Dose 𝓔ight

Dose Eight Observations:
Subject has pushed her own boundaries.

⨳ ⨳ ⨳

My eyes were burning.

Only from how dry they felt—there was also a slight ache at the front of my head from not drinking water.

Or maybe it was because I hadn’t eaten since I had that toaster strudel earlier.

I was too focused on doing my work to eat.

There was a lot to do, especially since I had yesterday’s work to catch up on.

I kept my headphones on and didn’t glance up once.

I began to see why everyone was so focused on their computer, and never bothered to look away from it.

It was kind of fulfilling—the feeling of getting something done, at least.

I missed productivity.

I used to get a lot done as a freelancer.

This felt equally satisfying, aside from the fact that I’m employed under Levane.  

I would rather work at any other company.  

I flinched when I felt a tap on my shoulder, diverting my attention away from my computer.

I instinctively glanced over at Zion, but he was still focused on his computer, too.

Instead, it was Briggszilla, standing right by my chair with her usual annoying expression and iPad in her arm.

Even the sight of her was enough to make me internally roll my eyes.

Or maybe I actually did roll my eyes, considering Kara narrowed her eyes at me.

I must’ve been really zoned in because I didn’t even notice her enter the tech division.

I glanced down, noticing Kara’s lips moving, but I couldn’t hear a word she was saying with my headphones still on.

“Yes?” I asked as I took my headphones off.

Kara held her iPad closer, like I might reach out and snatch the stupid device from her.

A girl can dream.

“I need to speak with you in my office,” Kara said, her irritating voice flowing into my ears.

I should’ve kept my headphones on and pretended like I could hear her.

Nodding always works.

“I’m in the middle of something,” I said, motioning my head at my computer. “As anyone with eyes can see.”

“You have the capability to finish after,” Kara said, taking a step back from me with an impatient motion of her head. “I’ll lead the way.”

I unconsciously glanced over at Grayson, who I noticed had his headphones half off, listening in on our conversation.

Everyone else seemed focused on their work.

Although Zion had even looked over, a look of confusion on his face.

A deep sigh echoed from my lips, standing from my chair even if I didn’t want to.

But I knew Briggszilla wouldn’t leave me alone otherwise.

Kara raised a brow, her stare lingering on my exposed lower stomach that my blouse left exposed.

I didn’t bother to fix it.

I only flashed her a fake smile, walking past her toward her office without further thought.

Kara followed behind me past the tech division, her short heels clicking out of sync with mine.

Her office was just as it was a day ago.

Only more sticky notes this time.

Does that not overwhelm her? Seeing sticky notes plastered everywhere?

It sure does overwhelm me.

“What’s the problem?” I asked, turning around as she closed the door.

Kara crossed her arms over her chest. “This pertains to this morning, Ms. Fierro,” she emphasized, “You are not permitted to change clothes in Dr. Leclair’s office.”

I felt a tightness in my jaw, even my face felt hot, suddenly wondering—

“Did she ask you to pass this message along?” I asked, raising a brow at her.

I don’t know why it mattered, but it did.

It mattered if Monroe sent the Briggszilla monster after me.

“Not necessarily, but it’s inappropriate. I don’t need an HR report to handle,” Kara said bluntly, making me roll my eyes.

“Well, if Dr. Leclair doesn’t see an issue—“

“I see an issue,” Kara cut me short, her annoying voice snappier than necessary. “You report to me. Don’t forget that, Ms. Fierro.”

I lazily hummed. “You never let me forget,” I mumbled.

A fake laugh echoed from Kara’s lips. “Quite frankly, Ms. Fierro, I’m humiliated for you,” she said, walking past me to her desk. “Your need to climb the corporate ladder in this manner is humiliating and painfully obvious.”  

“In what manner?” I asked, even if I knew what she meant.

“We’re both well aware of what manner I’m insinuating, Ms. Fierro,” Kara didn’t hesitate to say, setting her iPad down on her desk. “Have more self-respect for yourself.”

