chapter 8

Abby’s POV

I sat at my desk, trying to force my eyes to stop burning with unshed tears. Everything that happened was crushing me, I didn’t know how I walked out of that place, how I returned to this damn office…each second dragging like hours. My hands rested heavily on the keyboard, but I wasn’t typing. I was blinking over and over trying to keep my emotions in check, trying to make sure no one noticed the storm brewing inside me. I wanted to curl up into a ball, but I was stuck in this chair, stuck in this office, stuck with the endless humiliation of the morning replaying in my mind.

The words Lucas had yelled at me earlier echoed in my head. My face burned just thinking about it, the sting of his accusations still fresh. I had never felt so small, so utterly worthless in front of anyone, let alone him.

I let my forehead drop to my desk. I just wanted the day to be over. I wanted to escape from the suffocating tension of this office and the suffocating control Lucas had over me. I could feel the tears pricking at the corners of my eyes again, and I squeezed them shut, willing them away. I had to keep it together just until I could get home.

But of course, the universe had other plans.

I heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps coming my way. Heavy, purposeful, deliberate. I didn’t need to look up to know it was Lucas. There was a sudden shift in the air, a tension I couldn’t ignore. I held my breath and kept my gaze fixed on my desk, hoping he wouldn’t see how much I was struggling.

“Abby,” he barked, his voice cold, harsh. “My office. Now.”

I flinched. My stomach twisted in a knot of dread. I couldn’t do this today. I was already on the edge.

I didn’t move immediately. I couldn’t. I was paralyzed by the anticipation of what was to come. I heard his footsteps grow closer, and before I knew it, he was standing next to my desk, towering over me like some sort of omnipotent force I could never escape.

“I said now,” he repeated, his voice even sharper this time.

My heart sank.

I slowly lifted my head and met his gaze. His eyes were stormy, dark with anger. His jaw was clenched, and his entire posture was rigid due to his fury. I wanted to protest, to tell him I wasn’t in the right state to deal with him, but I knew it was useless. He wouldn’t listen. He never did.

I pushed myself up from the desk, my legs feeling weak beneath me. I followed him in silence, unable to find the words, too terrified to say anything. Every step felt heavier than the last. When we reached his office, he barely waited for me to step inside before the door slammed shut behind us.

“Sit,” he commanded, pointing to the chair in front of his desk. His voice was calm, but there was a dangerous edge beneath it, a threat that sent a shiver down my spine. I had no choice but to obey.

I sat down slowly, keeping my hands folded tightly in my lap, my eyes downcast. My heart pounded in my chest, and I could feel the sweat beginning to form at the back of my neck. I wasn’t sure if I was more afraid of the words coming next or the fact that I could feel the anger radiating off him like heat from a fire.

He stood there, silent for a moment, his arms crossed, his gaze never leaving me. When he finally spoke, it was with a tone that made my stomach churn.

“How dare you walk away from the investors this morning?” he demanded, his voice rising with each word. “Do you have any idea how much you jeopardized the company? You could have ruined everything. Do you not care about your intern?”

I flinched, his words hitting me like a physical blow. The knot in my throat tightened, but I bit my lip, holding back the tears. I wasn’t going to cry in front of him. Not again.

“I… I didn’t…” I whispered, my voice barely audible, unable to say a coherent word.

“That’s not good enough,” he snapped, taking a step forward. “You’re here to do your job, Abby. And when you can’t handle it, you don’t run off like a child. You pull yourself together, and you face the situation like an adult.”

I felt my cheeks flush with humiliation. “I didn’t run off,” I retorted, my voice trembling with frustration. “I… I needed a moment. I’m human, Lucas. I’m allowed to have emotions too.”

He scoffed, the sound bitter and dismissive. “Emotions? You’re in a high-stakes environment. There’s no place for emotions here. I don’t care about your feelings. I care about results.”

I swallowed hard, feeling the anger rising inside me like a hot, suffocating wave. How could he be so cold? So indifferent? My hands clenched into fists, my nails digging into my palms, but I stayed silent. I didn’t trust myself to speak without exploding.

But then, just as I thought I might implode from the pressure, he said it again. He looked at me, his eyes narrowing with contempt, and repeated the words that broke me.

“You’re incompetent, Abby,” he said, each syllable like a slap across my face. “I don’t know how you got this far in your career. You’re lucky I’m even giving you another chance.”

That was it. I couldn’t take it anymore. I shot to my feet, my chair scraping loudly against the floor, the anger bubbling up until it spilled over.

“You don’t get to talk to me like that!” I yelled, my voice louder than I’d intended. “You’re just my boss, Lucas. You’re not a god. I don’t owe you anything. You humiliated me in front of those investors. You made me look like a fool! How could you do that?”

I could see the shock on his face as my words hit him, but I was beyond caring. I had spent so much of my time bending to his will, trying to be the perfect intern, trying to prove myself just for my father and the sake of their friendship, but nothing was ever enough.

“I don’t even want to work for you!” I spat, my chest heaving with emotion. “But I’m here because my father expects me to be. So don’t you dare stand there and tell me I’m not good enough? You don’t get to decide that!”

There was a long silence between us. I could see the surprise in his eyes, but I also saw something else…something deeper. His jaw twitched, and for a moment, I wondered if he might actually apologize. But then his expression hardened again, his anger shifting into something more dangerous.

“You think you can talk to me like that?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous. “You think you can walk in here, yell at me, and walk out scot-free?”

“I don’t care,” I said, my voice shaking with fury. “You’re not my king. You’re just a man. And I’m done letting you treat me like this.”

Before he could say anything else, I turned and stormed toward the door. But as I reached it, he stepped into my path, blocking my way. Our eyes locked, and for a brief moment, there was something in the air between us…something raw, something undeniable. The tension in the room thickened, the space between us crackling with an energy I didn’t know how to process.

I could feel my breath quicken, my pulse racing as I stared up at him. His eyes were burning into me, intense and unwavering. And for a second, I wondered if he might reach out and…

No. I couldn’t let it happen. Not like this.

Without thinking, I shoved him aside, my body pressing into him as I pushed past, desperate to escape the suffocating heat. I didn’t look back. I couldn’t.

I heard him say something behind me, but I didn’t care. I just needed to get away from him. I needed to breathe.

I knew he felt it too, it was unusual especially when we were not on good terms, I walked towards my desk and grabbed my bag walking out of the building, ignoring the calls from my colleagues, I just needed to be out of here… I need to breathe.

An air that’s different… so different from that grumpy old man whose life mission is to frustrate me!