Into the Light // Duskwood

7. A man's, man's world

A/N: Hello! I'm not sure if anybody's still there, but if you are, I'm sorry for this unplanned break :) As usual, life got in the way. It's still in the way, to be honest, but at least I was able to get back to writing a tiny bit.

Anyway, without further ado...

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As the office door slowly swung open with a soft swish, the young man stepped inside with a light spring in his step, emanating an air of confidence and poise. His expensive suit, tailored to perfection by the most skilled of craftsmen, reflected the cold light of the LED lamps hanging from the suspended ceiling. As he walked with undeniable confidence, the sound of his polished shoes echoed throughout the room, filling the space with a sense of purpose and authority that commanded attention and respect from him.

Then he smiled.

Oh, that smile! Practiced down to the smallest detail. It always lit up his face and sent a wave of warmth throughout any room he was in. His perfect white teeth gleamed in that artificial light, and for a moment, it seemed as if the world stopped turning just to admire him.

Lucy flinched at that thought.

The man in front of Lucy was not worth stopping the world for. He definitely thought otherwise, though. It was this very mindset that propelled him to the top of his professional career, after all! But at what cost? How many times had he sold his soul for it? No one knew his secret. To be honest, Lucy didn't care. She just wanted to be done with him and move on with her life.

Samuel sat behind his shiny, overpriced desk and greeted Lucy with one of his signature grins. "Lucienne Gale! One of my favorite employees. What brings you to me today?"

What a bullshit.

He barely knew what she was doing there.

Lucy, trying to put on a brave face, forced a smile and tried to get straight to the point. "Samuel, it's good to see you," she began slowly, "I was wondering if you've had a chance to think about my request. I'm in a bit of a hurry and–" But before she could finish her sentence, Samuel interrupted her with a gesture, his smartwatch buzzing loudly. Lucy wrinkled her nose in annoyance as her boss focused on the small screen on his wrist, seemingly oblivious to her presence.

Lucy felt a twinge of annoyance at the sight of the device.

A twinge was an understatement.

She couldn't help but imagine what she would do if she had the chance to rip it from his wrist and slam it against the wall.

After a few moments, Samuel finally looked up at her again. "Sorry about that. I'm needed elsewhere. But what were you saying?"

She bit her tongue to keep from calling him a jerk. Well, he could be a jerk only at times. He was mostly a self-important, harmless, naive egomaniac."My leave. My unpaid leave that I plan on going next week. You said you'd think about it, and it's been over two weeks now. I know you're busy but–"

"Yeah, well, you see..." he stretched out in his overpriced, leather chair, "The point is... why do you want to go on unpaid leave? Don't you have everything you need here, at this job? We have launched a lot of training on self-confidence and a sense of unity in the group... synergy! Maybe you should–"

"No," this time she interrupted him, "It's not about my self-esteem. And I get along with my team quite well. It's just something I have to do. Please, Samuel."