Her words made my face burn up worse, hating that it did seem like this.

It seemed like I was trying to seduce the woman at the very top, and I’m fucking not.

But I’m not doing a very good job at proving otherwise.

Does everyone think this, too?

Am I officially the office whore?

Grayson has probably already come up with that nickname, and I can’t even blame him.

Maybe Kara’s right for once, and that bothers me to even think.

Maybe this is humiliating.

“Is that all?” I suddenly asked, drawing in a deep breath as I squeezed my hands into fists by my side.

One. Two. Three. Four.

Four. Three. Two. One.

Her opinion means nothing—it’s not worth overthinking.

“That’s all. I want your work done by the end of day, including yesterday’s,” Kara insisted.

I nodded stiffly, not bothering to say anything else.

If I did, I would end up saying a few colorful words, as she’d put it—and maybe shoving everything off her desk.

She deserves that.

But instead, I exited her office, my hands bunched into fists and my shoulders tense.

I needed to avoid getting fired now for the sake of everyone I cared about, so I couldn’t behave like I wanted to anymore.  

But right now, it was so hard to even think about doing any work.

Not with how irritated I suddenly felt.

“Liberty!”

I glanced up immediately, noticing Eliza just a few feet down the hallway.

“Oh, hey,” I said, blinking a few times as I tried to relax my shoulders.

Eliza’s dark brows furrowed as she approached me. “Everything good?”

I nodded a few times. “Yeah-yeah, Kara was just you know,” I mumbled, trying not to let the conversation I just had affect me.

Eliza smiled. “Oh, I know. Trust me,” she said, motioning past me. “Join me for lunch? I was thinking about this café nearby.”

I pursed my lips. “I don’t know. I have a lot of work to get done by the end of the day.”

“And you don’t want to burn out,” Eliza emphasized, gently grabbing my arm. “You need to eat and take the proper break.”

“Is it already lunch time?” I asked, glancing around for a clock.

“It’s almost three. Lunch is overdue,” Eliza said, guiding us both toward the elevator.

I didn’t really get a say in whether I tagged along or not.

Eliza was already clicking the elevator button and pulling me on past the open doors.

The café that she mentioned really wasn’t that close by, but apparently, they sold these pumpkin-shaped bagels.

Eliza seemed excited about it, so I guess I was down for a longer break.

I even offered to drive us, despite Eliza saying she could.

But I didn’t mind, and driving helps clear my mind, which was something that I really needed right now.

The drive also wasn’t that bad—just twenty minutes with traffic, and we were there.

I knew the drive back would be worse, knowing how three o’clock traffic can be.

These pumpkin bagels better be the best fucking thing in the world.

Aside from the food, the vibe of the café already made up for the possibly bad bagels.

It was decorated for fall, and the waterfront was nearby.

The gloomy day also added to the vibe, plus they were playing instrumental Halloween music.

It was a nice find—I might just come back again.

“Look how cute,” Eliza murmured as she unwrapped her bagel.

It was quite literally orange, pumpkin-shaped, and a green little stem on top.

You also can’t forget the thick smear of cream between the top and bottom of the pumpkin-shaped bagel.

“Tell me how it tastes,” I said, carefully unwrapping mine as I grabbed my phone to take a picture of it.

Then I planned to send it in my group chat with Zion and Sarai.

“Oh my,” Eliza mumbled through the bite she was chewing, holding her hand in front of her mouth.

My eyes immediately widened, noticing the sparkly diamond on her finger.

“You’re engaged?” I asked, wondering when this even happened.

I guess she had to have a boyfriend all those months ago when we were introduced—I just never met the man.

“I am engaged,” Eliza murmured, lowering her hand as she swallowed her bite. “Didn’t he do a good job?”

I smiled wider, gently grabbing her extended hand to analyze the weighted diamond.

