Chapter 3
Freya POV:
The next morning, I’d barely stepped into the office when Emily came jogging toward me, breathless.
“Freya, why are you so late? Get to the conference room, now.
“The new Director is calling a meeting.”
By the time I grabbed my notebook and hurried in, everyone was already seated—
I was the last one.
The meeting hadn't officially started yet, and the room was filled with the low hum of chatter.
Harvey sat at the head of the table in another bespoke suit.
His posture rigid, radiating a cold, commanding authority.
His icy gaze swept across the room and locked onto my face.
I ignored him, scanning the rows for an empty chair.
He flicked his wrist to check his watch.
“One minute late.”
His voice wasn’t loud, but it cut through the buzzing room like a blade, silencing everyone instantly.
Every head turned toward me.
I felt a flash of heat crawl up my neck, but I met his stare with a frigid look of my own.
Then, I forced a smile so fake it felt like plastic.
“My apologies, Mr. Tamer. But for the record, I was at my desk by 8:59.”
His expression tightened for a fraction of a second before melting into a faint, condescending smirk.
He let his eyes linger on me for one beat too long before looking away.
In the conference room, everyone had huddled as far away from him as possible, leaving only two empty seats directly to his left and right.
I cursed myself for not getting there earlier.
I squeezed in next to Emily, leaving a single empty chair between Harvey and me as a buffer.
“My god,” Emily hissed, leaning in. “You really just threw shade at the Director in front of everyone?”
“Let him fire me,” I muttered.
I glanced his way again, and our eyes met.
One second.
Two seconds.
He didn't look away.
Neither did I.
But my heart suddenly betrayed me, skipping several frantic beats.
I dropped my gaze, though I could still feel the weight of his stare pressing against me.
I flipped my notebook open and scribbled:
[Department Meeting, Time: XXX]
“Let’s begin.” The moment Harvey spoke, the room went dead silent.
He stood up and pulled a slide deck onto the large screen.
“You’re all aware of the sales figures over the last two years. In my professional opinion, they are abysmal. You’re sitting on world-class equipment, yet the numbers don't reflect that. Everyone in this room shares that responsibility.”
All eyes were on him, the room thick with a heavy, focused silence.
I sat up straighter, forcing myself to actually listen.
The light from the screen cast sharp shadows across his face, highlighting the high bridge of his nose and the powerful, clean line of his jaw.
That was the same silhouette I had traced a thousand times with my fingertips...
Back then, he wasn't this cold, this mechanical.
But I had to admit—
There was a magnetic power in the way he worked.
I’d never seen this side of him before.
I rested my chin on my hand, my thoughts starting to drift.
The memories I’d kept padlocked in a box were leaking out through the cracks, making my breathing shallow.
My pen jerked, leaving a jagged, crooked line across the page.
No. Stop staring at him. Get it together.
Emily gave my arm a sharp nudge.
“He’s talking to you.”
I jolted upright.
“What?”
Harvey was watching me, and from the look on his face, he’d been doing it for a while.
The entire room was staring at me.
“I’d like you to share your perspective with the group,” he said, his voice laced with a subtle, mocking edge.
I leaned toward Emily.
“Share what?”
“Your strategy for client acquisition and retention,” she whispered.
I shot a glare toward Harvey.
He was looking right at me, a faint, wicked glint in his eyes.
He knew exactly what he was doing.
This was a setup.
I scrambled to pull my thoughts together as quickly as possible.
“I’m sorry, but many people in this room are far more senior than I am. I don’t have any ‘wisdom’ worth sharing.”
His smirk deepened.
“Our top performer is suddenly so humble.”
I tilted my chin up, meeting his eyes with a side-long glare.
“It was luck. Nothing more.”
He went silent for a few seconds, though his gaze never wavered.
“I’m a big believer in resource sharing within a team. I suggest you start getting used to it.”
Emily nudged me again.
“Just say something. Anything.”
The entire department was watching me.
I didn't want to turn this meeting into a shouting match.
I looked down at my notebook and flipped to a specific page.
“Fine. I’ll give a brief overview of the Blue Windmill Food account I’m currently managing.
“I just flew out for a site visit yesterday and had an in-depth strategy session with their key stakeholders...”
Once I shifted into work mode, the words came easily.
I broke down the entire lifecycle of the deal—lead gen, initial outreach, discovery, the onsite...
I could talk about this for hours.
The sales team had always been good to me, and Bob had mentored me since back when I didn't even know what a sales funnel was.
I had nothing to hide.
The room was silent as I spoke.
I could feel his eyes on me the entire time, which made my pulse thrum with a nervous energy.
I kept my focus on my colleagues, giving him nothing but my profile.
When I was halfway through the Blue Windmill briefing, “Sorry, let me stop you there,” he interrupted.
I was forced to turn and face him.
“Did you fail to mention the hardware scalability options for their future upgrades?” I paused.
“I didn't bring it up, no.”
He gave a thin, effortless smile.
“The goal of sales is to maximize company profit while meeting the client's needs. “Leaving money on the table like that... in my book, that’s an amateur mistake.”
I snapped my notebook shut, my chin high.
“With all due respect, I don't see a problem with my approach.”
He nodded slowly, as if witnessing something absurd.
“Failing to offer a roadmap for scalability means you’ve capped your own commission and the company's growth.”
“That’s how I’ve always handled my accounts.”
The corner of his mouth twitched into a grin.
“Exactly. Like a rookie.”
My face burned.
I gripped my notebook, fighting to suppress the frantic surge of anger in my chest.
“Well, I’m obviously no match for the Director. Word is the company paid a fortune to headhunt you. Why don't you enlighten us with one of your legendary success stories?”
A few scattered, hesitant claps echoed through the room.
Harvey let that arrogant, condescending smile linger for a few seconds, but he didn't take the bait.
“To increase efficiency, all sales accounts will now be handled in pairs,” he announced, shifting gears.
“Partners will collaborate and share all data.”
He paused and pulled out a list.
“Freya will be paired with me. Emily and Carter...”
“Wait—” I cut him off.
My voice rang out through the spacious conference room.
He stopped and looked over.
“I don’t want to be paired with you.”
A ripple of hushed laughter went around the table.
He didn't even bother asking why.
He just kept reading the list as if I hadn't spoken at all.
As if I didn't even exist.
Until he finished the list, he finally turned his gaze back to me.
I was fuming, my chest heaving with every ragged breath.
I was waiting for him to challenge me.
I was ready.
I had ten different reasons locked and loaded to shut him down.
“Meeting adjourned.”
He said nothing else as he stood up and strode out of the room.