Chapter 17: Pinned by chloe

Chapter 17: Pinned by chloe


Emma sat back down at her desk, trying to get her hands steady enough to type. She hadn’t even gotten two lines into her notes when Chloe walked in again, her perfume too close to ignore.

“Gracious, what does she want again?” Emma whispered underneath her breath.”

“Still pretending you don’t understand me?” Chloe asked in a low voice.

Emma didn’t look up. “I don’t need to understand. I’m just doing my job.”

Chloe chuckled quietly. “Your job? You think being Cole’s secretary is about answering phones and filing papers?”

“That’s what the title says,” Emma replied, her eyes fixed on the screen.

Chloe bent down closer, her lips near Emma’s ear. “You don’t last in this office unless I say so.”

Emma’s fingers froze on the keyboard. She turned her head slightly. “Are you threatening me?”

“Not a threat,” Chloe whispered. “A fact. Do you know how many secretaries Cole has gone through in the past two years?”

Emma swallowed. “No and I don’t care.”

“You should,” Chloe said, straightening a little but keeping her voice quiet. “The last girl lasted three weeks. Pretty, just like you. She thought she could impress him with her work. Do you know where she is now?”

Emma stared at the monitor, forcing herself not to react. “Probably at another job.”

Chloe smiled slowly. “Unemployed. Because no one dares to hire someone I don’t approve of.”

Emma finally turned to her, eyes steady. “That’s not my problem.”

“Oh, it will be,” Chloe replied. She rested a manicured hand on Emma’s desk. “See, Cole is a man who doesn’t like mess. He hates mistakes and I know every single thing about him. What he eats, how he sleeps, what he expects from everyone around him.”

Emma kept her jaw tight. “That’s between you and him.”

Chloe leaned closer again, her smile fixed. “You really think he’ll protect you if you slip up? If I tell him you’re not good enough? He won’t even blink before replacing you.”

“I’ll do my work,” Emma said. Her voice was calm, but her hands under the desk were clenched into fists.

“That’s not enough,” Chloe said softly. “You’ll do your work, and you’ll remember where you stand. Because if you step out of line..”

Emma cut her off. “I won’t.”

For a moment, Chloe’s smile faded. Then she tilted her head. “You’re trying to sound confident. Cute.” She straightened her back. “But let me make it clear. If you think Cole’s eyes lingered on you, if you think you can use that to your advantage… you’ll regret it.”

Emma exhaled slowly. “I don’t want his eyes. I want to keep my job.”

“Good,” Chloe said, her smile returning. “Then stay invisible. That’s the safest place for you.”

Emma turned back to her screen, fingers on the keyboard again. “Are you done?”

Chloe didn’t move for a second, then leaned back with a small laugh. “Not even close.”

Emma typed something random, just to look busy. “Then say what you came to say, so I can get back to work.”

Chloe tilted her head. “You’re learning but don’t confuse direct with brave.”

“I’m not brave,” Emma said flatly. “I’m tired. You’ve been standing here for ten minutes when I have deadlines to meet.”

Chloe’s eyes narrowed, and for the first time her smile slipped into something sharper. “Deadlines, right. Do you know why Cole sets them?”

“Because it’s work,” Emma answered quickly.

Chloe shook her head. “No. It’s because he likes to test people. He likes to see who can handle pressure and who cracks and if you ever think of asking him for more time, he’ll see it as weakness.”

Emma didn’t respond.

Chloe leaned down one last time, her voice just above a whisper. “And when you finally crack, don’t expect him to save you. He doesn’t save people like you. He replaces them.”

Emma looked at her. “If you’re done, I’d like to get back to the reports now.”

For a long second, Chloe stared at her, eyes cold. Then she straightened with a smile. “You’ll learn. One way or another.
There was silence for a while. Finally, Chloe spoke, louder this time so others could hear.

“Wow,” Chloe said, walking back to Emma’s desk. “You really type slow, don’t you?”

Emma’s fingers froze. She glanced up, unsure if she should even respond.

Across the office, two junior staff glanced over. Chloe knew exactly what she was doing.

“I mean,” Chloe went on, her voice bright, “Cole keeps you around for this? No wonder he looks so tired lately.”

Emma swallowed hard. “I’m meeting the deadlines he set.”

Chloe laughed, tilting her head. “Deadlines? Sweetheart, a real secretary doesn’t wait until the deadline. She finishes early, she anticipates. She impresses.”

Emma forced her tone calm. “I’m working exactly the way Mr. Harrington asked me to.”

“Mr. Harrington,” Chloe repeated, smirking. “Cute that you still call him that. Everyone else knows he doesn’t like formality at work. But I guess you wouldn’t know. You’re… what, three weeks in?”

“Two,” Emma said quietly.

“Two,” Chloe echoed, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Well, enjoy it while it lasts. Secretaries here burn out fast. Right, Martin?”

Martin, one of the analysts, looked startled at being dragged in. He gave a tight smile. “Uh… I wouldn’t know.”

Chloe laughed again, turning back to Emma. “See? Even they won’t defend you.”

Emma clenched her jaw. “I don’t need defending.”

“Of course you don’t,” Chloe said, her tone sugary. “But maybe you need training. Tell you what, I can give you a few tips. Like… don’t shuffle papers so loudly. It distracts Cole when he’s working.”

Emma blinked. “I’m not..”

“And,” Chloe cut in, “don’t stand so close to his desk when you give him files. He doesn’t like people invading his space.”

Emma pressed her lips together. “He hasn’t said that to me.”

Chloe leaned in, lowering her voice just a touch, but still loud enough for the people nearby to catch. “Oh, he wouldn’t. He’s too polite to embarrass you. That’s why I’m helping.”

Emma’s cheeks burned, but she didn’t say anything.

Chloe stepped back, smiling like she’d won. “See, you’ll thank me later. That’s if you’re still here next week.”

Emma’s head jerked up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Chloe raised her brows innocently. “Nothing. Just that Cole doesn’t exactly… keep people long. You’ll see.”

The office was quiet. Everyone had gone back to pretending to work, but Emma knew they were listening.

“I’ll keep doing my job,” Emma said firmly. “That’s all that matters.”

Chloe tilted her head, pretending to think. “Oh, sweet. You really believe that. Okay then, do your job. But don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re more than that.”

Emma stared at her. “I never said I was.”

Chloe gave a small laugh and finally turned toward the exit. “Good girl. Remember that.”

She started walking, but halfway across the room she turned back again, voice pitched high and casual. “Oh, Emma? One more thing.”

Emma forced herself to look up. “Yes?”

“Your blouse is wrinkled. You might want to fix that before Cole sees you. He hates sloppy presentation.”

“Thanks for the tip,” Emma said flatly.

Chloe smiled, satisfied. “Anytime.”

Emma sank back into her chair, her hands still trembling.

Chloe had won today.

And the worst part was, everyone in the office knew it.