Punished at the Office

All I ever wanted was to be diligent—a model assistant, loyal to my boss, and focused on my work. I kept my head down, did everything by the book, and never gave anyone a reason to question my professionalism.

But apparently, being caught “releasing tension” in the copy room changes how your boss sees you.

This morning, his voice was cool, “Lila,” he said, without looking up from his desk. “I need you to declutter the copy room. Take out every useless document and clean the place up. New files are arriving this evening.”

There was an edge beneath his words—too calm, too knowing. As if this was a punishment dressed up as responsibility. I simply nodded, cheeks warm, and headed toward the room like a good employee.

The copy room smelled like toner and dust. I rolled up my sleeves, pulled my hair into a messy knot, and started digging through piles of old files. Most were outdated reports and training manuals—nothing exciting.

But then, as I reached behind one of the lower cabinets, my f