“He did amazing,” I whispered, taking in how the diamond reflected every shred of light. “When did this happen?”

“July—the fireworks spelled it out in big flashing letters,” Eliza briefly explained as I let go of her hand. “The first thing I said was finally—then it was a yes,” she joked.

I chuckled at her humor. “How long have you been together?”

“Close to six years,” she said, tilting her head slightly. “I forgot that you never met Elan.”

“Yeah, well, we—or I wasn’t in New York for that long,” I awkwardly corrected, pursing my lips together.

“Right-yes,” Eliza said, blinking a few times. “Elan normally comes everywhere with me unless he’s working, but I think he was closing that Tokyo deal when you were in town.”

“Hopefully, I’ll get to meet him soon,” I murmured, glancing back down at my bagel. “I’m sure he’s great because you’re great.”

“Aw, thanks, Liberty,” Eliza said, a smile growing on her lips. “You should come to my engagement party,” she suddenly offered.

I unconsciously shook my head without a further thought. “No, I probably shouldn’t—“

“You really should. It would be nice to have you,” Eliza cut me short, tearing a piece of her bagel off. “I’ll just send you the invite, and you can let me know.”

I nodded, even if I knew there would be no letting her know.

Eliza doesn’t seem like the type to back down, so I’ll most likely be attending her engagement party whether I like it or not.

“Okay, now tell me what happened with Briggs,” Eliza suddenly said, her dark eyes trailing my face curiously. “She’s always insisting on insane rules and etiquette.”

I raised a brow. “You don’t like her either?” I purposely asked, not wanting to necessarily discuss what Kara said to me in her office.

“Absolutely not,” Eliza laughed through her nose. “She was hired by Leon. That’s the only reason why she’s still there.”

I smiled slightly, happy to hear any slander relating to Briggszilla.

“I wish they would get rid of her already,” I said, picking up half of my bagel.

“As if Leon would let it happen,” Eliza countered, shaking her head a few times. “What did she say to you this time?”

I pursed my lips together. “Oh, um,” I awkwardly murmured, trying to decide how I would give a vague answer. “Just something about changing and stuff.”

“Changing?” Eliza asked with an amused look.

“Yeah, uh,” I breathed out, glancing away from her. “I changed clothes in your chief executive’s office.”

Eliza blinked a few times, “Oh, right-right,” she whispered, glancing down at her bagel.

I unconsciously looked back at her, wondering if her response meant she already knew about it.

Did Monroe tell Eliza about it?

Probably.

Maybe?

No, I couldn’t see her fully discussing that aloud.

Fuck, I don’t know.

“You seem a little down about it,” Eliza suddenly said, tilting her head as she analyzed my face. “Did she say something else?”

“No,” I quickly said, not wanting to even discuss the other half of my conversation with Kara.

What if Eliza agrees too or something?

“Wow, that fruit looks good,” I suddenly said, glancing over to the container on the table, beside the yogurt parfait Eliza had also gotten.

It was a desperate change of topic, but this Briggszilla subject had to go.

“It does, doesn’t it?” Eliza murmured, going along with my subject change as she briefly glanced down at the fruit cup. “I picked it up for Mon, so she eats something.”

I nodded, taking a bite of my bagel so I wasn’t forced to supply yet another awkward response.

Monroe would like the fruit and the parfait, only after she asked a hundred questions about what’s in it and what kind of ingredients they used.

I hope Eliza wrote down something, or else that parfait won’t be getting eaten.

Luckily, the topic strayed away from Monroe for the rest of our short lunch together.

Even Kara wasn’t brought up again, which was relieving.

We talked about her wedding and how she was deciding between doing it this winter or next.

She has the financial means to pull off anything she wants, so I told her it depends on how soon she wants to do everything.

She really liked the idea of a December wedding, so that gives her a decent amount of time to prepare, especially if she gets a wedding planner.

