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Chapter_21
Sadie’s chest tightened, her anger flaring at Samuel’s insinuations. She was already cold, drenched, and exhausted from the ordeal with Micah, and now she had to deal with his judgmental, mocking tone. She crossed her arms, her jaw clenched in defiance as she met his eyes.
“Are you done?” she asked sharply, her voice steady despite the fury bubbling beneath the surface. “You don’t know a thing about what happened up there, so maybe you should keep your opinions to yourself.”
Samuel didn’t back down. Instead, his smirk grew wider, and he leaned against the restroom door. “Come on, Sadie, don’t play innocent with me. It’s obvious you’re after him. The bathrobe, the way you’re acting—it’s all too convenient. You think you’re fooling anyone?”
Sadie’s heart pounded in her chest, and she fought the urge to lash out at him. He had no idea what she’d been through, how much she was already struggling just to keep her job, let alone deal with whatever twisted game Micah had been playing. And now Samuel, of all people, was turning her every move into something sinister.
“I don’t have to explain myself to you, Samuel,” she replied coolly, turning her back to him and walking toward the counter to gather her things. “So, if you’re done with your accusations, I’ll be on my way.”
But Samuel wasn’t finished. He blocked her path, his eyes cold and calculating. “Not so fast,” he said. “I think you owe me an explanation. You’ve been acting strange ever since you got that promotion, and now you’re out here with Micah Clemens. What’s going on between you two? You think you can get ahead by… flirting with him?”
Sadie bristled at the accusation. “You don’t know anything about me, Samuel. If you think I’m some… some desperate woman who’ll sleep her way to the top, you’re gravely mistaken.” Her voice wavered with a mix of anger and hurt, but she refused to let him see any more weakness.
Samuel scoffed, obviously not convinced. “Then what’s with the bathrobe? You’re not fooling anyone. Just admit it.”
Sadie’s face flushed with frustration. She couldn’t stand this—couldn’t stand being belittled by someone who barely understood the situation. “I’m not ‘seducing’ anyone, Samuel,” she said, her voice firm. “I’m just trying to do my job. And you wouldn’t understand that, would you?”
Samuel’s expression faltered slightly, but he recovered quickly. “I’m just saying, be careful. Men like him… they don’t care about you. You’ll just be another notch on his belt.”
Sadie stared at him, realizing how little he actually knew about her or her life. She didn’t owe him an explanation, and she wasn’t about to defend herself any longer. She pushed past him, heading for the door.
“I don’t need your advice, Samuel,” she said, her tone icy. “Now, get out of my way.”
He stepped aside reluctantly, and Sadie didn’t look back as she walked out of the restroom. The encounter with Samuel left her feeling more unsettled than before. As if things weren’t complicated enough with Micah, now she had to contend with the judgment of a colleague who had no understanding of what she was actually facing.
Sadie hurried back to her desk, trying to push the entire incident out of her mind. She had more important things to focus on—like surviving whatever Micah threw at her next.
