Chapter 24

The silence in Drew’s office thickened, stretching so tightly it felt like the air itself would snap.

Drew sat behind his desk, face unreadable, fists clenched on either side of the folder he hadn’t opened since I walked in..

His jaw flexed once, then twice and for a moment, I wondered if he was just trying to keep from exploding

He then stood quickly, sending his chair scraping harshly against the floor.

“Get out,” he said, his voice low but laced with fury.

Two words. Flat. Sharp. And final.

I froze. My hands clenched instinctively by my side.

“Lila,” he repeated, more forcefully now, “Get. Out.”

The blow of it didn’t come from the volume, it came from the chill. Ice cold, blistering orders that shot through me like a bullet.

I didn’t wait to argue. I simply turned around and walked out whatever little pride I had left. I walked out of the office, doing everything I could to keep my back straight and my steps calm. My cheeks burned with shame, but my eyes thankfully remained dry.

As I stepped back into the hallway, the world felt too bright. The hush that fell around the corridor was deafening. I could feel eyes on me, some subtle, others not.

As I approached my desk, I noticed a few coworkers clustered nearby, pretending to type or shuffle papers while clearly stealing glances in my direction. A few of them whispered. I caught snippets, "What happened?" “Did she just scream at Drew?” “Is she getting fired?”

Three of my coworkers stood near my desk. They didn’t even pretend not to be curious. Their faces were lined with intrigue and satisfaction, like they’d just watched the final blow in a boxing match.

I sat down quietly, eyes on my monitor, trying to ignore them.

“Everything okay?” one of them asked, smugness barely concealed.

“Everything is fine,” I said, voice flat.

They lingered for a second longer, clearly disappointed that I wasn’t giving them a breakdown or juicy detail to chew on. One by one, they left, except for one.

She was an older woman, maybe in her early forties. Her name was Miriam. She wasn’t someone I had interacted with much, but I’d always seen her floating quietly in the background, never too involved, never too distant.

She approached slowly, a gentle frown on her face.

“I heard the shouting,” she said, her voice soft. “Didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but it was hard not to.”

I nodded. “It’s fine.”

“Don’t worry, people argue in this place more than they breathe. But I’ve been watching you since you came in, and I know it hasn’t been easy.”

She glanced at the door of Drew’s office before focusing back on me.

If you ever need someone to talk to… or just want to sit in silence with someone who won’t judge, I’m around, you don't have to feel alone”

Something tightened in my throat.

“I’ve seen how they treat you,” she added. “It’s not right. You’ve handled yourself with more grace than most would’ve. That says a lot.”

Her words, gentle and unforced, landed somewhere deep inside me. I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear something kind.

“Thank you,” I said, blinking fast as I wiped the corners of my eyes.

She gave a small smile and returned to her desk without expecting anything in return. That made it even more meaningful.

I took a deep breath and settled into my seat, trying to refocus. The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur. My eyes stung from exhaustion and tension. I barely heard the ping from my calendar reminding me of the project meeting scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

My stomach churned as I made my way to the conference room. I had no idea what to expect. Drew could humiliate me in front of everyone. He could fire me with an audience. Or maybe he’d pretend nothing happened.

A fresh wave of anxiety rolled over me.

I didn’t know what to expect.

If Drew had snapped in private, who knew what he might do in front of everyone else?

As I stepped into the room, Drew was already there. Sitting at the head of the table, arms crossed, expression unreadable. His face was calm, cold, something else that I couldn't figure out, just like the perfect poker face

Others began trickling in. Chatter filled the room, light laughter, casual conversation. No one noticed how I hovered by the door for just a second too long before taking my seat.

I didn’t dare glance in Drew’s direction, but I felt him there like gravity pulling just enough to let me know I was under pressure.

The door shut, and the room settled. Drew raised a hand and silence fell like a curtain.

Drew sat forward, resting his arms on the table.

“Before we begin today’s meeting,” Drew said, his voice steady, “I need to address two serious issues that have come to my attention.”

My heart dropped.

I felt my pulse in my fingertips.

This was it. He was going to do it. Call me out. Embarrass me. Maybe even fire me.

I forced myself not to look down. I would meet it head on, whatever came.

“There’s been a situation that came to my attention,” Drew continued. “Regarding the leaked information incident that happened weeks ago.”

Wait what?

I blinked.

Drew’s eyes scanned the room before they landed on John, who was sitting two seats away from me. His expression twitched.

“For those who aren’t aware, The launch project was almost compromised because someone here leaked some valuable and confidential information.”

There were murmurs. Eyes darted. And quickly I looked at John and I could see him shrink in his chair.

“Luckily the leak was intercepted before it got to the press and at that time all evidence led to one person, Lila." Drew continued smoothly, “we took our time to investigate and trace the origin of the emails. Though the emails were sent under Lila's name, the IP address led to someone else amongst us, John Miller.”

The room went completely still.

“I take this kind of breach very seriously. Framing a colleague not only threatens the integrity of this project, it threatens this entire team dynamic.”

John shifted uncomfortably.

“From this moment,” Drew said, “John has been suspended without pay pending further HR action.”

No one dared speak.

“And let this serve as a warning,” he added, his voice dipping lower. “Anyone caught sabotaging or disrespecting a fellow teammate will face the same, if not worse.”

My mind was still catching up. I didn't think Drew would bring it up like this, in front of everyone. It felt too good to be true that Drew was clearing my name in front of everyone.

But he wasn’t done.

“There’s one more thing,” he said, sitting back. “And I want to be very clear.”

The air thickened.

“I’ve observed the behavior in this office. I’ve seen how certain individuals isolate, ignore, and subtly undermine Lila. Whether it’s in project collaborations, withheld communication, or deliberate disrespect, it hasn’t gone unnoticed.”

My throat constricted. The room was dead silent.

“Lila was hired because she’s the best. Her resume speaks for itself. And since joining this team, she’s proven that she’s every bit the asset I believed she’d be.”

He let that sit for a second before continuing.

“So here’s the new standard: Any disrespect toward her is disrespect toward me. And I don’t tolerate disrespect, not toward my leadership, and certainly not toward someone who’s done nothing but pull her weight.”

A cold wave ran through the table.

“Is that understood?”

A chorus of quiet ‘yes’ replies echoed around the room.

I sat completely still, too shocked to react. My mind reeled. He had defended me. Publicly. Firmly. Drew, the same man who had told me to get out of his office who I thought was going to humiliate and embarrass me had just turned around and taken a bullet for me in front of the team.

I dared a glance at him.

He didn’t look at me. Didn’t acknowledge me. Just moved into the meeting agenda like none of that had just happened.

But I couldn’t shake the feeling that everything had changed.

Or maybe… everything had just started.

I didn’t move. Couldn’t. My heart thudded in my chest. My fingers were frozen around my pen.

Drew turned toward the agenda on the screen and started asking for updates as John excused himself from the meeting following his suspension.

My mouth was dry. My thoughts scattered.

This wasn’t the Drew I knew or thought I knew. First, the rage. Then the dismissal. And now… this?

I couldn’t figure him out.

And maybe that was the scariest part of all.