Chapter 2

I rose calmly from my chair. "Ms. Vandenberg, the figures are based on our most recent quarterly review. Mr. Bouchard gave this proposal preliminary approval last week."

Sophie smiled with open contempt. "Mr. Bouchard has his standards, and I have mine. Mine happen to be higher. Perhaps this would pass at some tiny firm. It doesn't pass with me."

She idly flipped through the pages.

"Laurel, there's a reason you're still just a team lead. Your thinking is rigid, your perspective is narrow, and you can't keep pace with the business." She paused, her smile sharpening. "Or have you been too busy with other things to focus on work?"

Around the table, everyone seemed afraid to breathe.

I glanced at Derek. He was staring at Sophie without once looking my way, much less defending me. Something inside me grew colder.

I met her eyes. "Everyone in this department knows how hard I work. And the countless proposals Mr. Bouchard rejected over the years? Somehow, they all ended up on your resume. Don't you think it's a little rich for you to question my competence?"

Sophie's expression faltered. Panic flashed in her eyes.

"Enough." Derek glared at me. "Sophie's new here. Of course she'll have different views on projects. You think publicly challenging your supervisor is professional?"

Sophie recovered quickly. "Laurel, you're making baseless accusations against management and disrupting this meeting. Your bonus is canceled for the month. Consider it a warning to everyone."

"I don't accept that." Anger surged through me.

Before I could say another word, Derek stood. "Outside. Now."

He grabbed my wrist and dragged me into the empty hallway.

Without his audience, some of the severity fell from his face.

"Sophie needs to assert her authority. She's impatient by nature. Don't embarrass her in front of the whole department."

My chest tightened. "Why should I? I'm not your pawn. And I'm certainly not a stepping stone for her career."

He caught my hand. "I know you've been treated unfairly. I'll make it up to you afterward."

Make it up to me. Again.

I wrenched free.

Derek rubbed his forehead, looking exhausted. "Go back in. Don't make a scene."

Despite my protests, he steered me into the conference room and forced me back into my seat.

Sophie glanced at me, snapped her folder shut, and spoke coldly. "Your entire team's proposal is rejected. Rewrite it. I want the new version tomorrow. Meeting adjourned."

The complaints began as soon as the meeting ended.

"We could've gone home on time. Now we'll be here all night."

"It's Laurel's fault. She just had to challenge the director in front of everyone."

"Every other team gets to keep their work. Why are we the unlucky ones?"

Resentful stares converged on me.

Then Sophie emerged from the conference room. Pointing at my teammates one by one, she said, "You, go help Planning Team B this afternoon. You, report to Team C right away..."

In minutes, I was the only person left on my team. Everyone else celebrated their reassignment.

Sophie gave me a bright smile. "You're such a talented team lead, Laurel. I'm sure you can redo the entire proposal yourself. Don't disappoint me."

She walked away.

I stood there, numb from head to toe.

My phone vibrated. A message from Derek.

"Thanks for taking this on. Try to understand. It's not easy for Sophie, being new."

A transfer of $7,000 followed.

Suddenly, I was so tired of all of it.

Eight years of my life, and all I'd amounted to was someone else's stepping stone.

I didn't want a love that had to hide in the dark anymore.

I opened my conversation with a recruiter who'd been trying to hire me for years and typed, "Hi. Is your company still hiring?"