Chapter 2: Rearranged
980 Words
The office remained silent.
No one dared to breathe.
Lena stood frozen beneath Adrian Knight's piercing gaze, her hands trembling around the notebook she always carried.
"Miss Brooks."
"Y-Yes, sir."
Adrian closed the black folder and placed it neatly on the conference table.
"This isn't the partnership contract."
Lena's heart sank.
"I... I'm sorry, sir."
"There must have been a mistake."
"There was."
His voice remained calm, almost too calm.
"And I expect you to find out how it happened."
Lena lowered her head.
"It won't happen again."
For a moment, Adrian said nothing.
He simply looked at her, as though trying to understand how someone with such a clean record had made such a careless mistake.
Finally, he spoke.
"You may leave."
Lena bowed slightly.
"I'm truly sorry, Mr. Knight."
Without waiting for another word, she hurried out of the conference room.
The moment the doors closed behind her, dozens of eyes turned toward her.
Every whisper felt louder than the last.
"Was she fired?"
"I heard she gave the CEO the wrong file."
"She's finished."
Lena kept her head down and walked straight to her desk.
She wanted nothing more than for the day to end.
A few minutes later, the elevator doors opened.
Adrian Knight stepped onto the executive floor.
The conversations died instantly.
He slowly looked around the office.
Every desk.
Every employee.
Every overflowing pile of paperwork.
His expression revealed nothing.
"Everyone," he said firmly.
"The conference room. Five minutes."
No one questioned him.
Within minutes, the entire executive team had gathered.
Adrian stood at the front of the room with several files in his hands.
"This morning's incident was avoidable."
His voice was calm, yet every word carried weight.
"A company of this standard cannot afford carelessness."
No one dared interrupt.
He continued.
"I've reviewed the performance reports of every department on this floor."
Several employees exchanged nervous glances.
"Effective immediately, the executive office will be restructured."
A wave of shock spread across the room.
"Each employee will be reassigned based on where they can contribute most efficiently."
Lena felt her stomach tighten.
One by one, employees were called into Adrian's private office.
Some stayed for only two minutes.
Others came out looking confused.
A few even looked relieved.
The waiting was unbearable.
Finally...
Adrian didn't ask her to sit.
Instead, he handed her a single sheet of paper.
She looked down.
Department Transfer Notice.
Her eyes widened.
"Administrative Support Unit?"
She looked up at him in disbelief.
"Sir... there has to be a mistake."
"There isn't."
"I've worked three years to earn my place on the executive floor."
"I know."
"Then why am I being transferred?"
Adrian folded his hands.
"The Administrative Support Unit is currently understaffed."
"But my experience is here."
"And your skills will be valuable there."
His answer was short.
Professional.
Cold.
Lena felt frustration rising inside her.
"So this is because of this morning."
"It is a management decision."
"That's not an answer."
For the first time, Adrian met her eyes.
"It is the only answer you're getting."
Silence filled the room.
Lena's fingers tightened around the transfer letter.
Three years.
Three years of arriving before everyone else.
Three years of working overtime.
Three years of proving herself.
And now...
With a single signature...
Everything had been taken away.
She swallowed the lump in her throat.
"If that's all, Mr. Knight..."
"It is."
She turned and walked out.
The moment she reached her desk, everyone was watching.
No one asked questions.
They didn't need to.
The paper in her hand said enough.
Quietly, Lena packed her notebooks, pens, and the small coffee mug her late mother had given her on her first day at Knight & Hale Group.
She tried to ignore the curious stares from her coworkers, but she could feel every pair of eyes on her.
Her chest tightened.
Three years of hard work...
Gone in a single day.
She glanced toward Adrian Knight's office.
Through the glass walls, he was already reviewing another stack of documents as though nothing had happened.
Lena bit the inside of her cheek.
"One day, Knight..." she thought bitterly. "You'll regret this."
A second later, another thought slipped into her mind.
"I hate you so much."
Without realizing it, her imagination began to run wild.
She pictured herself storming into his office.
"Mr. Cold-Hearted CEO!" she shouted.
Then—
Whack!
She smacked him on the head with her notebook.
Whack!
Another hit.
"You think you're so perfect?"
Whack!
"Take that!"
She couldn't help smiling to herself.
"Miss Brooks."
She stood immediately and walked into his office.Suddenly—
Thud!
One of her books slipped from her hands and landed loudly on the floor.
Lena gasped.
Her daydream disappeared instantly.
The entire office turned to look at her.
Even Adrian Knight lifted his head from the documents on his desk and looked toward her through the glass wall.
Her face burned with embarrassment.
She quickly pretended she hadn't been staring in his direction.
"N-Nothing..." she mumbled under her breath.
As she bent down to pick up her book, she lost her balance.
"Ah!"
She stumbled forward, barely catching herself before hitting the floor.
A few quiet chuckles spread through the office.
Lena wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.
Keeping her head down, she hurriedly gathered the rest of her belongings into the box.
Without looking back at Adrian's office, she clenched her jaw and muttered quietly,
"I hate you, Knight."
Holding her box tightly against her chest, Lena walked toward the elevator.
The doors slowly closed behind her.
She didn't know it yet...
But this wasn't the end of her story at Knight & Hale Group.
It was only the beginning.
Behind the glass walls, Adrian Knight watched her leave.
His expression never changed.
But somewhere...
A decision had already been made.
✦ ✦ ✦
End of chapter two
- Writer
