Briony tossed the card straight into the trash.
"If anyone sends flowers again, just have them returned on the spot."
"But if the order's already accepted, the delivery guy can't just take them back, can he?"
"Then tell them if they try again, I'll file a complaint. Make it clear."
Hannah nodded briskly. "Got it!"
Briony turned and headed toward her office.
She hadn't even reached the door when a woman's furious voice erupted outside—
"Briony, get out here right now!"
Briony froze mid-step and turned back.
Fiona, ignoring Hannah's attempts to hold her back, stormed in, shouting and shoving Hannah aside as she made a beeline for Briony.
"Ma'am, please, calm down…" Hannah tried to catch up and restrain Fiona.
Briony didn't want to engage. She pivoted toward her office again.
But before she could get away, Fiona shoved past Hannah and grabbed Briony's arm in a vice-like grip.
Jerked around, Briony barely had time to react before Fiona's palm struck her hard across the face.
The slap echoed through the hall, sharp and humiliating.
Hannah stood rooted to the spot, stunned.
"Briony!"
Briony snapped out of it, yanking her arm free with a fierce motion.
Fiona stumbled backward, barely catching her balance.
A wave of ringing filled Briony's ears, and her cheek burned with a fiery sting.
She stared down Fiona, her expression dark and foreboding. "Fiona, you'd better have a good explanation for this."
Fiona eyed Briony up and down.
Four years had passed, and if anything, Briony looked even more striking than before. Clearly, time hadn't worn her down.
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