“Unacceptable.” Her cheeks creased with annoyance. “You are not an Aunt Agony for these people. You aremyassistant; you’re meant to serveme.”
“I am your assistant,” I agreed quickly. My tongue tasted like sandpaper. “But I’m also a human being. When someone comes to me for help—”
“You say no.” She finished the sentence on my behalf. “Because your time and energy ismine.”
I stared at her, blinking once, twice. The hum of the machines from the factory floor reverberated between us. God, a dull ache was starting to form behind my eyes.
Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry…
She leaned forward, her voice dipping to that barely-audible hiss that made my stomach quiver.
“You’re setting a dangerous precedent here. If you let one person go, what’s stopping the rest of them from asking youto ‘cover’ for them, too? You think you’re doing the right thing, but you’re just enabling them.”
I chose not to say anything, not because I agreed with her, but because she would never listen to anything I had to say in my defence. She’d already stacked her cards against me, and all I needed to do now was watch it fall.
It was inevitable.
“Ms. Nayak.” All emotion was gone from her gaze.
She stood, towering over me as she circled her desk.
“This is strike three.”
Breath stuttered to a halt in my chest.
“I expected so much more from you, especially after you were warned this morning.”
“I—” I swallowed, forcing away the tears. “I’m sorry, Ms. Burns.”
Her slate green eyes were punishing as she stared down at me.
“Such a pity,” she said, the words deliberately cruel. “You seemed to have such potential. You’re mistaken about one thing, Ms. Nayak. You’re not being helpful to these employees—not in the least. You’re just irritatingly nosy. Someone who thrives when they’re nose-deep in someone else’s business. A busybody.”
The last word hit me like a slap. I ground my heels into the carpet beneath us, because the other option would be to throw my notebook at her head. Or, better yet, hurl the paperweight that sat on her desk.
My jaw tightened sharply, triggering a telling pounding in my head. My heartbeat thickened in my ears, drowning out the hum of the factory and the edge of Burnzilla’s voice.
Why did she act like the world would end if someone wasn’t chained to their desk every second of the day? Like the Distillery would crumble to dust if Angie took one measly hour of personal time?
Or maybe Burnzilla just needed to remind me who was in charge.Again.
I had taken a lot from this woman. For three whole years, I had smiled through her shitty moods and insults. More than once, I had swallowed my pride and did exactly what she told me to do.
But this? Mocking me? When all I’d wanted to do was look out for a fellow employee?
Enough was enough.
I’d given three years of my life to her. I deserved more than to sit at my shitty desk, waiting at the edge of my seat just to suffer her constant shitty moods.
“You know what, Ms. Burns?” I bit out between clenched teeth. “You can’t fire me… I quit.”
“Perfect,” she said, not an inkling of emotion on her face. “Less paperwork.”
“Fine.”
I met her gaze head-on, knowing I had absolutely nothing to apologize for. The indignance spluttered in my throat, but I knew—Iknew—she would not hear a single thing I said.
My heel caught on the edge of the carpet as I turned away hastily, but I righted myself before I could fall headfirst and embarrass myself further.
