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? 

As 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 incident involving her. 

In the elevator, she was greeted with hushed “good mornings” from other riders, their tones 

a mixture of politeness and trepidation. Hazel simply gave the briefest of nods in return, standing ramrod straight as she focused on the ascending floor numbers. 

When 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, her usual snarky professional rival, remained silent and still as 

Hazel passed by. 

Settling in at her workstation, Hazel’s eyes scanned the wary faces all around her. She couldn’t stop the annoyed huff that escaped her lips. 

“Is there a problem?” she asked, her tone laced with mild impatience. “If you all have something to say, I’d prefer you just say it.” 

The uncomfortable silence only stretched further in the wake of her words. A few people opened their mouths as if to respond before seeming to think better of it. Eventually, everyone just awkwardly returned to their work, stealing furtive glances at Hazel every few 

seconds. 

Irritated by the strange dynamic, Hazel pulled up the company forum on her computer. She figured if there was some wild rumor circulating about her exploits last night, that’s where it would take root. 

As soon as the first thread loaded, Hazel’s jaw dropped in shock. 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 female assailant. Quotes from witnesses at the scene described a woman calmly 

entering the room before a horrific fight erupted, only for her to later emerge completely unscathed while the men were left battered and unconscious. 

Hazel felt her face flush crimson as she read the vivid, overblown account. While the broad strokes were factual, the article made her sound like some unhinged supervillain capable of unprovoked violence. 

As she kept scrolling, she saw that the company forum was already ablaze with comments and speculation on the article. At first, many simply mocked Reeds‘ misfortune. 

“That sleaze ball 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 person gleefully wrote. 

Forget customer service training, we need to hire this mystery woman to teach self–defense classes to all the ladies in the office!” another chimed in. 

Hazel couldn’t completely disagree with the chorus of people cheering her actions towards the abusive Reeds. But she was still uneasy with being characterized as some sort of crazed 

aggressor. 

Part of her felt a rush of pride when she saw that the men were barely conscious. She had not fought in a while and the fight last night was much needed. 

Sapter 260 Issues 

At the same time, The sheer sensationalism surrounding her made Hazel deeply 

uncomfortable. She wasn’t a mercenary or secre assassin as people were joking about, just a woman who wanted to fight for a bit. 

As she closed 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, Hazel fought the urge to both smile and frown at her dramatically upended circumstances. 

One thing was for certain her life would never be the same again. And she was right. It did not take long for Hazel to be called into HR for a meeting. 

Hazel strode down the hall towards the HR department, her heels clicking defiantly against the linoleum floors. She had received an abrupt summons from leadership demanding her presence, and she had a sinking suspicion about the reason. 

As she entered the dingy office space, Hazel was met by Ted, the beleaguered HR manager, and Sarah, one of the senior vice presidents. Their expressions were a mixture of sternness and trepidation. 

“Have a seat, Hazel,” Ted said, gesturing stiffly to the chair across from his desk. “We need to discuss a…rather serious matter.” 

Hazel complied silently, keeping her spine straight and her hands folded in her lap. She knew the line of questioning was incoming. 

“I’ll cut right to the chase,” Sarah interjected, her tone clipped and accusatory. “Were you the one responsible for the incident with Mr. Reeds and those investors? Did you assault them at that club the other night?” 

Hazel simply met Sarah’s gaze, her expression reso “And what evidence do you have that I 

was involved?” 

The two HR reps shared a tense look before Ted spoke up again. “The…comments and speculation circulating have been difficult to ignore. Not to mention that picture from outside the club depicting you at the scene.” 

“I see,” Hazel replied evenly. “So that’s enough to declare me guilty then? Comments?” 

Sarah’s eyes narrowed. “We have an responsibility to take these accusations seriously, Hazel. Especially given the severity of the alleged actions. If you were indeed responsible for that… that vicious assault, we would have no choice but to terminate your employment immediately.” 

A fleeting smirk played across Hazel’s lips as she reached into her purse and retrieved her 

phone. “Is that so? Well, let’s revisit those ‘alleged actions‘ shall we?”