Loving The Better Brother novel Chapter 34

Chapter 34 Humiliation Ritual

WILLOW

“Yes, Mr. Fawn?” I said, forcing my voice to remain steady.

Fincred

There was a pause on the other end of the line before I heard the distinct sound of a pen striking a hard surface.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

I closed my eyes briefly.

He was Mr. Fawn, the Corporate Board Secretary of Hale Corporation. He was the man who oversaw every secretary within the building.

It used to be Rocco who handled things at this level before he was appointed as the personal secretary to my father. But now, as a newly assigned secretary myself, I reported to Mr. Fawn.

And Mr. Fawn was not known for kindness.

“Sir?” I muttered when the silence stretched too long.

“A new employee is not taking my phone call?” he finally said. “What kind of employee is that?”

“I’m sorry, sir,” I replied immediately, standing straighter even though he could not see me. “I’ve already informed Rocco that I wouldn’t be able to make it on Monday and Wednesday mornings because I teach a class. I finished all my work for Ms. Florence before I left.”

There was another pause.

Tap.

12:40 pm

ppp.

Chiplex 54 Finnyphotions Riful

Tap.

Furhed

“Who is your line of hierarchy?” he asked calmly. “Is it me or Rocco?”

I opened my mouth to explain, but he did not give me the opportunity.

“It’s me,” he answered himself. “You report to me.”

“Yes, sir,” I said, swallowing.

“You will come here immediately. There is a meeting with all secretaries.”

My stomach tightened. “Yes, sir.”

The line went dead.

For a moment, I stared at my phone.

I could have called Rocco and asked him to smooth things over. He had already offered to drive me from the school to the office. However, I could not rely on him every time something became difficult.

With that, I took a cab.

The entire ride felt like it lasted a lifetime. Traffic was relentless, the driver humming softly to a radio station that, of course, mentioned Tristan Hale’s dating scandal in the news segment.

By the time the car pulled up to the towering building of Fiorane, I was breathless.

Inside, the lobby buzzed.

Even corporate professionals could not resist gossip.

“Did you see the angle comparison?” someone whispered near the elevators.

“They said she’s wearing a tailored suit,” another replied. “Definitely someone high–profile.”

I kept my head down and stepped into the elevator. My reflection in the mirrored wall looked composed. My heart, however, was racing.

12:40 pm

ppp.

4 hapwer 31 dhanath dingy Rybnal

When the elevator doors opened onto the floor of the meeting room, I excused myself and walked briskly toward the door.

I tried to open it as discreet as possible; however, it was already packed—they had already started.

Every secretary assigned to high–level executives was seated neatly around the long conference table.

I was the last to enter.

“Here she is,” Mr. Fawn announced.

Every head turned. Heat crept up my neck.

Millie was there. Samantha, too. They were seated side by side, already wearing triumphant looks on their faces.

Great! I had not realized they would be part of this meeting.

“Let us all welcome Miss Florence’s new secretary,” Mr. Fawn continued, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. “For making us wait as though she is a VIP.”

A few quiet chuckles rippled through the room.

“I apologize,” I said sincerely, stepping forward. “I came as soon as I—”

“Save it,” he cut in smoothly.

The air turned more tense.

I remained standing.

Mr. Fawn leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. He studied me the way one might examine a flawed report.

“Since you are new,” he said, “let us assess your readiness.”

My pulse thudded in my ears.

12:40 pm

ppp.

“Tell me,” he continued, “what is the proper protocol when an executive board member requests confidential financial documents outside of scheduled reporting hours?”

The question came swiftly.

I knew this.

“You verify the request through encrypted internal channels before releasing any documents.” I answered carefully. “If the request bypasses protocol, you escalate it to the Corporate Board Secretary.”

He raised a brow.

“Now, what is the deadline for quarterly compliance documentation submission to the regulatory committee?”

I opened my mouth and hesitated.

Was it the fifteenth?

Or the twentieth?

Crap! I had read this before, but it slipped my mind.

“Sir, I believe-”

“You believe?” he repeated.

Soft laughter echoed from somewhere near the middle of the table.

“The deadline,” he said coolly, “is the fifteenth. Not something one should believe.’ Something one should know.”

My cheeks burned.

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