You Do As I Say
841 Words
Lena didn’t breathe.
She couldn’t.
Not with him staring at her like that.
Ethan Cole leaned back slowly in his chair, his sharp eyes locked onto hers like he was dissecting every mistake she had ever made… and the ones she hadn’t made yet.
“Out,” he said flatly.
The HR woman blinked. “Sir?”
“I’ll handle this.”
There was no argument in his tone. None.
The woman gave Lena an awkward smile before quickly stepping out, the door clicking shut behind her.
Silence.
Heavy. Suffocating.
Lena swallowed hard.
“Mr. Cole, I—”
“Do you make a habit of assaulting people on your way to work?” he cut in.
Her cheeks burned.
“It was an accident.”
“An expensive one.”
Her grip tightened around her bag. “I already apologized.”
“And yet my shirt is still ruined.”
Okay. Breathe. Stay calm.
“I said I’ll pay for it.”
Ethan’s gaze didn’t soften. If anything, it grew colder.
“Can you afford it?”
That stung.
Lena straightened slightly. “That’s none of your business.”
A flicker of something passed through his eyes.
Interest? Annoyance?
“Everything about you is my business,” he said. “You work here now.”
Her heart dropped.
Wait… I still have the job?
“You’re not firing me?” she asked before she could stop herself.
A pause.
Then—
A slow, humorless smirk.
“Oh, no,” Ethan said quietly. “Firing you would be too easy.”
Lena’s stomach twisted.
That doesn’t sound good.
He stood up.
And suddenly, the room felt smaller.
He was taller than she remembered. More intimidating up close. The kind of man who didn’t need to raise his voice to make people uncomfortable.
He walked around the desk, stopping just a few steps away from her.
“Let me make one thing clear, Miss Scott.”
His voice dropped.
“You are here to work. Not to talk. Not to argue. And certainly not to embarrass me.”
Lena lifted her chin, despite the nervous pounding in her chest.
“I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
“But you did.”
Their eyes locked.
Tension crackled between them.
“And if you make a mistake like that again,” he continued, “you won’t get a second chance.”
Something inside Lena snapped.
Maybe it was the tone.
Maybe it was the way he looked at her like she was already a failure.
Or maybe—
She was just tired of being talked down to.
“With all due respect,” she said, her voice steady, “you’re acting like I committed a crime.”
Ethan’s expression hardened.
“You disrupted my morning. You ruined a meeting. And you’ve already proven you lack basic awareness.”
Lena let out a sharp breath.
“It was coffee, not a catastrophe.”
Silence.
Dangerous silence.
For a moment, she wondered if she had gone too far.
Then—
Ethan took one step closer.
“Careful,” he said softly. “You’re in no position to be bold.”
Her pulse raced.
But she didn’t back down.
“Maybe,” she said, “but I’m also not going to let you treat me like I’m incompetent when you don’t even know me.”
That did it.
Something shifted in his expression.
Not anger.
Not entirely.
Something sharper.
“You’re right,” he said slowly. “I don’t know you.”
His eyes dragged over her—calculating.
“But I will.”
Lena’s breath caught.
“And when I do,” he added, “I’ll decide whether you’re worth keeping.”
Her stomach flipped.
Worth keeping? Like I’m disposable?
“I didn’t realize I was on probation,” she muttered.
Ethan’s lips curved slightly.
“You are now.”
—
The rest of the morning passed in a blur.
Lena barely had time to process anything before she was handed a stack of files thick enough to qualify as a weapon.
“Review these,” Ethan said, not even looking at her.
Her eyes widened. “All of them?”
“Yes.”
“By when?”
He finally glanced up.
“End of the day.”
Her jaw nearly dropped. “That’s impossible.”
“Then I suggest you stop talking and start working.”
Lena clenched her teeth.
He’s doing this on purpose.
“Anything else?” she asked tightly.
“Yes.”
She braced herself.
“Don’t spill anything.”
Her eyes flashed.
“Very funny.”
“I’m not joking.”
She grabbed the files from his desk—maybe a little harder than necessary.
“I’ll get it done.”
Ethan leaned back again, watching her.
“I doubt that.”
She paused.
Turned.
Met his gaze.
“Then you’re about to be disappointed.”
For the first time—
A real reaction.
A flicker of surprise.
Then it was gone.
“Get to work, Miss Scott.”
—
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