CHAPTER 28: The reassignment

Over the rest of the week, the executive floor became a living nightmare for Alura.

Ethan made it his personal mission to interact with her as much as possible.

His harassment was deliberate and perfectly masked behind a fake, smile. He found a dozen different excuses to come up to the fortieth floor.

He dropped off basic printed files that could easily have been sent via a simple email. He hovered near the copy machine whenever she walked down the hall.

He would always rush into the elevator when ever she was already in, trapping both if them in, and those few minutes she had to share the same space with him and breath the same air with him were the most annoying and uncomfortable moments of her life.

The worst part was the way he spoke to her.

"Good morning, Alura dear," Ethan would say, leaning against the edge of her desk with a familiarity that made her skin literally crawl.

He always said it just loud enough for the other junior secretaries to hear. He wanted everyone to think they shared a deep, intimate bond. Alura spent the entire week feeling like a trapped mouse, terrified that Lucius would walk out of his office and catch Ethan leaning over her desk again.

By Thursday afternoon, the stress was pushing her toward a mental breakdown.

Alura waited until Lucius was busy in a video conference with the European board members.

She desperately needed caffeine. She slipped away from her desk and practically ran down the quiet hallway to the executive break room, hoping to grab a quick cup of coffee.

Luckily the break room was empty. She let out a heavy sigh of relief, walking over to the espresso machine.

Suddenly, she heard the door click shut.

Alura froze. She turned around slowly. Ethan was standing inside the room, blocking the only exit. He was holding a brown paper takeout bag in his hands, and that nasty smile was plastered right across his face.

"I brought you something," Ethan said, taking a slow step toward her. He lifted the brown bag. "I remember you always loved those turkey sandwiches from that little deli near the campus. I picked some up during my lunch hour."

Alura stared at the unwanted food. Her heart hammered against her ribs, she was fed up with his constant harassment, she was slowly losing her temper.

"Ethan, I need you to understand that we are not friends," Alura said firmly, refusing the bag. "Please stop bringing me things."

Ethan’s smile instantly froze. He set the bag down on the round table, his expression shifting into something dark and manipulative.

"Don't be cold, Alura," Ethan warned, taking another step closer. "We have history together. And besides, you really shouldn't be rude to your kind colleague."

He smirked, showing his nasty personality hiding underneath his suit.

"Besides, you have been avoiding me all week," Ethan accused, his voice dropping lower. "That is not very nice after everything we meant to each other."

Alura quickly stepped backward, putting the smooth marble island counter directly between them.

"Ethan, we broke up years ago," she stated firmly, glaring right at him. "You openly called me a frigid prude and left. There is absolutely nothing between us anymore. Leave me the hell alone."

Ethan’s fake smile turned ugly. He let out a harsh, loud scoff that echoed in the small room.

"I heard you are married now," Ethan sneered, his eyes moving up and down her body with pure disgust. "Is that what you tell your husband? That you are frigid? Or did you finally open up your legs for him after denying me?"

The crude, disgusting comment hit Alura like a physical slap to the face.

Her cheeks burned with an overwhelming mixture of hot anger and humiliation.

"What is wrong with you. Just get away from me," Alura breathed out, her voice trembling with pure fury. "Now."

But Ethan didn't back down. He stepped right up to the counter, invading her space. He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing in spite.

"I saw the way you look at CEO Hunt," Ethan whispered maliciously. "I see you smiling at him when you think nobody is watching. Does your husband know you are making eyes at your boss?"

Alura felt her stomach drop. "I have never made eyes at anyone. And my relationship with CEO Hunt is purely professional."

Ethan threw his head back and laughed. It was a dark, mocking sound.

"Sure," Ethan mocked, crossing his arms. "Just like how you were 'saving yourself for marriage' back in college right? I wonder if your husband knows what an absolute tease you--"

"What's going on here."

The deep, freezing voice cut through the air.

Ethan immediately stopped talking. He spun around, his face draining of all color.

Lucius stood in the open doorway of the break room.

He looked at the two of them. Because Ethan was standing so close to the counter, leaning into Alura’s space, the scene looked entirely wrong.

Lucius completely misread the situation.

In his mind, Ethan Hale was Alura’s husband. And right now, it looked like his secretary and her husband were secretly making out in the break room during work hours.

An overwhelming urge to fire Ethan immediately gripped Lucius’s chest. He did not even need an explanation. He just wanted the man completely removed from his building. The jealousy tearing at his insides was so intense it annoyed him.

"I....came to get coffee, Sir," Alura said quickly, breaking the heavy silence.

She was really terrified. She grabbed her mug of coffee from the counter. She did not look at Ethan, and she barely looked at Lucius. She just ducked her head, rushed quickly past the two men, and practically fled out of the break room to her desk.

Lucius did not stop her. He watched her run away, noticing the bright red flush on her cheeks. To him, she looked like a guilty wife caught sneaking around with her husband.

Lucius slowly turned his dark gaze back to Ethan.

He glared at the consultant. The silence stretched for ten agonizing seconds. Ethan swallowed hard, his throat clicking loudly in the quiet room. He tried to force a polite smile, but his face just looked sick.

"C-CEO Hunt," Ethan stammered slightly. "I was just delivering--"

"Go directly to the Human Resources department, right now." Lucius interrupted. His voice was really calm, which made it ten times more terrifying.

Ethan blinked, his confusion mixing with his fear. "Sir? Why?"

"For immediate departmental reassignment," Lucius stated coldly, stepping fully into the room. He towered over the other man. "I am changing your job description. You are going to be relocated to a completely different sector. A sector that will not require you to leave your assigned floor at any time."

Ethan’s jaw dropped. He was being banished to the corporate basement. He would lose all his access to the upper management levels.

"But Sir," Ethan argued, his arrogance briefly flaring up over his fear. "My contract explicitly places me on the Planning Consultant team. I need executive access to do my analysis properly."

Lucius tilted his head slightly. Glaring daggers at the stubborn man.

"If you do not like the new reassignment, Mr. Hale," Lucius said softly, "then you can quit. Today."

The threat hung in the air. It was an ultimatum.

Lucius did not wait for a response. He turned on his heel and walked out of the break room, his heavy footsteps echoing down the long, empty hallway.

Ethan was left alone. His hands curled into tight, fists at his sides. His jaw clenched so hard.

He glared at the empty doorway with pure hatred burning in his chest.

He was going to make Alura pay for this.