SCARLET MEETS MILA

9

Mila

Finding the courage to walk into the office is nothing less than a demanding task. After eight years, I still find it hard to believe that Scarlet is mine, and when she struts around looking as good as she always does, my mind refuses to resist her allure.

More so now, I can't help but feel drawn to her. I'm jealous of everyone that walks into her office, and when a smile creeps across her lips, my stomach bubbles with rage. I should be the one making her laugh, not some pretty girl from Cuba.

I take to my work station and furrow my brow, frantically searching amongst the files to find my brief I had only finished yesterday morning. I glance up, Fox is nodding along with Ember, and Harlow sits pretty in her luxurious office.

"You didn't happen to see my brief, did you?" I ask coco. "I left it right here?"

She shrugs innocently, her bright eyes just as confused as mine. "I saw Harlow pick some folders up last night? You could ask her?"

I slam my phone down and head for her office. She sits straight, her posture radiating elegance. "Hello, darling." She looks up, a bright smile greeting me with patience. "What can I do for you?"

"Did you pick up my brief last night?"

She nods slowly. "Yeah." Her hand reaches for the folder in question, but instead of giving it to me, she places it on the desk. "Scarlet had me recall the entire line." She admits. "She asked for the floor to be cleared."

"Recall?" I step forward, another slither of anger inching into my brow. "What do you mean?"

"She wants to take the launch in another direction." Her eyes soften. "I don't know, baby. She told me not to ask questions."

I step back and sigh, the deflating sensation of defeat washing over my shoulders. "I designed this launch." I state, and I can tell by the way Harlow leans back that she can sense my disheartened tone. "She's really pulling it?"

She nods. "I don't know what to tell you." Her fingers scramble to fidget with a pen. "She gave the orders and I had no choice but to follow them. I tried to reason with her, but she blanked me and hid in her office all morning."

I swallow hard, a lump forming in my throat. "I see."

"Mila, wait." She stops me as I reach for the door handle. "Just let this play out, ok? Let it go and carry on. She'll fix this."

I shake my head. "You know, don't you?" She leans back and tenses her jaw. "You know what's going on, but you won't tell me?"

"Mila-

"Eight years!" I stammer. "I've known you for eight years, and you won't clue me in. You're just happy to watch this unfold while Scarlet puts me in a box."

"She loves you." She argues. "More than anything. If you listen to anyone today, please let it be me. Just wait."

I shake my head and pull open the door, a loud bang forcing eyes to meet me as I pace to Scarlet's office. She sits there peacefully, typing away as if not pushing stab wounds into my heart. I storm toward the desk and slam my key card down. She looks up at me, vacant eyes, and a stony expression.

"You wanna pull my campaign?" I laugh with tears in my eyes. "Is this your way of telling me you're mad at me?"

"No." She swallows, adjusting her posture to hide the fragile girl beneath. "It's a choice that will keep everyone around here safe."

"You're ridiculous." I choke, shaking my head with a fake smile. "Do you know how hard I worked on this? How many hours I put into this stupid launch? Do you not get how big of a deal this was to me?"