My Devil In A Suit

CHAPTER 5

The moment I stepped through the glass doors into the main workspace, the hum of office chatter stopped instantly.

Dozens of eyes darted toward me. Coworkers leaned close to one another, hiding their mouths behind their hands as they whispered. The news of my extended probation had clearly spread across the entire department like wildfire.

I kept my chin up, walking straight toward my desk with my heart pounding against my ribs.

"Stormi, come on. Let's go meet Hailee," a friendly voice called out.

Two female coworkers walked over to my space. I recognized Natalie from the team assignment email Koré had sent out earlier. She was listed alongside Stormi as part of our project group.

"Hey, Hailee," Stormi said quietly, giving me a small, sympathetic smile as she leaned against my desk divider. "Don't mind them, alright? People in this office love to gossip about anything. But... can I ask you something? Are you sure you don't have history with Damien? Because he seems to pick on you a little too much for a brand new hire."

I swallowed hard, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Uhm... no. There is really nothing between us."

"Then what about that video clip going around online?" Natalie asked, leaning in closer and lowering her voice. "Everyone is saying you tried to trap him at a bar."

"Oh, it's nothing serious," I said quickly, trying to wave it off before my hands started shaking. "It was just a massive misunderstanding.”

Stormi opened her mouth to speak again, her tone turning serious. "Listen, you really need to be wary of Vanessa. She has been chasing Damien's attention for years, and she is already….."

"Hailee."

Koré's sharp, composed voice cut through the air as she stepped out of the executive suite.

Instantly, Stormi and Natalie scrambled back to their desks like frightened mice, diving into their work as if they had never left their chairs.

"Yes, Koré?" I asked, standing up straight.

"Damien said you are to write him a full progress report on your team's assigned project," Koré said, checking her tablet. "He wants it printed and submitted directly to his desk before closing hours today."

My stomach dropped into a bottomless pit. "Understood. I'll get right on it."

As soon as Koré walked back into her office, I sank into my desk chair. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold my pen. I picked up my phone right there at my desk, keeping my head low behind my computer monitor, and dialed my best friend's number.

"Hey, peeps," I breathed into the receiver the second she picked up.

"What's going on?" Zoe asked, hearing the sheer panic in my voice. "Did something else happen?"

"You wouldn't believe it," I whispered into the phone, keeping my eyes on the hallway. "My boss just gave me an indefinite probation this morning. And now he wants a full progress report on my team's project, which I'm completely stuck on."

"He is so petty!" Zoe yelled through the speaker. "He is such a sick ass! Hailee, he is deliberately trying to make you fail!"

I let out a breathless, forced giggle despite the tears pricking the corners of my eyes. I checked the digital clock at the corner of my computer screen, and my heart skipped a beat.

It was already 4:50 PM.

"Uhm... Zoe?"

"Yes, peeps?"

"I have to call you right back. It is almost time for submission, and I haven't even printed the document yet."

"Alright, darling. Just be careful around him."

"I will."

I hung up the phone and typed out the final summary paragraphs as fast as my fingers could move, hitting the print button with five minutes to spare.

I rushed over to the heavy office printer, waiting for the paper to feed through the tray.

Nothing happened.

A bright red light flashed on the digital screen: Error. Toner Cartridge Empty.

"No, no, no! Not right now!" I gasped, frantically pressing the restart button.

With panic surging through my veins, I ran straight to Koré's desk. "Koré, the main printer is completely out of toner!"

Koré reached under her desk, pulled out a fresh black cartridge, and handed it to me. "Here. Be quick."

My hands were shaking so violently that I nearly dropped the cartridge on the floor. I tore open the plastic wrapping, jammed the new toner into the side slot, and slammed the printer door shut.

The machine whirred to life, spitting out five warm sheets of paper.

snatched the report off the tray, checked my watch... it was 5:05 PM... and sprinted down the long executive hallway. I stopped outside Damien's office door, took one deep breath to steady my racing heart, and knocked twice.

"Come in," his deep voice echoed from inside.

I pushed the heavy door open and stepped into his dimly lit office. Damien was sitting behind his wide glass desk, leaning back in his leather chair with his suit jacket off and his dark sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

"Sir," I began, my voice tight. "Excuse me, sir."

"Say whatever you came to say," he said, not even lifting his head from his tablet.

"I finished the progress report, sir." I walked over and placed the neat stack of papers directly on his desk.

Damien glanced down at the pages for less than two seconds. He didn't even pick them up.

"Redo it."

My jaw dropped in disbelief. "Why?"

"Because you missed the deadline," he replied, raising his cold, dark eyes to lock onto mine.

"Sir, I was only five minutes late!" I argued, swallowing the bitter lump in my throat. "The printer ran out of toner, and I had to replace the cartridge myself!”

"Listen to yourself, Hailee," Damien said smoothly, resting his hands on the desk. "In this firm, five minutes late on a client deadline costs millions. Excuses mean nothing to me. Redo the entire report."

I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted copper, forcing my hands to unclench at my sides. "Fine. I will have a revised copy on your desk first thing tomorrow morning."

"You misunderstand me," Damien said flatly, leaning back in his chair. "You missed the 5:00 PM deadline, which means you do not leave this building until it is rewritten and approved. By me.”

I stared at him, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Everyone else has already packed up and gone home, sir."

"Then you won't have any distractions," he replied coldly, gesturing toward the small glass table in the corner of his office. "Take a seat. You're working overtime tonight