Mere replacement

She stood there, staring at the door in disbelief after he left, struggling to understand what he meant.

She was supposed to obey a rule she couldn't know about? Did he even hear what he said to her? Jena was utterly in confusion.

The information he gave her was ridiculous and empty as well, leaving her confused. She couldn't wrap her head around it and it made her feel like she couldn't think straight anymore.

How on earth was she supposed to follow a rule or even rules she didn't even know?

This man.. Damn!

How could a sane person say such?

How dare she even refer to him as sane? That man was definitely not sane at all if you asked her. He was the complete opposite!

After dismissing all her thoughts by taking her time in convincing herself that this new boss of hers was simply unfathomable, insane and mercurial, she closed her eyes, sighed deeply and said a short prayer before she finally moved from the spot he left her. It was funny how easy it was for him to switch from nice and playful to extremely cold and intense and vice versa in just one second.

Her eyes quickly fell on the brown desk Lucien pointed out to be hers. She arranged it, along with the files and other supplies in a neat and systematic manner while glancing through the files Lucien gave her yesterday minute by minute. It contained an important tip on some certain guidelines for organizing files. She recited the tips over and over again in her head, making sure nothing was left behind. All she wanted was to create a professional and effective workspace for her, her boss and her colleagues too.

Suddenly, a loud scream echoed through the last floor of the building, catching the attention of passers by. People passing by immediately rushed over to the suspected room to investigate the source of the sound and what caused it.

Meeting the scene of Jena standing in a fixed, movement free position, like as if she was suddenly frozen or threatened not to move, the workers were left in shock. Their eyes trailed down to her hand which was stained with blood that she couldn't seem to get her eyes off. One of them let out a light gasp.

Not even for once did she bother to spare them a glance. Her gaze seemed to be trapped in something else, more important than them that made her completely unaware of their presence.

"What happened here?" A masculine voice echoed softly. The voice sounded a bit familiar to her but her current state of confusion didn't let her capture anything. But his voice was quickly interrupted by a stronger voice that spoke.

"What the hell's happening in this room!? I heard screaming" Lucien demanded to know what happened. His voice was so intense it was enough to snap Jena out of her daze.

"I.." She trailed off. She was about to speak when she heard Lucien curse loudly. Glancing at him, she noticed how pale his expression became on seeing the blood underneath her but it completely faded away after a second like it was never even there.

"Is that yours?" He asked and Jena slowly nodded her head in response.

She felt the air arround him suddenly changing, becoming more suffocating and intense. Her eyes widened as the thought that Lucien could actually care flashed across her mind.

'Oh don't be silly Jen. He is your boss!' A voice in her head reminded her, causing her to shake her head while stopping her wounded palm from flying to her face.

"I'm sorry I guess I might have dropped that there" A very unfamiliar voice echoed. Jena was sure she hadn't heard it before.

Slowly lifting her head to take a peek at the person, Jena's eyes quickly widened. Oh God! Wasn't that..

"You what? Just take a look at the hideous mess your carelessness just made Kayla"

'Oh so that's her name..'

Lucien roared, causing all of them to nearly fly out of the room out of fear of what he was gonna do next. Kayla looked at him with shivers running down her spine. He sounded like he was ready to swallow her right now if he were given the chance.

Why? Because of that girl??

With her lips trembling, she managed to utter the singular word "Sorry". She knew it wasn't enough but she felt like if she said anything more, he was definitely going to do something she wouldn't appreciate.

"You know what.. You're fired."

"What?"

Without any delay, Kayla immediately fell to her knees and started pleading with him. "Oh no boss please don't, give me another chance please. I promise i'll be more careful and i'll never make such stupid mistake next time. I'm truly sorry boss please and i'll do everything... anything in my power to make it right." Kayla begged like her life depended on it. Actually, her life did depend on it. Her job here was her only reliable source of income and her mother was currently getting prepared for a surgery. Kayla is her mother's only hope and she didn't want to crush it for her. She needed to keep this job if she wanted to keep her mother alive.

"Go pack your things Kayla" Lucien ordered, having a deadpan look on his face. "And leave. Now!" He emphasized on the last command.

"Please... Please don't fire her" Jena butted in. Her voice was a bit low and shaky, not from fear but from the pain she was feeling.

Gasps echoed in the air. Did she just?...

No one ever dared tell the boss what to do and here she was telling him not to fire someone. The nerve!

Kayla was the most shocked out of everyone else. She wondered where such guts could be coming from. It was pretty overwhelming to her how it had to come from someone who was just nothing but a mere replacement.

Yep! Mere replacement..

Jena could undoubtedly sense the shock registered on each of their faces. It was all over the air. She couldn't blame them, not like she was feeling any how different.. but she didn't mind any of it and still went ahead.

"Please don't sir." She added, keeping her voice as calm as she could. "I think.. I should be the one to blame instead for not looking properly before putting my hand in there."

Jena looked so apologetic while Kayla just stared at her with wide eyes, not knowing what to even say to her. She was playing the role of a saint right now and it was really getting on her nerves. Her looks alone could testify.

If someone walked in at the moment, they would think Jena committed a crime and Kayla was the victim, judging from their expressions. When it was the other way around.

"Don't fire her sir" Jena added again when she got no response from Lucien.

Exasperation was written all over Kayla's face as she took a sharp glance at Jena. Their gazes met and Jena's brows creased at the way Kayla was looking at her.