Prove Myself

Lily Thompson

Vanessa was on the board.

Of course she was.

I sat frozen, clutching the armrest of the leather chair like it could ground me while my mind spun. Every inch of the room reeked of power and polish—tailored suits, patent heels, Cartier watches. I could practically smell the designer perfume battling for dominance in the air.

Vanessa hadn’t said a word yet, but her smirk spoke volumes. Her eyes dragged over me with the same slow distaste as in the lobby, except now, it was worse. Now she had power behind it.

And Ryan still wasn’t here.

A man to my left cleared his throat and folded his hands on the table. “We’ve reviewed your file. Your résumé shows you didn’t complete college?”

Fuck.

I nodded, heart thudding. “Yes, sir. That’s correct.”

“And yet you applied for a highly demanding role at one of the top companies in the country?”

“I—yes. I mean, I’ve worked in administrative roles before. I have hands-on—”

Vanessa cut in smoothly, crossing one leg over the other. “Experience that isn’t remotely at our level.” Her smile was razor-sharp. “Forgive me for being blunt, but what exactly qualifies you to sit at this table?”

The silence afterward wasn’t silence, it was tension. coated in judgment and dipped in classism.

My throat felt dry. I looked around, hoping to see even one neutral face, but everyone wore the same polite, dismissive expression except Theo

Vanessa smiled without smiling. “And yet you were hired as the CEO’s executive assistant?”

She looked around the room as if searching for hidden cameras. “Forgive me, I thought Denzol was raising standards, not lowering them.”

A quiet, polished, fake laughter rippled across the table, each sound a tiny pinprick against my skin

“Just because she is the CEO’s assistant” one of the women said, flipping through a file. “doesn’t mean she’s exempt from the board’s standards.”

“And certainly not immune to scrutiny,” added another man, looking straight at Theo .

I clenched my hands in my lap, trying not to shrink. Trying not to break.

My stomach twisted. I felt a jab at my sides like I was pierced by a knife.

I’d like to understand,” said a man with graying temples and steely eyes. “What qualifies you for this role?”

Vanessa chimed in sweetly, “We’re all just curious. It’s not personal.”

She glanced at my blouse. “But appearance and experience do matter when representing this company at an executive level.”

I froze. I could feel every worn thread on my outfit now. Every scuffed edge on my shoes.

They didn’t just see me as underqualified. They saw me as beneath them.

The door opened.

Ryan.

He stepped in just in time to hear another voice pile on—

“Perhaps,” said one of the younger men at the far end of the table, “she could prove herself. Show us something of value. A pitch. A strategy. Anything that justifies her presence here.”

Ryan’s jaw tightened. He glanced at Theo and subtly tapped his arm.

Theo leaned forward to speak, but I saw Ryan shake his head slightly—almost like he wanted to intervene but was trying not to cause a scene. His eyes scanned the room like he already knew what had happened. His jaw clenched so hard, I thought I heard his teeth grind.

I stood up before either of them could say a word.

The room turned. My knees wanted to buckle. My voice almost caught. But I stood anyway.

“I’ll do it,” I said, voice clear. “Give me the opportunity, and I’ll show you exactly why I belong at Denzol.”

Vanessa blinked, clearly thrown off.

The man with the gray temples looked intrigued. “You’re willing to take on a performance challenge?”

“I am,” I said. “Give me a target. A metric. A task. Anything. I’ll prove it.”

Theo was staring at me with wide eyes. Even Ryan looked stunned.

I took a breath, my hands still clenched at my sides but my voice steady. “Just don’t mistake where I came from for what I’m capable of.”

The room went silent.

Vanessa smiled again—but this time, there was a flicker of something less smug behind it. Wariness.

“We’ll see,” she said.

And then Ryan finally spoke, his voice low and unreadable.

“Underestimating her will be your first mistake. And your loudest regret.”