Not like this

Harley

The voice echoed in the pristine glass-domed office, reverberating off the crystal chandeliers. The room—elegant, sophisticated, and meticulously designed with touches of history—was the one I had dreamed of redecorating when I was promoted.

"You're fired."

The words hit harder than I expected. I blinked, trying to keep my composure, but the floor beneath me felt like it had just cracked wide open. I clenched my fists, trying to suppress the wave of panic rising in my chest.

"Pardon?" My voice was unnervingly calm, but my insides were in turmoil. The weight of her words threatened to swallow me whole.

"You heard me, Harley," Kimberly said, her tone unflinching. She didn't look up from the papers she was sifting through, but I could feel the cold dismissal in the air. "Now, leave. All your cases will be reassigned to someone else. I have a meeting with an important client, and I can't have you clogging up my office."

Kimberly, the top of her year, Ice queen in the court room, the woman I had once admired—no, idolized. She was ruthless, efficient, a shark in the water. I had aspired to be like her. But now? Now, all I felt was the sharp sting of betrayal.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Kimberly, but there has to be a reason behind this unfair and, frankly, unlawful dismissal." I fought to keep my voice steady. The words tasted bitter in my mouth, but I had to play this carefully. If I couldn't control my emotions, I would lose everything.

She paused, briefly glancing up at me. Her lips curled into a smirk, one I couldn't tell was admiration or disdain.

"Smart," she said, leaning back in her chair. "Using your law expertise on me. Very smart. Just as I would expect from the top lawyers in my firm."

She didn't seem angry, not in the slightest. No, this was worse. She was bored—indifferent to me. The thought alone made my stomach twist.

"Thank you. Now, can we at least speak about this calmly?" I asked, my voice shaky despite the calm exterior I was desperately trying to maintain.

Her laugh echoed through the room, a sharp, mocking sound that sent a chill through me. "Speak?" She raised an eyebrow, a slow smile spreading across her face. "I don't have anything to say to an employee I just fired a minute ago."

Her gaze narrowed. "In fact, should I call security to escort you out, or will you do yourself the honor? Take that little dignity you have left and leave."

I felt the room tilt. My throat went dry. I wasn't sure if I wanted to cry or scream. This wasn't happening.

"Why?" I whispered, barely able to form the words. "Why are you doing this?"

She didn't respond right away, instead turning to her desk as if I were nothing more than an annoying interruption. Then, her voice sliced through the silence.

"I don't owe you anything, Harley. In fact, I made you. Now that I'm done with you, I can discard things I don't want." She leaned forward, her eyes cold, calculating. "You're discarded. Just like that."

The words felt like a slap to my face. My heart thundered in my chest. "Discarded? Am I that easily discarded? I put four years of my life into this firm and this is the payment I get?" My voice cracked despite my best efforts to remain composed.

Kimberly didn't flinch. She didn't even look up from her work. Instead, someone else spoke—someone who had always loomed just beneath Kimberly's shadow.

"Please. You've earned big fat checks from us, including all the benefits you were exploiting as an employee. I would have made sure Kimberly dismissed you with a court demand to pay us back," the voice sneered.

I didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Mia. The boss's daughter. The one who had always been a thorn in my side.

"Mia," I spat, my teeth gritting. She had been a thorn, a constant reminder that in this world, who you knew mattered more than what you could do.

"Don't look so broken, Harley," Mia said, stepping into the room. Her voice dripped with malice. "This was bound to happen. Did you honestly think my dad would give this company to you?"

Her words stung, but it wasn't just her—the truth was settling in. In this world, connections meant everything. Connections I hated relying on, despised for their backdoor dealings... and yet, here I was.

Before I could respond, Mia turned her attention to Kimberly. "Your guest is here," she said, her voice far too sweet.

I turned, preparing my retort, but before I could say anything, my words caught in my throat.

A silhouette of a man stood behind Mia, and for a split second, I thought it was him.

No. It can't be. I haven't seen him in years. Why am I even thinking about him now?

I forced my mind to clear. Focus, Harley. You're about to lose your job—no time for this.

