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Sabrina’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I haven’t seen her around here before. Who is she, an intern?”

“That’s not for you to worry about,” Lucien said flatly. “Why are you here?”

“Why is she crying?” Sabrina asked with a raised brow, a wry smile playing on her lips. “You’re back to being a tyrannical boss, Dad?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Lucien said. “I’m not the one who made her cry.”

“Really?” his daughter asked with a laugh, resting her chin on Kendall’s shoulder. “So, who did?”

Lucien didn’t answer.

Making a face, Sabrina glanced at the girl and immediately noted her hesitant glance at Kendall.

“Apparently, it’s me,” Kendall murmured with a sigh.

Lucien frowned. “I never said it was you.”

“You didn’t have to,” she countered, her voice strained even though she tried to remain respectful. “You believe every word that comes out of her mouth anyway!”

“Well, it’s a good thing she didn’t say anything about you making her cry, either,” Lucien told her, surprising Sabrina with his stern tone. “So, I’m not sure why you’re acting guilty.”

Judith’s soft voice interrupted. “Sir, please. Don’t scold Ms. McCarthy, she’s only doing what anyone in her position would do.”

“Excuse me?” Kendall demanded.

“Okay, okay, wait!” Sabrina raised a hand, looking around at them. “What is going on here?!”

“I’m quitting, that’s what,” Kendall said.

Lucien slowly stood. “Kendall.”

“Maybe this place is far too small for you to have two secretaries after all, Sir.”

“Two secretaries?!” Sabrina’s head snapped toward Judith, eyes narrowed. “When the fuck did they hire you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Kendall,” Lucien said. “You’re quitting over nothing?”

“It isn’t 'nothing' to me,” Kendall told him. “I don’t want to make a big deal out of it, but I also won’t let myself deal with this anymore.”

“She’s not here to compete with you,” said Lucien, his expression tight with annoyance. “What is it that you hate so much about her, anyway? Is it because she isn’t rich? Not polished and beautiful like you and your friend?”

The friend in question blinked at her father’s tone, clutching her expensive pearls.

Kendall looked gutted. “Sir, I would never discriminate based on such shallow standards.”

“What is it, then?” he continued, spurred on when Judith lowered her head to hide tears. “Is it because she’s been surviving on the food in our breakroom? Because I let her take it home for her family?”

Sabrina gasped, glaring at Judith. “What? Is she a secretary or a leech?”

“Sabrina!” Lucien roared.

The office exploded with tense silence, his anger nearly making the walls shake.

Sabrina’s eyes were wide. “What? I’m j-just calling it like I see it. She should be here to work, not feed off the office food. Fire her.”

“Be quiet!” Her father’s jaw clenched, a vein bulging more on his forehead the longer his daughter spoke. “The both of you need to learn to treat people like goddamn humans!”

Kendall sighed in exasperation. “But I never—”

“I will not tolerate any form of bullying in my office!” he continued. “This isn’t Hawthorne, where you treated your peers as less than human!”

“Sir!” Kendall’s eyes glimmered with tears.

“Now I understand why you wanted to quit,” Sabrina murmured, rolling her eyes. “But, too bad. Kendall’s going nowhere! You.” She glared down at the frumpy-looking girl. “Pack your shit.”

Lucien marched around the table, and, with a shriek, Sabrina fled, escaping to the other end of the office. “Dad!”

He stopped beside Judith, pointing a finger at his daughter. “I’m warning you. I will not tolerate that behaviour!”

Swallowing hard, Sabrina crossed her arms and pouted as she glared out of the windows.

With a huff, he turned back to Kendall, who was looking at him like he was a monster. “You’re not quitting,” he told her tightly. “I need you here. What you’re going to do is grow up and have an adult conversation with Judith. You two can sort out your differences and learn to work together.”

Silently, Kendall stared up at him. She scoffed, a watery smile curving her lips. “You don’t know me at all. I thought you knew me.”

“I thought so too,” he said. “Apparently not. I’ve always been fond of you, everyone knows that. But one thing I’ll always do is stand up for a kid who has nothing in front of kids who have everything.”

She scoffed again, her smile widening despite the tears of frustration in her eyes. He thought she, Kendall, had everything? She hadn’t heard anything funnier in all twenty-four years of her life.

“That girl is playing you!” Sabrina called from the other end of the room. “I can see it! Those fake tears are so obvious!”

Lucien glared at her. “Sabrina, leave my office.”

“I came to get Kendall,” she stubbornly answered.

“Kendall’s working! You’ll see her at home.”

“Let’s go, Brina,” Kendall calmly said, turning to walk out.

Lucien caught her elbow, tugging her back. “Where do you think you’re going?”

She pushed his hand away and looked up at him. “I’m sorry, Sir. I’ve just realized that I’m too spoilt and rich and vain to make you a good secretary.”

“Oh, come on!”

“Too much of a mean girl,” she continued with a shrug. “I just can’t work with the less fortunate, it appears. I’ll see myself out so you can help poor Judith recover from the horror of dealing with me.”

Before he could say another word, she marched away, stalking to the door.

Sabrina rushed after her. “Ken! You’re just gonna give up?! We can’t let this rat win!”

They left his office, and Lucien swore, running a hand through his hair, his temper still sizzling. He turned to Judith then and paused, frowning the moment he watched her school her features.

It had been a split second, but he could slightly suspect he’d seen her stifle a smile.

Sighing, he studied her, hoping she didn’t think he would always be on her side. She needed to learn to stand up for herself.

“Get back to work, Judith. Make sure you prep well for the meeting this afternoon.”

She timidly nodded, nearly curtseying in her excessive submission. “Yes, Sir.”

Head hanging low, she scurried out of his office, leaving him to sit exasperatedly in his chair. Lucien never thought he’d witness Kendall being so insensitive to someone else’s suffering.

Then again, it made sense. How else could she be such good friends with his daughter for all these years? Two people can't walk together unless they're in agreement.

His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. Seeing Justin’s name, Lucien answered. “Hello.”

“Tell me that I’m wrong,” Justin said exasperatedly on the call.

Lucien sighed. “You’re wrong.”

“You haven’t listened to me yet!”

“Talk, then, fucking hell.”

“You had an altercation with Eliott Cross in D.C.?”

“It was nothing. I didn’t let it go far.”

“I’d say it’s gone pretty fucking far, Sinclair.”

Lucien tensed, frowning. “Why? What did he do?”

Justin sighed. “That’s what I’m hoping I’m wrong about. Just tell me this. Did you or did you not recently hire a new secretary?”