When Love Becomes a Cage (Melanie) novel Chapter 15

Right after Kayla's words landed, everyone in the office dropped what they were doing, their gazes shuttling between us.

Lina couldn't stand it anymore and stepped before me. "Ms. Osborne, you're just a personal assistant. Do you think you should be meddling in the affairs of the Design Department? And do you even realize how crucial this project is?"

"If it wasn't a big deal, why would I be the one handling it?" Kayla shoved Lina aside, looking down at me from her high horse. "Melanie, you've just returned to the company. You're not up to speed on many projects. Don't just try to grab the spotlight. You're just an employee here. Following orders is your job. Maybe it's time you checked your attitude at the door."

She extended her hand toward me, playing up the boss lady act.

I ignored her, heading straight for the CEO's office.

Inside, a few people were reporting on their work, but I slammed my hand down on Clyde's desk.

"So, you're letting Kayla run the Design Department now. You sure about that?"

Kayla hurried back at that moment, looking pitifully at Clyde. "Clyde, Melanie isn't willing to let me in, won't hand over the materials to me, and we have a meeting coming. What do I do? If the deal with Radiant Systems falls through, it will cost the company a fortune. Melanie, can you take responsibility for that?"

Kayla played the victim so well that one would think I was bullying her.

But I looked at Clyde, ignoring her. He gestured for the others to leave the office as if fearing they'd get caught in the crossfire if they lingered.

He then looked at me with a smug expression. "You haven't been at the office for months. Kayla has been working hard. What's the issue with her leading you? She'll be dealing with more tasks soon. The Design Department is just one aspect. Why don't you mentor her and take the time to teach her?"

I let out a cold laugh.

An intern, Kayla, wanted me to be her guide. We were not even in the same department, okay?

But thinking she had a strong backer, Kayla quickly nodded vigorously. "Clyde, I'll study hard and become your right-hand woman."

I had enough of their display, cutting in. "I'm the Design Director, not responsible for training interns. If you want me to teach her, that's extra. Pay tuition fees to me."

"What did you say?" Clyde slammed his hand on the desk, standing up abruptly.

I held out my hand emotionlessly. "Tuition fees. Otherwise, get HR to find her a professional tutor."

Clyde said "okay" several times, then glared at me. "Are you only after money? Is that all you care about?"

"Exactly." I withdrew my hand. "You don't have to pay me directly. I want a raise since I'm doing the work of two people now."

I knew the score. Clyde and I were over sentimentally. It might as well make it about money. He might fire me any day. Without the money, I might as well file for divorce.

I didn't know about her capabilities, but her eagerness to prove herself probably meant she wasn't terrible. She'd likely perform well, especially since she was eager to prove me wrong.

Unfortunately, I overestimated her.

Having shadowed Clyde for months, I figured Kayla would at least have a basic grasp of company meetings. But even with a simple presentation, she kept misspeaking, eventually resorting to reading directly from my documents. Even then, she was riddled with errors, mispronouncing several significant terms and relying on Lina to correct her pronunciation.

I was on pins and needles, wanting to intervene but constantly cut off by Kayla.

"Melanie, I'm leading this meeting." She stubbornly met my gaze, leaving me speechless.

Finally, the representative from Radiant Systems, Mr. Hanley, interrupted, "Excuse me, Ms. Crawford, is this the level of seriousness the Patterson Group is bringing to the table? If Mr. Patterson isn't interested in continuing our partnership, perhaps we should discuss a breach of contract fee."

The room went silent, save for Kayla's sobbing.

She quickly got up, saying, "Mr. Hanley, I'm sorry. The Design Department only just handed me the materials, so I'm unfamiliar with the project yet. The materials given by Melanie were full of jargon I don't know."

Her words left everyone in disbelief. Was she out of her mind?