I forced myself to speak, my voice brittle. "Well, it's better than him giving it to a cheapskate secretary who can't even read. When was the last time you picked up a book you understood?" I shot at Mia, unable to stop myself.

The air crackled with tension. Mia's face contorted in fury, her fists clenched at her sides. But before she could snap back, I turned back to Kimberly, my words sharp.

"Could you at least tell me why I'm being fired, Master?" The mockery in my tone was a pathetic attempt to regain some control. But it was no use.

Kimberly's face softened, but only for a second. She leaned back in her chair, dismissive. "Don't take it personally. It's strictly business," she said coolly, her eyes dropping back to the papers on her desk.

I laughed bitterly. "I'd take it very personally when someone speaks to me while distracted. Could you at least look up?"

She froze, pen in hand, and slammed it down on the desk. Her eyes locked onto mine, a dark glint flashing in them. But her face changed. The indignant expression slowly morphed into something mocking, something almost cruel.

"What?" She leaned forward, a smile twisting at her lips. "Don't tell me you're crying, Harley."

"And what if I am?" I challenged, my voice breaking. "What am I supposed to do when a mentor suddenly destroys a mentee-mentor relationship? When someone I considered a work companion, a sister, does this to me?"

She stared at me with those piercing eyes, studying me like I was a puzzle she had no interest in solving. And then, with a flick of her hand, she silenced Mia.

"That's where the problem starts, Harley," she said, her voice almost a purr. "When a mentee thinks she can become the master."

Her words hit me like a freight train. "Work companions? You and I? Girl, you must be delusional. I was wrapping courts around my pinkie while you were sucking your thumb, hiding behind your dad's protection when law school got tough. When you wanted to quit."

I couldn't breathe. The words—each one—sank deep, each one tearing away at the self-image I had so carefully crafted.

"Is that what you think of me?" I whispered, my heart thudding painfully in my chest. "Daddy's girl?"

Kimberly's smile faded into something colder, something more predatory. "It's not what I think, Harley. It's what everyone knows." She turned to face Mia. "Gossip kills a career, you know."

The words felt like ice running through my veins. I was speechless. But the fear? The despair? It had settled into my bones.

"I see," I said finally, my voice flat. "So you're not just afraid of fresher blood overtaking you—you're also a gossiping low-life?"

Mia's face twisted in anger, but I didn't care.

Before I could take another breath, Mia screamed, "Harley!"

I looked over my shoulder and shot back, "Scram, bitch."

Mia fell silent.

Kimberly, however, turned her gaze back to me, her eyes burning with something dark. "Leave her, Mia. She's not worth it. I'll get her blacklisted."

I laughed," And you have the power to do so?"

Kimberly's face distorted, though it was a little, it was still comforting.

I smirked, my heart still pounding in my chest. "Well, I'll see myself out."

I turned, my heels echoing against the polished floor as I walked toward the door, leaving behind the office I had once believed would be my ultimate destination in the firm.

I reached the door, every step carrying the weight of my shattered pride. But just as my fingers brushed the handle, a voice—smooth as silk, deep and unmistakable—cut through the air.

"Well, well. Look who's here. Harley, long time."

I froze.

No.

It couldn't be.

That silhouette I'd barely registered earlier—the one that had sparked a fleeting thought of him—wasn't just a trick of my imagination. It really was him.

And worse?

He had been standing there, listening. The whole time.

The dismissal. The insults. The pathetic last attempt to hold my ground before I walked out, dignity in tatters.

My entire body went hot with mortification. I had dreamed of running into him again, sure. Maybe somewhere glamorous, where I was confident, thriving, untouchable. Not here. Not like this.

My mouth opened, brain scrambling for something—anything—that would make me seem less like a woman who had just been discarded like office trash.

Instead, I heard myself mumble, "Ah, yeah, you too."

You too? What did that even mean? He hadn't been fired in disgrace.

Panic kicked in, overriding reason. My feet moved before my brain could stop them, carrying me out of the office in a rushed, almost clumsy retreat. I barely stopped myself from running.

I didn't dare look back.