Tangled in Power

Sabrina walked into the office the next morning, the events of the previous day weighing heavily on her mind. Nathaniel's words echoed in her head, his cryptic warning still lingering. She had tried to push it to the back of her thoughts, to focus on the work at hand, but the tension between them had been undeniable.

She sat at her desk, trying to organize the mountain of paperwork on her desk, but nothing seemed to make sense. Her mind kept drifting back to the way Nathaniel had looked at her when he had warned her about the consequences of failure. It had been cold, calculating, and more than a little intimidating. She knew this world, this company, was nothing like the places she had worked before. But she had made it this far, hadn't she?

Her phone buzzed, snapping her back to reality. It was an email from Nathaniel himself:

"The contract needs revision. I expect the updated document by the end of the day. If you fail, there will be consequences."

Her breath caught in her throat. The last part of his message made her heart race. "Consequences." The word alone was enough to send a chill down her spine. Was he serious? She had barely made it through one day without making a mistake, and now she was being asked to correct something she didn't even know was wrong. Sabrina quickly scanned through the document on her computer, looking for anything that might have triggered Nathaniel's demand. She couldn't find anything obvious, but she knew better than to take any chances.

With a sigh, she gathered her things and made her way to his office. She had no choice but to face him and hope she could explain whatever mistake had been made.

When she knocked on Nathaniel's door, the quiet felt stifling. She knew he was behind that door, but there was no answer. She hesitated before opening it, and the tension was evident as she stepped inside.

Nathaniel stood by the wide window, gazing out at the city. His back was to her, and he did not acknowledge her presence. Sabrina debated turning around and leaving. But she couldn't. She had to face this and do it now.

"Mr. Knight," she said, her voice steady despite the nervous energy coursing through her.

Nathaniel turned slowly, his piercing gaze locking with hers. His eyes were dark, unreadable, and she felt her pulse quicken under the weight of his stare.

"You asked for the contract revisions," she continued, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "I'm working on them, but I need to understand what you're looking for. What went wrong?"

A slight smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, but it wasn't the smile of a man who was pleased. It was almost mocking, as though he knew something she didn't. He took a few steps closer to her, the space between them narrowing. Sabrina's breath caught in her throat, and she instinctively stepped back, but she couldn't escape the intensity of his presence.

"You're overthinking this, Sabrina," he said, his voice low and smooth. "It's not the contract that's the issue. It's you."

Sabrina's brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Nathaniel's gaze softened, just for a moment, before the coldness returned. "You've already made a mistake. You didn't do your homework before coming here. You didn't understand the gravity of the situation you're stepping into. And now, you're too focused on fixing the wrong things."

She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off.

"You've been trying too hard to please me," he continued, his tone now hardening. "And that's your biggest mistake. You're thinking like everyone else—like you need my approval to survive here. But that's not how this world works. I'm not here to hold your hand. If you want to succeed, you need to stop trying to fit into my world and start making it fit you."

Sabrina stood there, frozen, his words hitting harder than she had expected. "I didn't mean to…" she started, but Nathaniel raised his hand, silencing her.

"I know what you meant," he said sharply. "But intention doesn't matter here. Results do. And if you don't start showing me that you can keep up, I'll have no choice but to cut ties."

The finality in his words sent a jolt through her chest. She was walking a fine line, and one more mistake could cost her everything.

"Is that a threat?" she asked, her voice small, but the defiance in it was undeniable.

Nathaniel took another step closer, towering over her. His proximity was both overwhelming and unnerving, but there was something else in his eyes—a flicker of something deeper, something almost human.

"No," he said, his voice softer now. "It's a warning."

Sabrina stood silently, her mind racing as she tried to grasp what he had spoken. She hadn't expected to be treated as a pawn in his universe, with her function limited to proving her worth. And yet, here she was, entangled in his web and unable to find a way out.

"Do you understand?" Nathaniel asked, his eyes locked onto hers.

She nodded slowly, even though part of her still didn't understand at all. But she knew one thing for sure: she couldn't afford to fail him again. The stakes were higher than she had imagined.

As Sabrina left Nathaniel's office, she couldn't shake the feeling of being both shattered and empowered at the same time. Nathaniel's words had cut deep, but they had also ignited something within her. She couldn't let him break her—she wouldn't. Not when she was so close to the life she had always dreamed of.

But she was also painfully aware that in this world, trust was a fragile thing, and betrayal was always just around the corner.

Her mind raced as she walked back to her desk, trying to formulate a plan. The fear of losing everything, of making another mistake, gnawed at her. But in the pit of her stomach, she felt something else—a determination to prove herself, not just to Nathaniel, but to herself.

Sabrina wasn't going to let him win. She would find a way to play his game—and she would make it her own.