Ten

**KELILAH’S POV**

Another day, another frantic dash to escape the morning chaos. My routine was, as always, far from graceful.

"Shit. Shit," I muttered, grabbing my bag only to realize I was still barefoot. Dropping it, I dashed back inside, hunting down my shoes and hastily jamming my feet into them as I returned to retrieve my bag from where I'd left it.

"Be careful, Princess!" some of the maids called as I misjudged a corner and smacked my foot against a chair.

"Ow! Damn it!" I hissed, biting back another curse. Just as I staggered back to balance, Loveth's amused voice floated over from the dining room, "You might want to slow down before you break something, Kelilah."

"I'm late! It's gonna be hell," I replied, racing toward the door.

“Don’t forget to call Faith. She came by looking for you yesterday!” Loveth reminded me as I shut the door behind me. 

Faith. 

Damn, I’d forgotten her. Again, even though Loveth had informed me yesterday that she came looking for me

Well, for now, I guess it's one crisis at a time; right now, I had to survive work.

“You’re late,” Betty, our receptionist, noted with a raised brow as I rushed past her desk.

“I know, my alarm failed me,” I mumbled, trying to avoid eye contact.

“Well, you’re to report straight to the boss,” she said, the look on her face hovering between sympathy and warning. “He asked to see you the moment you arrived.”

I groaned internally. Great. Just the thing I needed. My boss, already on the edge with me, was probably salivating over a fresh opportunity to grill me for being late. Dropping my things on my desk, I ducked into the bathroom to check my reflection. No wonder the driver had been eyeing me with mild horror—I looked like I'd been swept up by a tornado.

“Late again?” Cindy remarked as she strolled out of a stall, smirking as she noticed my frazzled appearance. I bit my tongue and ignored her, smoothing down my hair with quick, jittery movements. But her relentless gaze finally got to me.

“What?” I snapped.

“Oh, nothing.” She shrugged with a cruel smile. “Just imagining what your face will look like when the boss finally fires you.” She strutted out of the bathroom with a flourish, leaving me to seethe alone. I could only hope her slamming the door made enough of a racket for the boss to notice. He hated her even more than he did me.

After pulling myself together, I made my way to his office and knocked. Silence. I knocked again, louder this time, and heard a barked “Come in.” Taking a breath, I opened the door.

“Did I say you could enter?” His voice was cold, his expression colder.

“You said—” I began, then stopped as I realized he hadn’t actually said anything. “No, sir.”

“Then why are you here?” he shot back, his eyes narrowed to slits.

There was no point arguing with him; his mind was made up. “I apologize,” I replied softly.

“Get out,” he demanded, dismissing me like an inconvenience.

My cheeks burned with humiliation as I stepped out, resigning myself to a wait. A long one. It was his favorite punishment, making me stand outside his door indefinitely. And I knew he was waiting for me to knock again just so he could extend it. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction. I’d wait as long as it took.

 I couldn’t go anywhere until he had finished speaking to me. That meant my today’s work will have to be delayed. He was doing this to punish me. 

Fucking bastard. 

After what felt like an eternity, a voice broke the silence beside me.

“Boss giving you a hard time?” It was a young guy, one of the newer faces in the office, with a friendly smile.

I gave a weary sigh. “When does he ever not?” I replied, leaning back against the wall.

He chuckled. “Fair point. I’m Morgan, by the way.” He extended his hand, and after a brief hesitation, I shook it.

“Kelilah,” I replied.

“Oh, I know. You’re practically famous around here—what with your ongoing feud with Cindy and the boss.” He laughed, making a joke of it. “We sometimes bet on who you’re going to clash with next.”

My mouth dropped open in disbelief. “So, I’m the office troublemaker?”

“No, no,” he replied hastily. “It’s just—well…”

“Forget it,” I muttered, waving off his half-baked explanation. I didn’t have the energy to care about what anyone thought. I treated people as they treated me. If they thought I was difficult, maybe they should try showing a little respect first.

“So...do you want to grab lunch sometime?” he asked, an awkward hopefulness in his voice.

I raised a brow. “You do realize I’m in the middle of a crisis, right? Lunch isn’t exactly on the agenda.” 

“Right, sorry. Maybe another time?”

“Probably not,” I replied, and didn’t miss the hint of disappointment in his eyes. I could’ve made up an excuse, but honesty was simpler—and saved us both time.

What’s the point of giving excuses when I could just be honest. Besides, the only reason he was asking me to lunch was because he had an interest in me, and I wasn't one to string people along. I have a boyfriend already, and I wasn’t going to give him false hope.

Wait, did I just say boyfriend? Thank goodness I didn't say that out loud. I have no boyfriend!!.

“Oh. Well, see you around.” He nodded awkwardly before turning away.

I gave a small wave as I watched him walk away. Just then, I noticed his friend who was trying to hold in his chuckle as he walked towards him, causing me to roll my eyes at them. Children. They probably must have made a bet to see if he could take me out. Ridiculous. 

At last, a terse “Come in” sounded from inside the office. 

Bracing myself, I plastered on a polite smile and entered. 

Sir Mateo lounged behind his desk with a glass in hand, watching me with that ever-present sneer. “Late again, are we?”

My patience frayed, and I snapped, “It was just today!” Realizing my error, I softened. “I’m sorry, sir. My alarm didn’t go off.”

“That’s not my concern,” he cut in, his voice rising. “I’m paying you to work, not to concoct excuses. But it seems that’s all you know how to offer.” His words bit, and I fought the urge to lash back.

“I’m sorry,” I repeated, biting down my frustration.

He studied me coldly, taking a measured sip from his glass. “This is your last warning, Kelilah. Next time, you won’t get off so easily. Understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Now get out.”, he snappy, his tone final 

Nodding stiffly, I left his office, biting back my frustration as I began walking away.

“And no lunch break for you,” he shouted as I walked past his door.

I rolled my eyes and fought the urge to slam the door as I left. Several employees quickly turned away, clearly having eavesdropped on the entire debacle. 

Fools.

Rolling my eyes, I passed Cindy, who couldn’t resist a parting jab.

“Maybe now you’ll learn your lesson,” she sneered. I ignored her, diving into my work with a huff, hoping to lose myself in something productive.

 Moments later, I heard approaching footsteps and looked up to see Tyra. I guess she was one of the reasons I didn't want to quit this job just yet.

“Boss is an ass” she said in an effort to console me. 

I laughed loudly. 

“Yes he is. A big one at that”,

He was indeed an ass and If not because I wanted to keep working with Tyra, then I would have told him what I thought to his face and pack my shit off his company. After all, Loveth’s company was much influential than his.

Tyra quickly retreated to her desk as the boss’s door creaked open, and I buried my head in a stack of folders, pretending intense concentration. I felt his gaze burning into me as he walked past, but I kept my eyes firmly on the papers. Today was really testing every last nerve I had.

Finally, as evening approached, I finished up the day’s work and grabbed my bag, the office almost empty. Betty, still at her desk, looked as tired as I felt.

“I’m leaving Betty” I said, giving her a sympathetic smile as.she yawned tiredly. 

“Wish that jerk would wrap up already,” she muttered, stifling a yawn.

““His light is still on. I don’t think he’s going anytime soon. Maybe you can give him an excuse or something”, I suggested

She shook her head. “Excuses don’t work with him. I will have to wait. Anyway, have a good night, Kelilah.”

“You too, Betty,” I said, and with one last glance back, I left the office.