Desperation

Harley sat rigid, the leather of the oversized chair in Yarei's office creaking beneath her. She clasped and unclasped her hands, each pop of her knuckles a staccato beat in the silence.

The air felt thick, charged with an electric current that threatened to arc and ignite at any moment. A single drop of sweat slid down her temple, tracing the line of her jaw before disappearing into the collar of her blouse.

"Harley Williams," Yarei's voice sliced through the tension. Her boss stood, backlit by the panoramic view of New York’s skyline, casting her in a formidable silhouette.

"Miss Williams," Yarei repeated, her tone sharpening like a blade, "do you have any idea what you've done?"

Harley swallowed hard, her throat constricting as if caught in a vice. “I thought I was doing what"

"Thought?" Yarei's shout bounced off the walls, making Harley flinch. "You didn't think that's the problem!" Yarei slammed her palm against the sleek surface of the desk, the sound of a thunderclap in the confined space.

"Everything we've worked for," Yarei paced, heels clicking ominously on the hardwood floor, "years of building credibility, trust gone!" She jabbed a finger towards Harley, her garnet-red nails a stark contrast against the sterile whiteness of the room.

"I trusted you," Yarei continued, her voice a controlled burn. "And you repay that trust by running a story that could sink us all?"

Harley’s hands squeezed together, her knuckles white, the pressure grounding her as she fought the urge to shrink away.

The weight of Yarei's glare bore down on her, relentless and accusing. "Miss. Yarei," Harley tried to keep her voice steady, "I followed the protocol you gave me."

"Protocol?" Yarei scoffed. "There is no protocol for recklessness, Harley. No excuse for not fact-checking. You put us in the crosshairs of a lawsuit!"

Harley’s heart pounded a drumbeat of panic filled her ears. The office, once a symbol of her budding career, now felt like a steel trap, ready to snap shut. "Yarei, I" Harley began, but her words evaporated under the heat of Yarei's scornful gaze.

"Save it," Yarei cut her off. "I should've known better than to expect competence from someone so inexperienced." Each word was a lash, a reminder of the gulf between them.

Harley’s resolve hardened; she wouldn't let Yarei's scorn break her. She had fought too hard, come too far to crumble now. "Get out," Yarei said, turning away dismissively. "Just get out of my sight."

The finality in Yarei's voice clung to Harley as she rose from the chair. Her legs felt both hollow and heavy, but she managed to walk to the door without stumbling.

Behind her, the city sprawled indifferently, millions of stories unfolding, oblivious to the one crumbling inside this glass tower.

A memory, sharp as shattered glass, pierced Harley's tumultuous thoughts. Just yesterday, her inbox pinged with the promise of a career-defining moment a mail from Yarei labeled 'Exclusive Story.'

The subject line had sparkled with opportunity, an invitation to leap into the journalistic fray.

"Harley, this is it," Yarei's voice echoed in her memory, the recollection so vivid she could almost see the cursor blinking expectantly as she opened the email.

“The scoop we've been waiting for. Don't let me down." Yet here she was, standing on the precipice of ruin, the weight of Yarei’s expectations and her ambitions crushing her.

"Yarei, listen." Harley's words were a desperate plea, a flicker of defiance in the icy tempest of her boss's wrath. "You sent me that story. You said it was urgent, no time to vet. I trusted that. I wrote it as you instructed."

“Urgent doesn't mean irresponsible!" Yarei's face contorted her rage, a palpable force that seemed to suck the air from the room. "You're the writer. Due diligence is your job!"

Harley felt the sting of injustice, a hot surge of frustration simmering beneath her skin. She had been meticulous, and diligent, ever since she'd set foot in the cutthroat world of New York media.

But Yarei’s words twisted the knife of doubt, seeding a gnawing fear that perhaps she had been too eager to please, too quick to trust.

"Even a rookie knows to double-check their sources, Harley." Yarei leaned forward, eyes ablaze with accusation. "Your eagerness has cost us cost me everything!" The rebuke was a physical blow, and Harley found herself flinching, the taste of betrayal bitter on her tongue.