The Billionaire's Mistake

MISTAKE 250

Chapter 250: Issues at work

Back home, Hazel slept till morning. When she woke up she prepared for work.

She donned one of her favorite crisp red pant suits and ran a brush through her glossy chestnut tresses. By the time she appraised herself in the steamy mirror, Hazel saw only a shadow of the pale, drawn woman from the previous night. Today she looked every inch the consummate professional she used to be; sharp, confident, commanding.

This was her armor, her personal suit of psychological mail that she would don to shield herself from the callous blows of this new, hazardous world.

After locking up her fortress apartment, Hazel strode toward the lobby's exit with her head held high. Only to come up short at the sight of two conspicuously large men loitering by the front stoop.

Her sense of triumphant poise wavered as their eyes tracked her emergence from the building, burnt umber irises devoid of expression. Marcus's sentinels were already in place, grim-faced and inescapable. "Ms. Gra

Greyson," one rumbled by way of greeting, the seemingly filled with respect.

Hazel swallowed hard, feeling the need to curse.

She had thought they were long gone.

Hazel could not believe they had been hear this long But they returned by morning. She held her tongue, acutely aware that what ever she said would mostly likely make its way back into Marcus Green's ears. She silently followed them down stairs and they opened the car door for her and she got in.

Hazel sat in the back of the slick black car, staring blankly out the window as Marcus's men drove her to the office. Her body was still slightly sore from last night's events, but her mind raced with how she would face her colleagues after brutally taking down her superior Mr. Reeds and those despicable Hug Tech investors.

She had defended herself, that much was certain. But would everyone else see it that way? Or would they view her as some sort of unhinged maniac, capable of inexplicable violence?

the car pulled up to the office building, Hazel straightened her spine and set her jaw. No matter what sort of rumors or gossip was swirling, she would not cower or shrink away. If anything, her actions last night proved her strength in the face of horrible mistreatment. Hazel strode through the lobby towards the elevator bank, her heels clicking defiantly against the marble floors. She could already feel the weight of wary glances and quickly averted eyes from employees milling about. Word had clearly spread about an

with hushed "good mornings"

trepidation. Hazel simply gave the briefest of nods in return, standing ramrod straight

she finally reached her department, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Hazel's colleagues not-so-surreptitiously stopped their conversations and activities as she strode. towards her desk. Even Lucy,

Hazel passed by.

Hazel's eyes scanned the wary faces all around her.

problem?" she asked, her tone laced with mild impatience. "If

stretched further in the wake of her words. A few people opened their mouths as if to respond before seeming

Hazel pulled up the company forum on her computer. She figured if there was some wild rumor circulating about her exploits last

There, in bold digital ink, was a news article breathlessly recounting how a "mystery woman" had taken down Mr. Reeds and. several wealthy investors in what appeared to be a brutal beating. The report claimed the victims were all hospitalized in intensive care after being attacked by this unnamed

the room before a horrific fight erupted, only for her to later emerge completely unscathed

read the vivid, overblown account. While the broad strokes were factual, the article

that the company forum was already ablaze with comments and speculation on the article. At first, many simply

Reeds probably tried soliciting some poor girl to his investor buddies. I'm almost jealous I wasn't there to watch him get his ass kicked!" one

teach

with the chorus of people cheering her actions towards the abusive Reeds. But she

aggressor.

she saw that the men were barely conscious. She had not fought in a while and the

the same time, The sheer

a mercenary or secre assassin as people were joking about, just a woman who wanted to fight for

out of the forum, Hazel couldn't shake the feeling that her previously under-the-radar life at the office was now permanently shattered. No longer could she simply blend in, head down, crunching numbers and data without any hoopla or fanfare. For better or worse, Hazel had stepped into a brilliant new spotlight, the formerly mousy and forgettable data analyst reborn as a fierce, fearsome woman who refused to be subjugated or disrespected. As she eyed her colleagues still stealing nervous glances her way,

again. And she was right. It did not take long for Hazel to be called