Bryce remained silent, although deep down he already knew there was only one answer.
"As you think about the job," Leah said calmly, "let’s deal with the bond first, since it’s ready to go. It’s actually very simple. What’s your full name?"
Bryce didn’t answer.
Instead, his gaze shifted toward Vincent.
"To save time, why doesn’t Vincent do it? He already knows how."
The last word had barely left his mouth when Leah crossed the distance between them with astonishing speed. Her fingers closed around his throat, forcing him back a step.
"If you insist on being this disrespectful, and rude," she said, her voice dropping into something dangerously quiet, "and continue speaking to me as though you have no idea who you’re talking to, I might start taking away the few privileges I’ve been generous enough to leave you with."
Her grip tightened slightly.
"When I ask you a question, you answer it directly..."
"Let him go." Vincent’s voice cut through hers, low but firm. "How many times do I have to tell you not to lay your hands on him?"
Leah’s eyes shifted toward him but her fingers remained around Bryce’s throat for another moment before she finally released him.
Bryce immediately stepped back, rubbing his neck as he drew a deep breath.
"Why does it only matter when she hurts me physically?" he demanded before he could restrain himself. "You stand there and watch while she insults me, threatens me, and forces me into a job I already said I don’t want. Doesn’t any of that count as abuse to you?"
His words echoed through the room.
Before Vincent could say anything, Leah spoke, "Vincent..." she said, disbelief creeping into her voice. "What exactly is the meaning of this?"
She walked closer until she stood directly before him.
Vincent met her eyes calmly.
"I know exactly what’s bothering you, Leah."
His voice remained low.
"But you’re trying far too hard. It’s not as though I’m suddenly going to abandon you and choose him."
He briefly glanced toward Bryce.
"What exists between him and me is just a bond."
His gaze returned to Leah.
"What exists between us is something entirely different. We love each other."
The distinction couldn’t have been clearer.
"That said..." he continued, "...I’m not ending the bond right now."
Leah’s brows knitted together.
"And why not?"
"I have my reasons."
He offered nothing more.
Silence settled over the room before Vincent finally looked toward Bryce.
"As for you..."
Bryce lifted his eyes.
"You can work here. Having you around will make things considerably easier for me anyway."
Bryce stared at him in disbelief. Only moments earlier Vincent had refused to hire him. Now he was giving him permission to work there.
And what exactly did he mean by making things easier?
More importantly...
Who gave him the right to decide on his own that the bond would remain? It belonged to both of them. Bryce should have had a say, and he didn’t want it anymore.
’Forget it.’
The thought surfaced wearily.
He was exhausted.
It was becoming painfully obvious that what he wanted carried no weight inside this room anyway.
"If I work here," he said as Vincent turned toward the door, "it won’t be as a janitor. That’s not what I came here for."
Vincent didn’t stop walking. "I don’t care which department you work in," he replied without looking back. "I’ve already given you permission to work here."
The corner of Leah’s mouth lifted into a faint, knowing smirk. The expression instantly unsettled Bryce.
"Vincent."
The name left his lips almost instinctively, a trace of panic creeping into his voice.
This time Vincent stopped, slowly, he turned back.
"This should be the last time you address me that way." His deep voice remained perfectly controlled. "What is it? I thought this meeting was over."
"It isn’t." Bryce swallowed. "You need to make it clear that I’m here for the design position."
The desperation in his voice was impossible to conceal. He couldn’t allow Leah to twist Vincent’s words into something else after he left.
For several long seconds, Vincent did nothing but look at him, his expression giving away absolutely nothing. Without a single word in response, he turned away once again and headed for the door.
Only after taking several steps did he realize Leah hadn’t followed him.
He glanced over his shoulder.
"Let’s go."
Leah cast Bryce one final look before leaving alongside Vincent.
A moment later, the door closed behind them, leaving Bryce standing alone in the suffocating silence.
He barely had a moment to breathe, let alone gather the countless thoughts colliding inside his head, when the door opened once again.
The three men who had interviewed him earlier walked back into the room.
"Good news," one of them announced with an unmistakable smile. "Mr. Walker has approved your employment in the company."
His smile widened.
"I told you your talent was exceptional."
Bryce couldn’t bring himself to share the excitement, if anything, the weight pressing on his chest only grew heavier.
He had a feeling Leah wasn’t going to leave him alone for as long as he remained in this company. More importantly, Vincent had deliberately refused to clarify which position Bryce had been hired for.
That silence alone was enough to leave the decision entirely in Leah’s hands.
What if she really forced him into janitorial work?
The possibility unsettled him.
Before the thought could fully settle, the door opened again.
A middle-aged man dressed in a janitor’s uniform stepped inside.
"Sir," he addressed the men, "Mrs. Walker asked me to show our new employee around."
The room fell silent.
Mrs. Walker.
The title alone ignited something inside Bryce, burning through him so fiercely.
She doesn’t even deserve that name, it didn’t belong to her.
The thought flashed through his mind.
"I think you’ve come to the wrong room," one of the interviewers said.
The janitor shook his head.
"No, sir. Mrs. Walker specifically said his name is Bryce Jones, in this room. She said he’s joining the janitorial department."
The three interviewers exchanged bewildered glances before all of them slowly turned toward Bryce.
"Is that what you agreed on with Mr. Walker?" one of them asked.
Bryce didn’t answer the question, instead, he looked directly at the janitor.
"Was Mr. Walker there when Mrs. Walker gave you those instructions?"
"He was."
The answer landed like a heavy blow. Bryce’s fingers curled tightly into fists before he even noticed.
"So..." another interviewer said carefully, "...that’s what the two of you agreed on?"
Bryce lowered his eyes briefly before looking back at them.
"Could you please talk to him?" he asked quietly. "Just tell him to look at my designs again. Tell him I’m good enough for the design department."
"When Mr. Walker makes a decision, he doesn’t tolerate being questioned, much less persuaded to change it." One of them let out a deep sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Oh God... you’ve got to be kidding me. If he personally saw what you’re capable of and still decided against it..." He shook his head in disbelief. "Then what exactly is he looking for?"
Another man crossed his arms with visible frustration.
"This project is never going to succeed if he keeps making decisions like this."
He exhaled heavily.
"Gemshine might actually outshine us this time."
Bryce’s brows drew together.
Gemshine?
The name immediately caught his attention. It was one of LuminousLoom’s biggest international competitors.
Were they competing over a particular project or what?