I think I’m suddenly roped into this wedding thing now—not even just the engagement party, so that’s fucking great, I guess.

And then this engagement party is next weekend, so I’ll have to pencil that in.

I was going to lie and say I had plans, but I could tell Eliza was excited.

She’s only ever been nice and welcoming to me, so I figured, why not?

It might be a little awkward since I have a feeling Monroe will be there, but I’ll just keep my distance.

“I have so much work to finish,” I sighed, watching the floors rise on the digital screen above the elevator doors.

“But don’t you feel better after a little brain break?” Eliza asked as the doors dinged open on our level.

“Yeah, I do feel a little better,” I murmured, noticing my head didn’t hurt anymore, and my eyes weren’t burning like earlier. “Thanks for spending lunch with me.”

Eliza smiled at me. “No, thank you. I liked catching up with you.”

I smiled slightly, stepping off the elevator by her side.

And almost immediately—

My eyes zoned in further down the hallway immediately, drawing in a long breath at her presence.

She still had on the black collared shirt from earlier, except she wore a long white coat over it, preventing me from glancing down at her arms like some weirdo.

Her heels clicked sharply, keeping her hands clasped in front of her as she walked with her usual high posture.

I glanced away as soon as her blue eyes locked with mine, noticing Briggszilla on one side of her, and the familiar red head with that singular crack in her glasses lens.

They both wore white coats as well, cradling expensive iPads in their arms.

Fucking great.

“Mon,” Eliza just had to call out, leaving me with an awkward choice.

Walk past them all.

Or stop with Eliza.

I didn’t know what the fuck to do.

“I grabbed you lunch,” Eliza said, waving the paper bag in her hand.

Monroe stopped walking before we did, causing Briggszilla and the redhead to sharply halt right behind her.

Her blue eyes eyed the bag in Eliza’s hand.

Then—

She glanced at me.

Specifically, the sliver of my lower stomach still exposed.

Monroe glanced away from me entirely before I could even process her diverted attention.

“Thank you,” was all Monroe said as we approached them. “Leave it with—“ she briefly paused before saying, “My assistant."

Her words made my brows furrow, whether I liked it or not, stopping in front of them all with Eliza.

“Okay,” Eliza said, tilting her head at Monroe. “I’ll leave it with your assistant,” she emphasized with an amused smile.

Monroe nodded stiffly, her blue eyes briefly locking with mine.

“Your top."

“Hm?” I asked, unconsciously squeezing my hands into fists.

Because suddenly everyone’s attention is on me.

I hated it.

“Your top is indecent,” Monroe just had to say, briefly glancing down at my hands.

I forced them to unravel from the fists I had them balled into, reaching for the end of my blouse—

And harshly tugging it down to cover my stomach.

That only exposed my chest more than necessary, especially with the push-up bra I had on.

Her blue eyes instantly shifted down—and then back up to meet my stare, so quickly that I questioned if I had hallucinated it.

“There," I mumbled.

Everyone was awkwardly silent as Monroe’s stare openly burned into me, a calm expression on her face.

But I could see the dissatisfaction behind her eyes.

It was clear on Kara’s face, too.

The redhead was too busy tapping all over her iPad, entirely focused on some kind of work that needed to be done.  

“Oh, and don't worry, doc. I won’t change in your office again,” I suddenly said, glancing past her to Kara. “Ms. Briggs already had a conversation with me. It was inappropriate to her, and she’s the one I report to after all,” I added as calmly as I could, but I sounded petty.

More petty than I wanted to.

But after what Briggszilla said to me earlier, I wanted to be petty.

“Yes, Dr. Leclair, instances like that won’t occur again,” Kara suddenly spoke, an annoying smile on her lips. “Ms. Fierro, she will be addressed as Dr. Leclair moving forward as well.”

I nodded immediately, “Oh, of course,” I said, feeling everyone’s eyes on me, specifically, Monroe’s.

