Chapter 1 - The Shattered Crystal and the Ban
The sharp sound of breaking glass echoed through the high-ceilinged office like a gunshot.
Layla knelt instantly, her fingers scrambling across the expensive Italian marble tile to collect the jagged shards of crystal. The heavy tumbler—filled with Dominic’s afternoon whiskey—had slipped straight out of her numb fingers. Her palms were slick with cold sweat, her vision tunneling as the room tilted dangerously on its axis.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice barely louder than a breath. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Gallow. I’ll clean it up immediately.”
Dominic Gallow did not look up from the leather-bound document spread across his desk. The scratch of his fountain pen continued for several seconds, rhythmic and deliberate, before he finally capped the pen with a sharp click.
He stood up, towering over the mahogany desk, his dark eyes cold and devoid of any human warmth.
“Look at me, Layla,” he commanded.
She raised her head, forcing her eyes to meet his. Her face was stark white, her lips drained of color. One hand instinctively pressed against her abdomen, curling protectively over the small, hidden swell where his children were growing.
Dominic noticed the gesture, but his mind misinterpreted it completely. He saw weakness. He saw inefficiency. He saw an employee who was falling apart under the most basic physical demands of her job.
“You’ve been dropping things all week,” Dominic said, his deep voice slicing through the quiet room. “You look sickly, your work is slipping, and now you’re breaking imported crystal during a multi-million-dollar contract review.”
“Mr. Gallow, please,” Layla pleaded, her knees aching against the hard floor. “I haven’t been feeling well, but I can work harder. I need this job.”
“A Gallow Enterprise employee does not need to beg for basic competence,” he replied coldly. He reached into his tailored breast pocket, pulled out a thick wad of hundred-dollar bills, and dropped them carelessly onto the marble floor beside her knees. “There’s two weeks’ severance. Collect your things from the staff quarters before five o'clock. My security team will escort you out if you aren't gone.”
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Layla stared at the money scattered on the floor. The humiliation burned hotter than her nausea. She didn't pick up the bills. She simply stood up on shaking legs, turned away without a word, and walked out of his life.
She never imagined how fast the wheel of fortune would turn.
