Chapter 6: The HR Warning
356 Words
(Veronica’s POV)
Veronica didn’t waste time. If Ethan wasn’t going to care, she would find someone who did.
She marched straight to Human Resources, her heels clicking against the marble floor as she stepped into the department’s office.
The HR manager, Lena Dawson, looked up from her desk with a practiced smile.
“Miss St. James. What can I do for you?”
Veronica crossed her arms. “Someone changed Mr. Blackwood’s schedule without my approval. I want to know who.”
Lena’s smile barely faltered, but Veronica caught the way her fingers tightened around her pen.
“I’m afraid I can’t disclose that information.”
Veronica narrowed her eyes. “Why not?”
Lena hesitated for just a second. “Let’s just say… certain changes don’t require your input.”
Veronica’s patience snapped.
“I am Mr. Blackwood’s personal assistant. It is literally my job to manage his schedule.”
“Yes,” Lena said smoothly. “But you’re new, Miss St. James. You’ll learn that some things are… out of your hands.”
Veronica’s stomach tightened. Out of her hands?
She didn’t like that. Not one bit.
The Unspoken Truth
Veronica leaned forward slightly, her voice low.
“This isn’t about scheduling, is it?”
Lena’s expression remained neutral, but the flicker of something—pity? caution?—in her eyes gave her away.
Veronica exhaled sharply. There it was.
The unspoken warning.
“How long did the last assistant last?” she asked, her tone clipped.
Lena sighed, setting her pen down. “Three months.”
Veronica’s fingers drummed against her arm. “And the one before her?”
“Two months.”
Veronica’s pulse quickened.
“And the one before that?”
Lena hesitated. Then, finally— “One week.”
Veronica went still. One week.
The whispers in the breakroom made sense now. The nervous glances. The smug betting on how long she would stay.
This wasn’t just about assistants quitting.
Someone was making them leave.
Veronica straightened, meeting Lena’s gaze.
“Who’s pulling the strings?”
Lena didn’t answer.
She didn’t have to.
Because at that moment, Veronica already knew.
- Writer