Until she turned her head to her left, casting her attention on Kara.

I could hear Eliza draw in a deep breath—even the redhead stopped tapping on her iPad.

“Ms. Fierro will report to me, moving forward,” Monroe calmly said, making my eyes widen.

“What? No—“

“There’s no need for you to interact with Ms. Fierro further,” Monroe clarified, cutting me short before I could argue this change. “Or intervene on matters that I am fully capable of handling myself.”

One. Two. Three. Four.

Four. Three. Two. One.

 “But Dr. Leclair—"

“When did I imply that this was up for discussion, Ms. Briggs?” Monroe calmly cut Kara short.

A frustrated sigh fell from my lips, furrowing my brows as I squeezed my hands into tighter fists.

“Hey,” Eliza whispered, stepping toward me.

I only shook my head, trying not to have a mental breakdown in front of everyone right here.

But if I’m the only one reporting to Monroe, it will only make Kara’s assumptions more solidified.

Everyone will assume the same thing as well.

It might even be considered as special treatment.

And the overall goal was to stay away from her.

This is not staying away from her.

“Conduct today’s testing without me,” I heard Monroe suddenly say, “Ms. Fierro, my office,” she addressed me, making me glance up from my heels.

“No,” I said, the word tighter than I had anticipated.

“No?” Monroe calmly echoed, meanwhile, Kara and that redheaded woman seemed appalled by my answer.

I’m totally making this all worse.

So much fucking worse.

“I don’t want to go to your office. And I definitely don’t want to report to you,” I mumbled, glancing down at my heels as I let out the longest breath because I feel really overwhelmed by this right now.

Or maybe it’s the last few days, and this is the cherry on top.

Briggszilla’s fucking stare feels accusatory right now, too.

Everything is only getting worse.

“Just…” I trailed off as everyone’s stare practically weighed me down.

I squeezed my hands tighter, counting to ten in my head.

Then I counted backwards.

Ten. Nine. Eight. Six—

Fuck, I messed up.

This is all messed up.  

California really was great—everything was great.

I was great.

“Liberty,” I heard her calm voice echo as I rushed past them all, refusing to look up from my heels.

I didn’t say anything—I tried to get something out, but there was nothing.

I just needed a minute to get my shit together.

No one here gets to see me like this—and she definitely doesn’t.

I can put myself back together, just as I’ve done numerous times over the last few months.

I don’t need her.

I’ll never need her, especially not to fix me anymore.

Five minutes.

That’s all I need.

Then I can get back to working and clear my head better.

“Liberty.”

“Stop,” was all I could get out.

But I could still hear her heels clicking sharply behind me, just feet away.

“You’re going to make a scene,” I forced out, even if I, myself, already made a fucking scene.

“My office,” I heard Monroe repeat again.

“No,” I didn’t hesitate to say.  

“Then we’ll make a scene,” she determined, making my frustration grow.

So I walked even faster, speeding up my pace even more.

“Are we going to your desk?” I heard her calmly ask, the clicking of her heels still precise and measured.

She didn’t bother to speed up her pace.

“I’m going to my desk,” I emphasized.

“Yes,” Monroe agreed with my statement. “I’ll simply follow along.”

I walked even faster, not bothering to say anything else to her.

At least if I get there first, we won’t be walking in together.

She’ll just look weird for walking over to me.

“I’m a very patient person. You’re aware of this,” I heard her speak again. “I have no issue waiting by your desk.”

I stopped in my tracks at her words, imagining the CEO of Levane waiting by my side in the tech division.

It would be odd.

It would make any speculations they all have even worse.

And Zion would be pissed off, too.

I suddenly started walking again, resuming my quick pace.

Except I didn’t turn into the tech division.

No.

I annoyingly kept walking toward her office, my hands still bunched into fists and my face burning with frustration.  

There's no way I'll be able to have an actual conversation right now, without yelling.

But she just has to speak with me now, so fine.