How to be loved

49 - New Jane

How to be loved

49 – New Jane

"I will..." Becky faltered, her voice catching as if a lump had formed in her throat, though there was none. She took a breath, steeling herself. "I will not do that," she finally said, her voice trembling despite the defiance in her words, her heart pounding in her chest.

Amanda's eyes narrowed, a flicker of surprise breaking through her frosty composure, though only for a brief moment before the mask snapped back into place. "You're making a grave mistake, Becky. You have no idea of the storm you're inviting."

Becky swallowed hard, feeling the weight of Amanda's words, but refused to let them bend her. "I understand more than you give me credit for," she responded, her voice firm but quieter now, laced with a mix of fear and determination. She clasped her hands tightly in front of her, hoping Amanda wouldn't notice the tremor in them. "I've spent my life bending to your will, doing what you've expected, but this... this is different."

Amanda's face hardened like stone, her cold gaze cutting through the air between them, and the room seemed to thrum with tension. It was as if the very atmosphere had thickened, coiling tightly like a spring about to snap.

"Fine," Amanda hissed, her voice venomous, dripping with icy contempt. "But mark my words, I won't make this easy for you. Not now, not ever." Her words hung in the air like a threat, chilling and unforgiving.

Becky felt a cold sweat trickle down the back of her neck, but she didn't flinch. Not this time. For as long as she could remember, Amanda's words had dominated her life, seeping in like poison, each command twisting into her soul like barbed wire. But now... now something had shifted. It wasn't a blazing, defiant rebellion, but rather a steady flame of resolve, small but unyielding, that refused to be extinguished by Amanda's crushing presence.

"I don't expect you to make it easy," Becky said, her voice soft yet unwavering. Her heart pounded violently, the rhythm of her pulse drumming in her ears, but she kept her gaze fixed on Amanda, refusing to break.

Amanda's eyes darkened, gathering clouds of malice, like a storm ready to unleash its fury. She took a step forward, her heels striking the marble floor with sharp precision, each echo heightening the already suffocating tension. "And you think you can handle what's coming?" she sneered, her words cutting through the air like shards of ice. "You think defying me will come without a price?"

Becky's stomach twisted with a deep-rooted fear, cold and relentless, but she held her ground. She knew what Amanda was capable of—manipulation so refined it was second nature to her, a power she wielded like a weapon. For too many years, Becky had bent under the weight of her expectations, her ambitions crushed beneath Amanda's will. But now, standing in this moment, something had changed. She wouldn't bend. Not anymore.

"I will..." Becky began, her voice gathering strength, but Amanda's hand sliced through the air, silencing her with a dismissive gesture.

"Enough," Amanda snapped, finality dripping from her tone. She turned away, her back to Becky, as if she were nothing more than a nuisance, an obstacle to swat aside. "I won't indulge this *delusion* of yours any longer." Her words, sharp and cold, reverberated through the room as she walked toward her desk with the precision of someone always in control.

Becky's throat tightened, but she swallowed hard, determined not to give Amanda the satisfaction of seeing her falter. She wouldn't shrink under that cold, calculated gaze. Not this time.

Amanda pressed a button on the phone that sat neatly on her desk. "Let her in," she commanded, her tone clipped and impersonal.

Becky's brow furrowed, confusion creeping in. *Let who in?* Her heart rate spiked, an uneasy dread curling through her like frostbite.