Oh! These are what you need to attend to first,” Linda said, noticing my expression.

“So much to do already,” I muttered under my breath. The suit I was wearing suddenly felt tighter than before. It hugged me in all the wrong places, and even with the air conditioner blowing cold air across the room, I could feel heat rising up my neck. Corporate clothes had never really been my thing. I suddenly missed my loose dresses and flour-stained aprons.

“Don’t do too much,” Linda said with a small shrug as she scrolled through her tablet. “You’ll be gone in a month or two anyway.”

I blinked. “Excuse me?” I asked, my voice sharper than I meant it to be.

“Oh,” she chuckled, finally looking up at me. Her eyes moved from my heels to my face like she was studying me. “Mr. Ryan doesn’t keep his assistants for long. He always finds one reason or another to fire them. You won’t be special.”

Huh?

I forced a polite smile, and she smiled back, like she had done me a favor, then turned and walked away.

I watched her go before finally sitting.

For a moment, I just sat there, trying to calm myself. Sweat gathered at the back of my neck, and I had to resist the urge to loosen my collar. First day, and I was already being told I wouldn’t last.

I opened the first file and started scanning through his schedule. I’d worked as a secretary for two years before I opened the bakery, so this wasn’t completely foreign. I turned on the laptop, and got busy.

I soon heard loud and measured footsteps. Ryan appeared in a tailored black suit, hair cut short and dark, ice-blue eyes deeper than the last time I saw them. His left stud earring caught the light as he moved.

“Russel, right?” he said without stopping. “Calendar, calls, and my day. Keep them clean. If I miss one thing, you’re gone.”

His voice was low and flat, like he’d just woken up and decided not to care about life. Before I could answer, he had walked past me and into his office, shutting the door behind him.

I let out a slow breath.

Ten minutes later, my phone buzzed with a reminder: Board Meeting – 8:30 AM.

I grabbed the printed schedule and quickly straightened the pages. My hands felt a little shaky, but I ignored it. I walked up to his door, knocked once, then pushed it open.

“Board meeting in ten minutes,” I said, clearing my throat.

He didn’t look up right away. He shut his laptop, slipped it into a leather case, and rose in one smooth motion. I stepped back and fell in behind him, trying to walk quietly in heels that still felt like weapons.

The boardroom was wider than my entire bakery, all glass and polished wood, with twelve executives, including Linda, already seated and talking in low voices. Ryan took the head seat.

“Coffee,” he said, just as I was about to sit. I froze for half a second. My legs ached from walking in these heels all morning, and I would have killed to sit for just two minutes. But I couldn’t say that.

“Yes sir,” I nodded, and turned toward the coffee maker by the side table.

The meeting started. A man in a gray suit was reading from a thick book, his voice loud and fast. I poured the coffee, black, no sugar, and kept my eyes on the cup. My hands weren’t steady.

I walked toward Ryan, trying to move slowly and carefully. I was almost there when I felt a bump on my shoulder. Small and quick, Linda had stepped in from the side, reaching for something on the table.

My foot slipped.

The coffee jumped out of the cup and splashed across the files in front of Ryan. Some of it hit his shoes, some ran down the table and landed on the floor. Then the room went quiet.

I froze.

Shit. I’m dead.

My eyes locked with Ryan’s. For a second, it felt like he was about to say something final, like “You’re fired.” Or “Get lost.”

Ryan looked down at the mess, then at me. His face void of any emotion.

“Linda,” he said calmly. “Get me a new one. And fix her.” He leaned back in his chair, and pulled out his phone like nothing happened.

“Yes sir,” Linda said. She moved fast, gathering the wet printouts and setting them aside. Then she turned to me. “Wait outside.”

I nodded and walked out, my face burning. The door shut behind me with a soft click.

Outside, I leaned against the glass wall and tried to breathe. My hands were shaking, my cheeks felt hot, and I couldn’t stop replaying it in my head. How did I mess it up that fast? First day, and I was already a disaster.

Then something clicked.

I looked up just as Linda was stepping out of the room with her tablet under her arm. She didn’t look upset, neither did she look rushed. She looked pleased. A small smile sat on her lips, it was gone in a second, but I saw it.

She hit me.

On purpose.

She bumped my shoulder just as I was about to set the coffee down. It was so quick, so soft, that no one else would have noticed. But I felt it.

My stomach turned.

Was this why Ryan’s assistants never lasted? She made them mess up, then stepped in to rescue the day like power rangers.

She looked good, and I looked clumsy. My teeth clenched. My fist twisted at my side.

I had been too distracted by her stupid smile, too worried about getting it right, to see her coming. I let her use me.

Sly fox.

If this was her game, then fine. Two could play it.

I straightened up and wiped my palms on my skirt. The meeting was still going inside, and my phone buzzed again with another reminder I didn’t care about. None of that mattered right now.

Linda walked up to me, “Are you okay?” If I didn’t know better, I would think she was concerned.

“Yes, thank you.” I faked a small smile.

“Be careful next time, okay?”

“I will.” I nodded at her.

I watched her go into the printer room and a plan started to form. If she wanted to play dirty, I could keep up.

I wasn’t going to get fired as soon as she wanted. In fact, I look forward to seeing her out with a box filled with the dumb decorations on her table.