The next morning, Nick almost handed in his resignation when he saw his boss arrive, looking like a walking disaster. Dark circles rimd his eyes, and his usual arctic deanor had sohow dipped to sub-zero. It was as if the man had morphed into Pluto itself.
Nick swallowed, patting his chest for moral support as he ntally braced himself for the frosty wrath that was sure to co.
But what really set alarm bells ringing was the sight of his boss sneaking around the office like a cat on the prowl. It wasn't his usual cool, controlled stride. Instead, Jared Petrovski moved with an almost comical, nervous precision as he hovered near the Clerk's office door, peeking in with the kind of intensity one might use when trying to steal food without getting caught.
It was... odd.
Nick watched from a safe distance, wide-eyed. Jared didn't stay long. He took one glance and exited the room, colder than when he had entered. Nick craned his neck to see what had put that extra layer of ice on his boss's already glacial mood.
Ah, there it was—the sa scene that had beco far too familiar recently.
Jerica, the boss-lady, sat sipping her coffee, and who else but Harold Braddock was leaning on her desk, looking all too comfortable in her space.
Nick winced. He had seen them together before, but today sothing was different. Yesterday, Jared had barely flinched. But today? Today, the frost in the air felt lethal.
Did sothing happen last night? Nick thought, eyes darting toward the man as he stord off. Maybe she didn't co ho after leaving with Harold last night? That would explain the frosty air of doom looming over the office.
And that frost wasn't just for show. The Siberian Beast was in full force that day. Jared's opponents in court never stood a chance. Each one was obliterated, crushed beneath the sheer, unrelenting force of his cold fury. Even the judge, who had presided over hundreds of cases, seed rattled. At one point, the judge actually postponed an embezzlent case, likely fearing the Beast would take soone's head if they let the trial go on any longer.
Nick shook his head in disbelief. It wasn't just a bad day—it was a storm brewing. The whole office felt it, from the junior staff to the paralegals. And Nick? He ntally prepared himself for more frostbite.
Little did he know that he was left shivering for the rest of the week.
-----
Jerica carefully placed her glasses in their case and let her head fall onto the desk. She was done—ntally, physically, and emotionally. It was four in the afternoon, and the re thought of surviving another hour at work made her groan internally. All she wanted was to hear the sweet sound of the clock striking five so she could escape.
For days, she'd been silently protesting at ho. Refusing to eat anything Jared cooked, avoiding the laundry, and, oddly enough, obsessively cleaning the house. She hated feeling dust beneath her feet, but at the sa ti, vacuuming had beco her form of therapy. The hum of the vacuum drowned out everything else—the nagging voice of her husband, her own spiraling thoughts.
It was petty, maybe even childish, but she had her pride.
She missed eating properly, though. Pizza wasn't dinner, coffee wasn't breakfast, and store-bought sandwiches? Ugh. Even the famous sandwich from that popular chain couldn't compare to the ones Jared used to make.
Four years of his pampering had ruined her taste buds, and deep down, she wanted to give in, to let him cook her one of those warm, hearty als again.
But no. She couldn't cave. She couldn't let him see her as weak. She was determined to show him she could survive on her own, that she wasn't so pitiful kitten caught in a downpour. She could hold out, even if her stomach growled in betrayal.
"It's Friday..." ca a dramatic sigh from beside her.
Jerica opened one eye, glancing over to see Lila rolling her chair closer, her expression dripping with anticipation.
"So?" Jerica mumbled, even though she already knew what Lila was about to suggest. She could almost hear the gushing that was about to follow. The other night at the club, Lila had been all over Harold Braddock, and now, after he'd gallantly dropped her ho when she got too drunk, Lila was convinced he was smitten with her.
"You know you had fun the other night," Lila grinned, leaning in like she was about to share a juicy secret. "Why not co with us again tonight? Sa club, sa vibe. What do you say?"
Jerica's head throbbed at the mory of that night, and she could feel a headache coming on. She wasn't the type to snap, but lately, she'd been wound up so tight that even the smallest things set her off. She hated how she was changing, and she hated it even more and she couldn't seem to stop it.
"No," she said, keeping her voice asured, trying to hold back the growing irritation. Lila was single, and looking for love, and Jerica wanted to be supportive. But it was hard to muster any enthusiasm for romance when her own marriage felt like it was sinking into quicksand.
"Please, Jerica..." Lila whined, rolling closer and grabbing onto Jerica's arm, invading her personal space. "Just for a little while! Co out with us, then you can sneak off like last ti. I need to get Harold back to my place tonight..."
Jerica's patience was running on fus. Lila's clinginess and whining were only making her want to scream. She could feel her frustration boiling beneath the surface.
"Jerica, co on. Let have a hot, steamy night with a handso man! I want to have mind-blowing sex tonight. Unlike you, I don't have a husband who f*cks senseless every night..."
Snap.
That was it. The last thread holding Jerica's patience together snapped.
"Harold's not going to sleep with you, Lila!" Jerica blurted out, her voice sharp with frustration. "If he was interested, he would've already taken you to bed!"
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