Jake's jaw clenched, his eyes blazing with a fury she'd never seen before. "Someone has to," he said, his voice low and dangerous, each word dripping with righteous anger. "This is their family's bank. They deserve to know why, over the past few months, three excellent employees have left with no notice and explanation." His hands balled into fists at his sides, knuckles white with tension as he struggled to contain his rage.
"Three. Other. Employees." Ethan's gaze, as cold as Jake's was hot, came to rest on the women. His eyes narrowed, glinting with a steely resolve that sent a chill through the room. Kelly stepped forward, shoulder to shoulder with her brother, her posture mirroring his unyielding stance. "Get your things," she told them, her voice sharp and brooking no argument. "Now. You're fired, and we want you out of this bank."
"It wasn't even a real fire!" Janis protested, her shrill voice taking on a wheedling tone. "We put plastic over everything first. The wax isn't actually stuck to anything." She gestured at Harper's desk. "Nothing's really damaged. It was just supposed to be funny!"
The tea in Harper's mug rippled as her hands shook. Bile rose in her throat at Janis's casual dismissal. They had researched an actual fire, deliberately recreated her nightmare, and now theywere trying to minimize it? The acrid smell of smoke still clung to her nostrils, making her stomach churn.
"Funny?" Harper whispered, finding her voice at last. Though quiet, her words carried clearly in the hushed bank, the carpeted aisle around her carpet now crowded with onlookers, both bank employees and customers. "You think this is funny?"
She forced herself to look directly at Janis, whose smug expression faltered slightly. "You researched the fire. Peoplediedin that fire. You knew I was there, that the smoke got me, that Jake was the one who found me and carried me out." Her voice cracked on the last word, but she pressed on. "And you thought recreating that would be... funny?"
Reyna stirred within her, bristling with protective fury. Harper took another sip of the sweet, hot tea, using the warmth to ground herself in the present moment. The fox's anger helped push back the lingering panic, replacing it with a slow-burning indignation.
"We covered everything in plastic first," Tiffany chimed in, as if that somehow made it better. "The ash will just wipe right off. The wax isn't even stuck to anything."
"That makes itworse," Jake accused, eyes flashing with fury. "You planned this down to the last detail. How many hours did that take just to plan it out? You deliberately set out to terrorize Harper, from the very first day she arrived, and when you couldn't get her to retaliate, or respond, you escalated to this," and he swept his arm out to encompass the ash-covered office.
Ethan concurred with a curt nod, his jaw clenched tight. "Jake," he said over his shoulder, not taking his piercing gaze from the women. "See they are gone from these premises in five minutes, and ensure they don't do, or take, anything they should not."
"With pleasure," Jake responded, a wolfish grin spreading across his face as he cracked his knuckles.
Tiffany's mouth fell open, her eyes wide with disbelief. She stared at Ethan, her voice rising in pitch. "You can't just fire us like that!"
"Don't we get, like, a second chance?" Vanessa chimed in, her words tumbling out in a desperate rush. She glanced between Ethan and Kelly, searching for any sign of mercy. "You know, write us up or something, and we'll do better. We promise!"
Ethan regarded the trio with scorn, his lip curling in revulsion. "Are you serious?" he asked, his voice laced with both disdain, and disbelief at their audacity.
Kelly crossed her arms, fixing each woman with a withering stare. Her lips pressed into a thin, disapproving line as she regarded the trio with barely contained disgust. "Out. Now," she commanded, her voice cold and authoritative. "We'll mail you your final paycheck." She paused, her gaze hardening. "Don't ever come back to this bank. If you so much as set foot on this property again, we'll have you arrested for trespassing." The threat hung in the air, her words laced with finality.
"But my account is here," Vanessa whined, her voice grating like nails on a chalkboard. She stomped her foot, her designer heel clicking against the polished floor. Her perfectly manicured hands clenched into fists at her sides, knuckles whitening as she glared at Kelly with a mixture of disbelief and indignation.
Ethan shrugged nonchalantly. "Then transfer it to another bank. Or use the ATM. You'll have plenty of free time to open a new account elsewhere."
He glanced at his watch, the expensive timepiece glinting under the fluorescent lights. "Your five minutes are running out," he added, his tone bordering on boredom. The subtle tap of his foot against the polished floor emphasized his impatience, a silent countdown to their impending departure.
"Don't we get at least two weeks' notice?" Vanessa pressed her luck, her voice tinged with desperation.
Harper gazed into her cup of tea, unable to look at her tormentors any longer. Still, she couldn't help musing that apparently, in all their entitled lives, these three had never had to face the consequences of their actions.
"Are you not getting what is happening here? You are done here. You don't get notice, you don't get severance pay," Ethan replied, his British accent clipped and cold. He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as he delivered the final blow. "What you will get is a police escort if you do not leave these premises immediately. And I assure you, that's not an empty threat."
The three women stood rooted to the spot, staring at Ethan with a mixture of shock and disbelief etched across their faces. Their mouths hung slightly open, as if their brains were still processing the gravity of the situation. Tiffany's expression, especially, held clear indignation that he could actually be speaking tothemin that manner. Her perfectly plucked eyebrows arched high on her forehead, and a flush of anger crept up her neck, staining her cheeks a mottled red.
Jake raised his brows. “Ladies? I suggest you get your belongings. NOW!”
The sudden burst of applause from all around made Harper raise her head. She peered at the faces lining the hallway, some poking out from doorways, others craning their necks above the cubicle walls in the open office space.
Flushed with fury, their faces blazing a vivid crimson of humiliation, the three trouble-makers stomped off in the direction of their workstations, their heels clicking sharply against the polished floor. Jake followed closely, his keen eyes darting between them, alert for any sign of trouble. Margot, one of the receptionists, hurried along as well, her face a mask of concern.
"Tiffany's cubicle is around the corner from the other two," Margot informed Jake in a hushed tone, her brow furrowed.She glanced nervously at the retreating figures. "You can't watch all three at once, and I'll let you know if she does anything untoward. I've got a clear view of her desk from my station."
Jake nodded gratefully, his jaw set with determination. The tension in the air was palpable, crackling like static electricity as the group dispersed to their respective workstations.
"I was their target before you," Megan stepped forward from the crowd, addressing Harper with a guilty expression etched across her face. Her shoulders hunched slightly as if carrying an invisible weight. "I'm a single mother, so I didn't have the luxury of quitting, like the others. I'm ashamed to say, I was glad when you came, and they left me alone. It was... a relief, even though I knew it wasn't right."
The panic attack had subsided enough that Harper was able to summon a smile for Megan, her breathing steadier now. A flicker of warmth sparked in her eyes as she recalled Megan's small acts of kindness. "You shared your lunch with me, the times they destroyed mine. Those moments... they meant more than you know."
Megan shrugged, color rising in her cheeks. She cast an apologetic glance at Ethan and Kelly, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her blouse. "It was the least I could do. I wish I'd done more, spoken up sooner. Maybe then..." Her voice trailed off, leaving the unspoken regret hanging in the air between them.
