“Undermine me if you’ve forgotten, kitten, I’m a decade older than you. So learn some manners”.
The sentence hit her again, like a dagger twisting in her chest. Her throat tightened, and she bit her lip hard enough to taste blood, desperate to keep the sobs at bay.
She didn’t want anyone to see her like this. Not here. Not in the place where she was supposed to be professional, poised, and in control. But the harder she tried to hold it in, the more her emotions surged, breaking through her defenses like a tidal wave.
It wasn’t just what he’d said—it was the way he’d said it. Cold. Condescending. As if she were some petulant child who needed scolding.
How could he speak to her like that? How could he weaponize their connection, their shared history, and make her feel so small?
Her ste
