Chapter 6

Aurora.

The sound of Mr. Harper's voice was the only thing I could hear at the point, harsh and sharp. His words were venomous, the kind that made my stomach churn. "Aurora! What the hell is this? This is the kind of incompetent work I expect from an intern, not someone with your title. What are you doing? Do you even care about your job?" His voice echoed through the office, loud enough to make every head turn in my direction.

I froze. not that this was the first time this was happening, but then I think I've had enough of him already. My fingers gripped the edge of my desk, knuckles turning white. I had spent countless sleepless nights trying to get this project right. I had skipped meals, ignored calls from friends, and barely saw my daughter all week, just to make sure the report was perfect. And for what? To be met with this.

But my mind was too numb to even process the words. All I could think of were the sleepless nights, the endless revisions, the constant fear of disappointing him. Was it ever going to be enough? Was I ever going to be good enough?

My mind started to drift as he ranted. I was no longer really hearing him. My thoughts began to spiral, a list forming in my mind of everything Mr. Harper had done to me over the past two years.

There was the time he had asked me to work late on a Friday, promising he’d take care of everything on Monday. I had canceled plans with Ama, my daughter, to get it done. Monday came, and he gave me the same project, with even more demands. No thanks, no apology.

There was the time he yelled at me in front of the entire office for missing a small typo in a report—one that had been sent for review long before it reached my desk. I had apologized, though it wasn’t my mistake, but guess what? I was slapped for it!

There was the time he threw a fit when I dared to take a sick day, calling me "lazy" and "unreliable," despite the fact that I had been working for weeks without a break.

And then there was that time, just last month, when he told me my daughter was "irrelevant" because I was always "too tired" to come in early or stay late, as if Ama’s needs were less important than his.

Tears stung the back of my eyes, but then I wasn't the type to show my pain. Instead, I clenched my jaw and took a deep breath, the heat of anger boiling inside me. How could he treat me like this? How could he treat anyone like this? All I ever did was work harder, longer, and yet i never seem to be promoted.

And then, just like that, without even realizing it, I muttered the words that had been building in my chest for months. "You can go to hell, Mr. Harper. And I pray you burn to ashes!"

The words came out before I could stop them. My eyes widened in shock as I realized what I had just said. My hand instinctively shot up to cover my mouth, my heart pounding in my ears. I could feel the heat creeping up my neck.

Mr. Harper’s expression went from fury to pure disbelief. The silence that followed was suffocating. He stared at me, his face twitching with rage. "What did you just say to me?" he spat, his voice trembling with fury.

I couldn’t breathe. I had crossed a line, a line I could never uncross. I started to stutter, "I-I didn’t—I'm sorry, I didn’t mean—"

"Sorry?" His voice thundered through the office. "You think a simple apology is going to fix this? You’ve just sealed your fate, Aurora. You think you can talk to me like that? You’re lucky I don’t throw you out of here right now."

I dropped my hands into my lap, my chest tightening. What had I done? I could barely breathe, my throat closing up. "Please, Mr. Harper, I didn’t mean it. I’ve been trying... I’ve been working so hard... please."

His eyes were cold, unfeeling. "Well, maybe you’ll learn some respect. From now on, you’ll be working as a cleaner until you learn your place here."

At first I couldn't understand what he had said, but when I did, I felt my world tilt. My mind went blank. Cleaner? He was going to demote me to a cleaning job? here I am, waiting for a damn promotion and all I got was a demotion? 

My head spun with everything I had worked for, everything I had sacrificed, and now it was all about to come crashing down because of one stupid outburst.

I dropped to my knees before him, my hands pressed against the floor, begging, pleading. "Please! I can’t lose this job. I can barely feed my daughter with the money I make as it is. If you demote me, I won’t be able to pay for her school fees, or for the rent. Please, I can’t... I just can’t."

But he wasn’t listening. Mr. Harper was already walking toward the door, his back turned to me. "That’s your problem, not mine. Maybe if you focused less on your pathetic little family and more on your work, this wouldn’t have happened."

I felt my breath catch. this man was a bastard. "You’re a horrible person," I whispered, my voice barely audible, but he heard me 

"Your daughter is a bastard, just like you," he said, without even turning to face me. "She’ll grow up to be just like you—unintelligent, lazy, and incapable. Good luck raising her."

The world seemed to stop in that moment. His words echoed in my head, sharp and unyielding. My chest tightened, and I could feel the blood pounding in my ears. My heart shattered into a million pieces. How could he say something like that?

The rage that I had been holding in for so long exploded within me. I didn’t even think—I just acted.

Without warning, I stood up, my hands trembling with fury. I marched toward him, my voice trembling but strong. "Don’t you ever, ever speak about my daughter again. You are nothing, do you hear me? Nothing! You're the most ugliest wolf I've ever seen the moon goddess created! And for your information, you smell like shit! You and your shapeless wife! Now I see why the moon goddess didn't give you a child! It's because you don't deserve one!"

He turned to face me then, his eyes wide with surprise. "Did you just open your mouth to insult me?"

I took a deep breath, my hands balling into fists. "No, I merely just told you what you are." I said, my voice steady, though my heart was beating wildly. "I’m done with this job. I’m resigning. You can take your job and shove it up your asshole."

He laughed, a cruel, cold laugh. "You’re resigning? You don’t get to resign. I’m firing you. You’re fired, Aurora."

"Fine! I pray you get hit by a bus!" I yelled out of frustration.

I walked back to my desk, tears threatening to spill, but I refused to let them fall. I shoved my things into my bag, my hands shaking.

"Hey, are you okay?" Storm’s voice broke through my thoughts, and I turned to see her standing beside me.

I shook my head, tears blurring my vision. "No, Storm. I’m not okay. I just lost my job."

She pulled me into a hug, her arms warm and comforting. "It’ll be okay," she whispered. "That man is a devil. You will figure something out."

I sniffed and wiped my eyes. "How? I don’t even have the money to pay my rent, Storm. I have no idea how I’m going to take care of Ama."

She pulled back slightly, giving me a small, reassuring smile. "You’ve always wanted to be an interior designer, right? Maybe it’s time to finally go for it. We can figure it out. Together."

I looked at her, surprised by her optimism. "But I don’t have the money for it... don't you get me?"

"We’ll find a way," she said with a wink. "I’ll pick up Ama from school and bring her to my place. You go home, clear your head, and we’ll talk more about this later."

I nodded, my heart swelling with gratitude. "Thank you, Storm. I don’t know what I would do without you."

She smiled warmly, and I saw the sincerity in her eyes. "You don’t have to do anything alone."

I grabbed my bag and left the office. The cab ride home felt long and isolating, and all that played in my head was the event of the day.

When I got home, I didn’t even take off my coat. I grabbed the bottle of wine I had bought earlier and poured myself a glass. The smooth, rich taste was comforting. I closed my eyes, leaning against the counter, when I heard it.

A voice.

"Aurora."

I spun around, my heart skipping a beat.

There, standing in the doorway of my kitchen, was Ethan. My breath caught in my throat. It wasn't possible!

I stared at him, shocked. I hadn’t expected to see him tonight. I had no idea how to process this, but before I could speak, the glass slipped from my hand, shattering on the floor.

"How... how did you get in here?"