Chapter 4

Zara's POV

Sebastian was already seated at the end of the table, by the time I entered the conference room.  I kept getting notification reminders for my first Ultrasound, but I needed to attend  the meeting first. 

I  slipped into my seat, trying to shrink into myself.

Lily’s knee nudged mine under the table, a silent lifeline. I exhaled slowly, trying to steady my pulse.

“Let’s begin,” he said, flipping through the reports with deliberate precision.

The first ten minutes were uneventful. Board expectations, numbers, projections, everything seemed under control. And then all of a sudden his finger stopped mid-page.

“Zara,” he said, “can you explain this?”

I was confused at first because  that was the report I stayed awake till two a.m. triple-checking.

“I… I followed the format you approved,” I murmured, keeping my voice low.

He lifted the paper, eyes sharp. “Then why is the revenue projection missing? And why is the client feedback section duplicated? Again?”

A hush swept through the room. Whispers tickled my ears, sharp as winter wind.

“Sir, there must be a mix-up”

“No mix-up,” he interrupted, voice cold. “It’s your sixth major error in two weeks.”

Heat coiled in my chest. “I corrected the last one, sir. And the one before…”

“That’s the problem,” he said, gaze hardening. “We can’t keep correcting your work.”

The room was quiet.

“Effective immediately,” he continued, leaning back, “you’ll be reassigned from Executive Assistant duties to Junior Administrative Support. Reduced workload. Reduced responsibility. Reduced pay.”

The words landed like a fist. A demotion. Public. In front of everyone. How embarrassing. 

Mike exhaled sharply. Lily murmured, “Ah.”

 “With all due respect, sir… I’ve been trying my best.”

He didn’t soften. “Your best is no longer meeting required standards.”

Those words cut deeper than the demotion.

“I see,” I whispered. My fists clenched under the table. Lily’s hand found mine.

The meeting ended. Chairs scraped. Colleagues filed out. But the demotion remained. 

I leaned against the cold wall, papers crumpled in my hands. All the  effort I have put into this company, the  late nights… and this?

Lily appeared instantly. “Zara… I’m so sorry.”

“I… I can’t believe it,” I murmured. “It feels like he… he wants me to fail. Why does he hate me so much? What error could possibly lead to demotion?. 

“Then prove him wrong,” she said. “We’ll get through this.”

“What's there to prove?” Sebastian would see the fire he lit.

We hadn’t even reached my desk when Sebastian appeared in the hallway. His stride deliberate, echoing against the floor.

“Miss Zara,” he said, stopping a foot away, “We need to talk.”

My hands curled into fists. “Sir,” I replied, steady.

He studied me. Tilted his head. “You’ve made too many mistakes. Repeated errors. I don’t understand why you can’t maintain focus.”

“I’m under pressure. You don’t see everything I’m handling. I’m doing my best.”

“Your best isn’t enough,” he said, stepping closer. “Your actions have consequences, not just for you, but for the company. And frankly…” his gaze flicked sideways, catching me off guard, “…for the people depending on your competence.”

Heat rose in my cheeks. “Are you saying I’m incompetent?”

“Demotion today, repeated errors. Clear, isn’t it?”

“Do you have a personal problem with me? Because I don't understand.” I said.“After months of working late, fixing problems no one else bothers to touch, making sure deadlines are met, while everyone else…” 

Fury roared. “Everyone else gets praise for what I do. And my gain? What did I get from being effective?”

 “Your gain is irrelevant. The company cannot survive on excuses or incomplete work.”

He paused. For a fraction of a second, eyes flickered with something unreadable. “Anger doesn’t excuse mistakes. Effective immediately, you  move to your new office in the administrative wing. Report to HR to complete the transition. Responsibilities are reduced but accountability is not.”

My stomach twisted. “My new office?”

“Yes. Fresh start. Hopefully one you can handle without further mistakes.”

The hallway to the administrative wing stretched endlessly. Each echoing step drove home the absurdity of it all. I had built projects from chaos, fixed disasters no one else would touch, yet here I was, carrying humiliation like a badge.

The door to my new office loomed. Small and  painfully efficient. I pushed it open. Silence greeted me. A space that felt heavier than the clatter of my old 

A soft knock startled me. Lily’s head peeked around the door.

“You okay?” she whispered.

I forced a tight smile. “I’ll be fine. Just… settling in.”

Lily nodded, eyes full of unspoken worry. “I know he was harsh. But he can’t break you. Not you.”

I swallowed, letting a flicker of gratitude surface. “Thanks,” I murmured, turning back to the spreadsheet. “I just… need to focus.”

She lingered a moment, then left, closing the door gently. I could still hear the faint click, like a punctuation to the day’s events.

I leaned back in my chair, eyes closing for a fraction of a second. Focus. Precision. Control. That was the mantra. Sebastian thought he had shaken me. He hadn’t. He had lit a fire.

The office was quiet, almost eerily so. No chatter, no footsteps outside, no whispers. Just me and my tasks, and the invisible life I carried like a secret badge of both pride and terror.

I pulled up the next report due, meticulously reviewing line by line. Every error caught, every formula triple-checked, every detail confirmed. Not just to survive this demotion, but to prove myself, if not to Sebastian yet, then to me.

Hours passed. The sun shifted across the window, highlighting the sterile walls. My fingers ached, my eyes stung, but I couldn’t stop. Not yet. Not until I had control again.

A text from Lily appeared: Lunch? I’ll bring it to you.

I smiled faintly, a small comfort. “Thanks,” I typed back. Not hungry anyway.

The door clicked again. My pulse jumped. But it was  the cleaner, whistling softly as he moved down the hall. Nothing to see here. I straightened in my chair, posture perfect, expression neutral. Calm and calculated.

And somewhere deep inside, beneath the humiliation and fury, determination simmered. This demotion, this public slap of authority, would not define me. 

Sebastian may have thought he had the upper hand. But he had no idea the storm he had just set in motion. And I  never lost a fight, I refused to accept defeat.