Chapter 13 - The Corporate Serpent|
The following Monday, Hannah walked through the front doors of Whitmore Confections wearing a navy blue pencil skirt and a modest cream blouse she had bought with the small clothing advance Ethan had authorized.
Her new desk sat directly outside Ethan's glass office on the executive floor.
While Marlene offered a proud, tearful hug when she saw Hannah in her new professional attire, the rest of the floor was far less welcoming. Glares, cold murmurs, and deliberate snubs greeted her every time she walked past the copy room.
At 10:00 AM, a tall man with slicked-back dark hair and a gold Rolex watch approached her desk.
Marcus Vance, Vice President of Operations.
He leaned over her desk, placing his palms flat on her wooden organizer, smiling with a cold, predatory warmth that didn't reach his eyes.
"Miss Mercer," Marcus purred, his voice dripping with condescension. "Or should I say, the new administrative coordinator. Quite a promotion from holding a mop."
Hannah met his gaze calmly, organizing her file folders. "Can I help you with something, Mr. Vance?"
"I was just wondering how long this little fairytale is going to last," Marcus murmured, lowering his voice so the nearby secretaries couldn't hear. "Ethan is an emotionally unstable man grieving a dead child. He's using you to fill a void, sweetie. And when he realizes you're just a distraction, you'll be right back on the night shift sweeping his crumbs."
Hannah felt a flare of anger in her chest, but before she could speak, Ethan’s office door swung open.
"Marcus," Ethan said, standing in the doorway, his voice dangerously low. "Do you have the Q4 manufacturing reports I requested, or are you wasting my coordinator's time?"
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Marcus straightened up immediately, adjusting his expensive silk tie with a fake chuckle. "Just welcoming the new addition to the executive team, Ethan. The reports will be on your desk by noon."
As Marcus walked away, he cast a long, lingering look back at Hannah's desk—a look that promised trouble was coming.
