Chapter 13
Nursing a fresh vaccine puncture in her arm, Kerry returned to Vanguard with total confidence. She knew she looked exactly the same as she had when she left that morning—same clothes, same hair—but the way her coworkers were looking at her had completely changed. Their eyes were practically dripping with heavy, unspoken implications.
She instantly guessed the news of her signing the Condon contract had spread. There were no secrets in a corporate office.
Sure enough, a nosey coworker waved her over, her face a mask of juicy gossip. "Ms. Jones," she whispered. "Was that Clifton Condon himself who came by this morning?"
Before Kerry could even answer, she was swarmed. At least twenty people crowded around her desk, their eyes wide with the kind of intense curiosity usually reserved for students cramming before a final exam.
Kerry simply nodded and offered a truthful answer: "Yes."
The air in the room practically ignited.
"When did you lock down Condon? They've run through at least eighty tutors by now. Even Vanguard's A-list teachers have been sent packing!"
"Wait, wait, wait—Clifton Condon personally came to pick you up? Did you two know each other before this?"
"Is he easy to get along with? I heard..."
"Did you see his son? What does he look like? Is he a total nightmare?"
Kerry was trapped in the center of the mob, unable to get a single word in edgewise. Finally, a voice cut through the chatter.
"Look at all of you, acting like you've never seen the world. It's not like you don't have your own clients. Mind your professional image."
Kerry looked over. It was May Payne, sitting at her desk, not even bothering to look in their direction.
May was a B-level tutor, just like Kerry. She wasn't Vanguard's top talent, but everyone knew she was tight with Maggie Dolley, Vanguard's VP. She acted like Maggie's personal spy on the floor, so whenever she made her snide, sarcastic remarks, most people just let it slide to avoid the drama.
But someone was always ready to step into the ring.
"Yeah, the person here who has seen the world and has the most authority to speak is obviously Ms. Payne. After all, she also interviewed with the Condons... it's just a shame she failed."
It was Daniel Heimler. He strolled out of the breakroom holding a glass of iced juice, completely ignoring everyone else as he walked straight up to Kerry. Handing her the drink, he smiled brightly. "Congratulations, Ms. Jones, on landing the biggest 'whale' in Seattle."
May Payne’s brow aggressively twitched. "What's that supposed to mean?" she sneered. "Stepping on me to elevate her?"
Daniel looked over at her, the smile vanishing from his handsome face. "If you know that playing those games is pointless, then stop throwing prickly little insults around."
May hadn't expected Daniel to publicly confront her over this. Between the tutors who were actually out on assignment, there were still dozens of people in the office. With her pride on the line, she had no choice but to double down.
"Who's throwing insults? I was kindly reminding everyone that this is a workplace. Don't turn office gossip into official business. And when I'm talking to other people, what does it have to do with you? Do we really need you running your mouth?"
Daniel glared coldly at May. "If you have something to say, stand up and say it. Who the hell do you think you're acting like a boss in front of?"
May shot up from her chair, furious. "Daniel Heimler, watch your attitude!"
Daniel opened his mouth to fire back, but Kerry subtly tugged on his sleeve. The other coworkers were already stepping in to play peacekeeper. The office smelled like a powder keg. No one noticed Maggie Dolley stepping out of her office until her voice cracked like a whip.
"What are you arguing about?"
The second May saw Maggie, the waterworks started. She sobbed and complained that Daniel had picked fights with her twice in one day, playing the absolute victim.
Maggie looked at Daniel standing next to Kerry, and a dark anger flashed in her eyes. "Mr. Heimler," she said coldly. "Leaving aside the fact that this is working hours and personal issues should be resolved in private—even if you have a problem you can't fix, I am still here. My boss is still here. Logically, you are new and shouldn't be embarrassing a senior employee. Emotionally, as a grown man, you shouldn't be making things difficult for a small woman."
Daniel was an alpha bro through and through. If it wasn't for protecting a certain someone's reputation, he absolutely would not have tolerated being talked down to in a room full of women. His face flushed with anger, not because he couldn't take Maggie down, but because he had reservations.
Before he could speak, Kerry calmly stepped in.
"Maggie," Kerry said smoothly, "there are some things I originally didn't want to say in front of everyone. But since you aren't holding back, I don't see the need to cover for May Payne anymore."
Everyone was stunned. Even Maggie froze. This was the first time Kerry had ever publicly rebelled. Everyone was so used to her good-tempered, easy-to-bully persona that they genuinely thought she was a soft target who relied entirely on Cole for protection. No one expected her to rip the band-aid off so violently.
"Yes," Kerry continued, her voice perfectly level. "I've been at Vanguard for a month and lost eight clients in a row. I apologize to Cole for wasting his effort in flying all the way to New York to recruit me, and I apologize for failing to live up to your 'guidance,' Maggie. But none of that is an excuse for certain people to constantly kick me while I'm down, is it?"
May Payne, suddenly put on blast, stammered through her tears. "What did I do? Are you saying I'm kicking you while you're down behind your back?"
Kerry locked eyes with her, her expression dead inside. "I didn't call out the nasty things you've said about me to half the people in this office—not because I'm stupid, but because I wanted to save face for our coworkers. But as for yourface? I don't feel like saving it anymore. Since you clearly have no intention of getting along with me, I can't be bothered to pretend anymore either. Today, in front of the VP and everyone else, I am giving you my first and last warning. If I hear one more bad word about me come out of your mouth, I promise to embarrass you far worse than I am today."
Kerry was tall. When she lowered her eyes and let her pleasant mask drop, she radiated a terrifying, suffocating pressure. May felt it like a physical weight in her throat. She didn't dare say another word.
The massive office was completely dead silent. Finally, Maggie forced herself to break the tension.
"Alright, enough. We are all colleagues. If there's a misunderstanding, just clear it up." She immediately added, "Ms. Jones, come to my office. Everyone else, back to work. This is over."
Kerry shot Daniel a secret look before following Maggie into her office. The second the door clicked shut, Maggie dropped the act.
"Ms. Jones. I preserved your dignity out there, but I highly disapprove of how you handled that."
Maggie sat in her leather executive chair, looking severe. This time, Kerry didn't just stand there and take the scolding. She pulled out the guest chair opposite the desk and sat down.
"I understand what you mean, Maggie," Kerry replied calmly. "Minimize big issues, erase small ones. If we can't solve it, we take it up the chain."
"If you know that," Maggie said coldly, "then what you just did was deliberately putting me in a difficult position."
"I'm new to this city," Kerry said. "But I've heard plenty of rumors that May Payne is your personal confidante. Whether it's true or not, she constantly gossips on the floor. People don't say anything, but they've been unhappy about it for a long time."
"She's nothing to me," Maggie deflected. "Office rumors are mostly just hearsay."
"I believe in your character," Kerry said, her tone dripping with weaponized innocence. "You've taken such good care of a newcomer like me. Why would you ever tolerate someone using your name to bully others behind your back?"
Maggie didn't answer. On the surface, her silence was an agreement, but her eyes were locked on Kerry with intense vigilance.
Kerry sighed, looking perfectly victimized. "I'm new here. I didn't know the rules of this city. I only just found out from the others that my new client is extremely powerful. Landing a contract requires a boss's 'care,' but it also requires the client to actually like you. I would have gladly handed this contract over to May, but I'm afraid the client wouldn't agree to that. Especially Dustin Condon. The kid and I... we just click."
