CHAPTER 6 – Public Humiliation
1476 Words
Lara woke before her alarm, her heart already racing. She hadn’t slept properly since the last text the night before:
You ignored my warning. Next time, I won’t just send messages.
It hadn’t just been a threat; it had felt like a promise. She’d triple‑checked her locks, even shoved a chair under the door handle like something out of an old movie. But still, she had lain awake, listening to every creak of the apartment building and every distant honk of traffic outside.
By the time her alarm buzzed, she was already dressed and clutching coffee like a lifeline. She told herself it was just some anonymous troll. That logic didn’t stop the tiny chill in her spine as she scanned the subway car for anyone looking at her too long.
---
The office was quiet when she arrived, a half hour before anyone else. She let out a shaky breath, trying to focus on the simple tasks: laptop, notes, coffee. The hum of fluorescent lights and the faint smell of cleaning chemicals felt oddly comforting. At least this part of her life made sense.
She buried herself in files for the upcoming client meeting, flipping pages as fast as her eyes could take them in. She didn’t even notice Adrian’s silhouette in his glass-walled office until he stepped out, already fully composed in his suit.
“You’re early,” he observed, his voice even but sharper than most people’s.
“You told me to be,” Lara said, straightening in her seat.
He nodded once, as if satisfied. “Good. Read this.” He handed her a folder. “I want you to summarize the liability exposure in section three before we leave.”
Lara took the folder, eager to have something to focus on besides whoever was stalking her phone.
---
Five minutes in, she realized she was staring at the same paragraph, not reading it. Her brain kept looping back to that text: Next time, I won’t just send messages.
“You’re distracted,” Adrian said suddenly, making her jump.
Her head shot up. “What?”
“You’ve been staring at the same page for over a minute.”
He notices everything. Lara forced a smile. “Just tired.”
“Drink more coffee. I need you focused,” he replied, already heading back to his office, like the subject was closed.
But the way his eyes lingered on her for a half second longer than usual told her he wasn’t convinced.
---
The client was a middle-aged CEO who walked like he owned half of Manhattan and expected to own the other half by lunch. Adrian handled him easily, his voice smooth and commanding, turning what could have been an aggressive negotiation into something that almost felt like a victory lap.
Lara sat quietly, taking notes and trying not to stare at Adrian too much—at how his presence shifted a room, how people either bristled or bent. She couldn’t tell which was more intimidating.
When the meeting ended, the CEO shook Adrian’s hand firmly. “You’re as good as they say.”
Adrian gave the faintest nod. “We try.”
They stepped out into the hallway, and Lara’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She glanced down.
You still don’t get it. I told you to leave him.
Her chest tightened. She shoved the phone back into her blazer pocket before Adrian could notice, forcing a steady breath.
“Problem?” Adrian asked, watching her out of the corner of his eye.
“No. Just… junk mail.”
---
At noon, Lara went to the firm’s lunchroom for coffee. The room was packed, voices bouncing off the walls in casual chatter. She was halfway to the coffee machine when a voice cut through the noise.
“Well, well. If it isn’t Velez’s shadow.”
Lara froze. Rick Carson was leaning against the counter, arms crossed, smirk firmly in place. Several associates turned to look, sensing drama.
“I’m not doing this today, Rick,” she said, keeping her voice even.
“You sure? Because rumor has it you’ve been doing plenty with him after hours.”
The room went silent. Then someone laughed. The kind of ugly, nervous laugh people use when they’re glad it’s not them in the spotlight.
“That’s not true,” Lara said, cheeks flushing hot.
“Relax,” Rick said. “It’s just a joke.” He tilted his head, mocking innocence. “Or is it? I mean, who gets invited to dinner with Adrian Velez in their first week? You must be special.”
Someone whistled. Someone else muttered, “Wow.”
Lara gripped her coffee cup tighter, her knuckles whitening. “Stop.”
“Why? Hit a nerve?” Rick’s smirk deepened. “Come on, tell us—what’s it like being his favorite?”
---
“Rick.”
Adrian’s voice sliced through the room like a blade. The crowd parted instinctively as he stepped in, every inch the intimidating partner he was known to be.
“Mr. Velez, I was just—”
“Humiliating a colleague in front of half the staff,” Adrian cut in smoothly. “Do you know what that’s called?”
Rick’s smirk faltered. “Just a joke—”
“It’s called unprofessional conduct.” Adrian’s tone was deceptively calm, like ice on glass. “Pack up your things. You’re done.”
Someone gasped. The silence was thick enough to choke on.
Rick’s face went red. “You can’t—”
“Try me,” Adrian said, stepping closer. “Your badge will be with security in ten minutes, or I’ll have them escort you out.”
For a second, it looked like Rick might argue, but one look at Adrian’s expression and he backed down, muttering curses under his breath as he stormed out.
Adrian turned his gaze to the rest of the room, scanning each face. “Anyone else want to waste time with gossip?”
No one spoke.
“Good,” Adrian said. “Get back to work.”
---
The lunchroom buzzed with whispered speculation as Adrian stepped closer to Lara, lowering his voice so only she could hear. “You okay?”
Lara swallowed, still reeling from the public scene. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I did,” Adrian said, tone flat but eyes sharper than usual. “You don’t deserve to be humiliated in your own workplace.”
For a moment, she couldn’t look away. There was no warmth in his tone, no gentle edge—just absolute certainty, like he’d decided something about her and that was final.
“Take ten minutes,” Adrian said, stepping back. “Clear your head. Meet me in my office after.”
---
Lara stepped outside, breathing in the cold air like it was medicine. Her hands were still shaking, and not entirely from anger. He fired Rick. For me.
Her phone buzzed. Another message.
He’s not your savior. He’s the reason you’re in danger.
She typed back quickly: Who are you?
Three dots appeared… then vanished. No response.
---
When she returned to Adrian’s office, he was at his desk, flipping through documents like nothing had happened.
“Better?” he asked without looking up.
“A little,” she admitted.
“Good. Sit. We still have work.”
They spent the next two hours reviewing depositions. But something was different. Adrian was quieter, less cutting than usual. When she dropped her pen and both bent down at the same time, their hands brushed. For a second, neither moved.
“You’re tense,” he said finally, eyes on her.
“You fired someone today,” she murmured.
“He deserved it.”
She hesitated, then asked quietly, “You didn’t do it just for me, did you?”
Adrian’s eyes held hers, unreadable. “I did it because I don’t tolerate harassment. And because I won’t have people thinking they can treat you like that.”
Her breath caught. She didn’t know what to say, so she just nodded.
“Go home early,” he said. “We’ll pick this up tomorrow.”
---
On the subway ride home, she clutched the cold metal pole, exhaustion setting in. Her phone buzzed again.
You think he saved you today? He made you a target. Next time, I won’t just watch.
Her blood ran cold. She scanned the crowded car—businessmen scrolling phones, a teenager nodding to music, a woman juggling grocery bags—but no one looking at her directly.
They know what happened today. They’re watching me. Right now.
She gripped the pole tighter, heart pounding all the way home.
---
Lara locked her door and leaned against it, breath shaky. Whoever was texting her wasn’t just watching—they were moving closer.
- Writer
