Chapter 4

I looked at her with a cold smirk, saying nothing, but my silence only fueled her arrogance.

"What's the matter?" Rachel snorted. "Playing meek and mild now? What happened to that big attitude you had on the phone earlier?"

Her eyes darted down to my chest before she let out a loud scoff.

"And what is this? What's the deal with this badge? Our lanyards aren't this color. Camille, did you walk into the wrong building? Or..."

Her eyes lit up with sudden mock enlightenment, and her laugh grew even louder.

"Or did you take a job at DoorDash? Isn't a blue lanyard what all those delivery workers wear? Hahaha!"

Because my badge was flipped backward, none of them could see the company name printed on the front. Before I could respond, Eliza's voice piped up from down the hall.

"Camille, you're finally here!"

She rushed over, stepping in front of me. "Come on, haven't you thrown enough of a temper tantrum by now? Hurry up and wrap up the loose ends. Our contacts from the client firm are going to be here any minute."

She reached out to grab my arm, but I brushed her hand away. She scowled, dropping her voice to a harsh whisper.

"Look, I'm trying to save your ass here. Mr. Howell is in a terrible mood today, so just get to work and stop walking into the line of fire. You don't want to get chewed out right in front of the client when they show up!"

"Didn't you complete this project all by yourself?" I countered, unimpressed.

"Mr. Howell said so at the annual gala. He even praised you for carrying the whole account on your back and doing an outstanding job.

"You got the Employee of the Year award and a $50,000 bonus, so why are you asking me to clean up the mess now?"

Rachel clicked her tongue. "Oh, come on, Camille. Now you're just being petty. Why are you keeping score at a time like this? Just get to work!"

I stood my ground, refusing to move an inch. As we stood in a tense standoff, Gregory's roar thundered out from his office. "Where the hell is Camille? Is she here yet? Tell her to haul her ass in here right now!"

He stormed out of his office, his eyes locking onto me as he scanned me up and down.

"Well, well, look at you," he said condescendingly. "Done throwing your fit? Done causing a scene? Now you finally realize you have to crawl back?"

"I'm here on business," I said, businesslike.

"I've seen plenty of people like you," he sneered. "You put in a little work and suddenly think you're indispensable. Then you decide you've been wronged, throw a tantrum, and expect your boss to come running after you.

"Well, let me tell you something. That shit doesn't work on me. That's just how the corporate world works. Nobody's going to stop everything just because you're upset. You thought the company would fall apart without you? Give me a break."

He put his hands on his hips, raising his voice so the whole open-floor office could hear.

"I thought you had some real spine, but look at you—crawling right back on your hands and knees anyway. Showing up late on the very first day back after the holidays?

"That attitude is unacceptable. I'm docking your entire salary for this month so you'll learn your lesson."

He stared at me, eager to see that familiar, submissive expression on my face. Instead, I let out a mocking laugh. "Are you sure you want to talk to me like this?"

Eliza jumped in to egg him on. "Please don't be too mad, Mr. Howell. Camille is probably just in a bad mood. When I asked her to get to work just now, she snapped right at me."

"So, a bad mood gives you the right to throw a fit and walk out?" Gregory glared at me. "A bad mood lets you ignore my calls? Let me tell you something. The corporate world isn't your home, and nobody is going to baby you here!"

He waved his hand dismissively and added, "Go fix yourself up. The reps from the client firm are coming today for the project handover, and you're handling them. They're paying our bills, so you'd better put on a smile and keep your attitude in check. Don't screw this up."

I shrugged. "The representative is already here."

He blinked, thrown off guard. "They are? Where?"

"Right here." I flipped my badge around to face them.

The moment the three of them saw the bold lettering and corporate emblem printed on the front, they all froze in place.