2025-12-31 21:18:49
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Then footsteps echoed behind him. The liaison arrived just behind Ethan—and the moment she saw the scene, her face drained of color. Her gaze snapped from the guards’ hands on Jenna… to Lana… to Max. Then to Ethan. And something in her expression hardened instantly. “How dare you speak to him like that,” she said sharply. The words cracked through the lobby like a gunshot. The guards blinked, confused. “Ma’am?” The liaison stepped forward, voice rising, authority cutting clean and unforgiving. “Do you have any idea who you’re addressing?”The effect was immediate.The guards went rigid.Not alert—afraid.Hands loosened on Jenna’s arms without being told, their faces draining as recognition slammed into them a second too late.Lana’s expression changed completely.The color fled her face, fury collapsing into naked fear.“D–Director Hale…” she whispered.The liaison stepped fully into the light.Vivienne Hale.Chief Executive Liaison to the CEO.Director of Internal Authority
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The lobby was chaos. Not loud chaos—worse. The kind charged with humiliation, fear, and spectacle. Ethan stepped out just in time to see it. Jenna. Her arms twisted behind her back. Guards gripping her like she was dangerous. Her heels scraping uselessly against the marble as they dragged her forward. Her voice raw. Furious. Breaking. “This is assault! You can’t do this!” Lana stood nearby, arms crossed, face alight with vicious satisfaction. Max leaned against the railing, smiling. Something inside Ethan snapped cleanly in two. “ENOUGH.” The word cracked across the lobby like a gunshot. Everything froze. The guards stiffened. Jenna went still, chest heaving. Lana spun around. “Who do you think—” “Leave her,” Ethan said, already striding forward, his voice deadly calm. “Immediately.” The guards turned fully now.Even Jenna turned.Her head snapped toward the voice, breath hitching mid-gasp.For a split second she didn’t understand what she was seeing—only that the sou
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“Let go of me!” Jenna shouted, her voice echoing through the lobby. “This is assault! You can’t do this!” Heads snapped up. Gasps rippled through the crowd. Lana smiled. “See?” she said smugly. “All this drama. Completely her own fault.” Jenna struggled, adrenaline flooding her veins. “You’re proving everything I said!” she screamed, trying to wrench free. “This is abuse of power! You’re bullies—you’re all bullies!” Max tilted his head, amused. “You know,” he said lightly, “this could all stop if you just begged.” Lana’s smile sharpened. “That’s right. Say you’re sorry. Beg properly.” Jenna stared at them—then laughed. It was short, raw, almost hysterical. “No way in hell,” she said. “I’d rather choke on my own blood.” The guard’s expression hardened. “Shut up and move,” he snapped, dragging her forward. “Stop!” Jenna cried, her voice cracking now. “Someone stop this!” Max leaned casually against the railing, utterly unbothered. “Told you,” he said lazily. “You should’ve ap
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“She’s been hostile from the start. She’s insulting management. She’s disrupting business.” Jenna’s voice shook for the first time—but only with restrained fury. “Standing my ground isn’t disruption. It’s not my fault you’re not used to hearing no.” Lana’s lips curled. “Unbelievable.” Max leaned in toward Jenna again, his tone low and cruel. “You really thought you were untouchable,” he murmured. “Look at you now. Still talking. Still powerless.” Jenna met his gaze, eyes blazing. “And look at you,” she shot back. “Hiding behind your girlfriend’s badge because without it, you’re nothing but a sore loser who can’t accept defeat.” That hit. Max’s jaw tightened. “Get her out,” he snapped to the guards. “Now.” Lana folded her arms, chin high. “I don’t want to hear another word from her. Drag her out if you have to.” The guards hesitated—just for a second—but Lana noticed. “What are you waiting for?” she demanded. “Do your jobs!” One guard reached out hesitantly toward Jenna’s arm
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Jenna’s pulse thundered, but her voice stayed level. “I’m here on legitimate business. If there’s a problem, I’m happy to resolve it professionally.” “Ma’am,” one of them said to Jenna while wanting to grab her, “we’re going to need you to—” Jenna raised a single finger. “Before you finish that sentence,” she said evenly, “you might want to check the guest authorization list for Conference Room A.” The guard hesitated. Max snorted. “Oh, come on—”Jenna didn’t even look at Max when he scoffed.“This,” she said sharply, finally turning her head, her voice cutting like glass, “is exactly what I’m talking about. This is an abuse of power.”Max opened his mouth to sneer—“Excuse me?” Lana snapped, stepping forward so fast her heels struck the marble like gunshots. “You don’t get to accuse anyone of anything in my building.”Jenna’s eyes locked onto her. “Your building?” she repeated coolly. “You’re a secretary, not a monarch. And what you’re doing right now—calling security because so
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Jenna’s lips curved into something sharp and unyielding.“We’ll see,” she said.The words came out steady—cool, almost bored—but beneath them her heart slammed hard enough to rattle her ribs. Fear curled low in her gut, cold and unwelcome. Security here didn’t ask questions first. Power decided outcomes. And power, right now, wasn’t standing with her.But she refused to let it show.She straightened her spine, lifting her chin just a fraction, meeting Lana’s glare head-on. If this was going to end badly, it wasn’t going to end with her shrinking.Max laughed—really laughed this time, the sound loud enough to turn heads, sharp enough to sting.“Listen to you,” he said, shaking his head like she’d just told a bad joke. “Standing there like you’re someone important. This arrogance—Jenna, it’s impressive, really. Especially considering you’re nothing here.”Jenna didn’t react. She simply watched him, eyes cold.Max took that as permission.“You’re puffing your chest out in a building tha
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