The Assistant's Awakening

It was run by Emily Roberts, my old college mentor. The space was bright and chaotic, filled with sketches

y were working on, the door opened. Liam M

e and disappear. My heart hammered against my ribs. What was

nt. It was then that I realized he knew. He had known I would be here. Emily had mentioned my name to him, lik

Liam, Sophia, what a surprise! What brin

e looking to hire. I wanted to put in a good word for my former assistant." He gestured to

the air: she' s good, but only for what I trained her for. He was poisoning the well, framing my abilities

s. I felt small, exposed, my professional credibility b

to take her in. It must be so difficult for her, trying to find her footing in the real world now." She looked me up a

dcasting our history, framing me as a charity case, a kept woman who was now lost without her benefactor.

of anger and shame. Anything I said would sound defensive, hysterica

laying the part of the gracious protector. "Now, Sophia, be nice. Chloe did her best. She's a good girl." He tur

designer. He was ensuring that if Emily did hire me, it would be as a jun

ng dinner tonight at Per Se to celebrate the merger. Emily, you and your team should join u

ngrateful and unprofessional in front of Emily. If I accepted, I would be forced to spend an

ll, quickly accepted for everyone. "That's incredibly generous, Liam! We'd be delig

. "Wonderful," I managed to say, th

at evening, at the restaurant, I was seated at the far end of the table, next to a junior draftsman who was too intimidated to speak to me. Liam and Sophia held court a

nsive food around my plate, feeling the weight of a hundred gazes. I was a ghost

en lull in the conversation. "So, Chloe. Was it hard? Leaving the penthouse? I imagine

hit, personal and cruel. S

urprisingly clear. "It wasn't hard. It's

sked softly, just for me to hear. "Because the way Liam looks at yo