𝘽𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙍𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙨

Chapter 17: Make it A Date

My hands trembled as I stood outside Grace's office. I felt like I was going to be sick, but I couldn't put this off any longer. The conversation I was about to have with Grace weighed heavily on me, but Leon had crossed a line, and this couldn't go on. He had threatened me, said horrible things about Grace and me, and I knew I had to tell her.

I took a deep breath and knocked softly before stepping inside. Grace was sitting behind her desk, flipping through a stack of documents, looking completely composed as always. But the moment she looked up and saw me, concern spread across her face.

"Jane, what's wrong?" Grace asked, her voice gentle but firm, the kind of tone that made you feel safe even in the worst of situations.

I closed the door behind me, feeling like the weight of the entire world was pressing down on my shoulders. "I need to talk to you," I said quietly, my voice shaking. "It's about Leon."

Grace's eyes sharpened instantly at the mention of his name. She leaned back in her chair, folding her arms across her chest. "What about him?"

I took another deep breath, trying to steady myself. "He knows. About us." My voice came out in a whisper, and I could see Grace's jaw tighten. "He confronted me in the copy room. He threatened to tell corporate if I said anything. He's angry because he didn't get the promotion, and he thinks I only got it because of our relationship."

Grace's fingers drummed on the edge of her desk for a moment before she stood up abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor with the force of it. "That son of a—"

"I didn't know what to do," I continued, feeling my heart race faster. "I was scared he'd actually do it. I didn't want to make things worse."

Grace's eyes blazed with fury, but she didn't say a word to me. Instead, she stormed past me, marching out of the office without a second glance. I hurried after her, my heart pounding, knowing this was about to explode in a way I hadn't anticipated.

We walked briskly down the hallway to Leon's office, and before I could even catch my breath, Grace threw the door open without knocking. Leon looked up from his desk, his smug face breaking into a grin as if he had been expecting us.

"Ah, Grace," Leon said, leaning back in his chair, his grin widening. "I figured you'd come running."

Grace didn't waste time. She stepped forward, her voice sharp and cold. "We need to talk. Now."

Leon leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Oh, I'm sure we do. You're here to protect your little assistant, right? Here to make sure I don't spill your dirty little secret."

Grace's eyes narrowed, and I could see the fury bubbling just beneath the surface. "I know what you said to Jane. I know what you've been doing around here, stirring up trouble, making accusations, trying to bully your way through this company."

Leon smirked, leaning forward on his desk. "And what are you going to do about it? Fire me? Go ahead. I'll walk right out of here and tell corporate everything."

Grace didn't even blink. Her voice was eerily calm. "You're done here, Leon. Pack your things and leave."

Leon shot up from his chair, his smug demeanor replaced with rage. "You can't do that!" he shouted. "You're going to fire me? For what? Protecting your little plaything?"

"Watch your mouth," Grace snapped, her voice dangerously low. "You're toxic, and I've had enough of you poisoning this office. Pack your things, and leave now."

Leon's face turned bright red as he stepped closer to her, towering over me in the doorway. "You think you can just get rid of me?" He pointed at me, sneering. "All because of her? You're willing to throw away a loyal employee for this new girl? You're pathetic."

Grace didn't flinch. "Get out," she said, her voice colder than I'd ever heard it. "Before I have security drag you out."

Leon laughed bitterly, but there was a tremor in his voice now. He looked around the room, then back at Grace, a twisted grin forming on his face. "You think you're so smart, huh? You think firing me is going to keep this under wraps?" He pushed past us, storming out of his office and into the middle of the open workspace where dozens of employees were busy working.

"Hey! HEY EVERYONE!" Leon's voice echoed through the room, and every head turned toward him. "Your boss is screwing around with her employees! Sleeping with the new girl to hand out promotions! How's that for leadership?"

The office fell silent, and I could feel every pair of eyes on me and Grace. My heart sank into my stomach. This couldn't be happening. My legs felt weak, and I had to grip the doorframe just to steady myself.

Grace, however, remained calm. She stepped forward, her voice low and controlled as she spoke. "Leon, you're done here. Get out."

Leon turned to face her, laughing bitterly again. "Yeah, sure. I'm out. But good luck keeping your little affair a secret now."

He stormed out of the building, slamming the door behind him. The silence that followed was suffocating. Everyone was staring at us, whispering, and I felt like I was going to break down right then and there.

Grace turned to me, her expression softening as she walked toward me. "Come on," she said quietly, her voice gentle now.

I followed her, my head down, my hands shaking as we made our way back to my office. She closed the door behind us, and the moment we were alone, I collapsed into my chair, my body trembling uncontrollably.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered, tears stinging my eyes. "This is all my fault."

Grace knelt down in front of me, her hand gently brushing a strand of hair away from my face. "None of this is your fault, Jane."

I shook my head, the tears spilling over. "But now everyone knows..."

Grace pulled me into a hug, holding me tightly as I sobbed into her shoulder. "Let them talk. It doesn't matter. What matters is us. We'll figure this out, okay?"

I nodded weakly, my tears soaking into her shirt. She pulled back just enough to look into my eyes, wiping away the tears with her thumb.

"I think we both need a break," she said softly, smiling. "How about we go out tonight? Just the two of us. No work, no drama. Just us."

I sniffled, managing a small smile. "That sounds nice."

"Good," she said, standing up and offering me her hand. "It's a date."

I took her hand, standing up as we walked out of the office together. And despite everything that had just happened, I felt a small flicker of hope. Maybe, just maybe, we would be okay after all.