Layla had been watching.
The coffee deliveries.
The rooftop moments.
The way Mr. Stone looked at Mara like she hung the moon and laced his morning sunlight into spreadsheets.
And it burned her.
Because if there was one thing Layla couldn't stand...
it was being irrelevant.
Team Meeting- Conference Room B
The whole department was seated. Laptops out.
Malik stood at the front; crisp, calm, dangerously handsome.
Mara sat two rows behind.
Silent. Composed. Unbothered.
Until..
"Can we please discuss the favoritism in this office?" Layla's voice snapped through the room like a whip.
Everyone looked up.
"Excuse me?" Malik blinked, taken off guard.
"Oh come on." Layla rolled her eyes dramatically. "We all see it. The promotions. The coffee runs. The little strolls to the rooftop like it's some romcom."
The room went dead silent.
Mara didn't move. Not even a breath.
"Layla..."
"No. I'm done pretending. I've worked here longer. I've done more. But suddenly, Miss Untouchable Assistant gets all the perks?"
She stood.
Hands on hips.
Flushed with rage.
And a wild glint of desperation in her eyes.
"Maybe if I wore tighter skirts, I'd get oat milk too."
That's when it happened.
Malik stepped forward.
Voice low. Deadly calm.
"Sit. Down."
"You think you can talk to me like that just because..."
"I said, sit. down."
Layla froze.
"You don't know what Mara has done. What she's sacrificed. What she's saved this company from more times than you'll ever bother to count."
He turned slightly.
"Unlike you, she doesn't need to beg for attention. She earns respect."
Layla looked around.
Eyes on her.
Judging.
Some amused. Some disgusted.
"Pack your desk, Layla," he said coldly.
"You're done here."
Mara didn't smirk.
Didn't flinch.
She just sat there; still, graceful, victorious.
Because queens don't gloat. They rise.