Page 3 of The Puppetmaster

I stand up so abruptly that Mr. Hammond jerks in surprise, nearly toppling his chair when he flings himself back into it. His startled gaze follows me as baffled gasps fill the air around us.

I want to scream. I want to reach for the pile of papers and throw it in his face.I want to burn this entire building to the fucking ground.

But I don’t and I won’t.

I can do better.

I inhale a sharp breath, straightening my posture and jutting my chin up before my lips part to speak in the most collected and sovereign manner I’ve ever managed in my entire life. Two words, that’s all it takes.

Two words that will change my life forever.

“I quit.”

Chapter 2

Alena

Three days have passed, and my heart is still pumping with anxiety each time my mind wanders back to that moment when I forced a free fall upon myself.

I caused this. Iwantedthis.

Istillwant this.

I don’t regret my decision. The way I gave voice to it feels like a spur-of-the-moment thing, a spontaneous detonation that no one saw coming. But it wasn’t like that at all, at least not for me.

My closest office buddy Jill chased after me when I stomped out of the meeting room right after my announcement, effectively trying to calm me down.

“It’ll be okay,” she said sympathetically, her hand resting on my shoulder in a sign of solidarity as we hurried down the corridor. “Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll know you didn’t mean it like that.”

But Ididmean it like that. The frustration that poured out from that one poignant statement has been building up over months, years even.

Hard work is all I’ve known since I can remember—but I’m not simply working hard for the sake of it. I want my reward, recognition. I want my goddamn promotion. I don’t want to feel like I’m making sacrifices for nothing.

And God knows I’m done with being the little goody-two-shoes who constantly gets overlooked.

I want more. Or at least… something else.

I quickly left the office that day and haven’t been back since. I know I’ll have to return eventually if I don’t want to completely ruin my chances of getting a reference from Mr. Hammond, but that’s Future Alena’s problem.

I called in sick for the rest of the week. Today is Friday and I refuse to face the reality of my decision before Monday, not before I absolutely have to.

That’s the plan, at least.

Of course, my overactive brain has other ideas. I can’t sit still because every time I do, the voices in my head start berating at me.

You fucking idiot, how could you? You let your rage get the better of you—again!

What are you going to do now?

What will you live off of? How long do you think you’ll be able to survive on your meager savings?

A month? Two?

What if you haven’t found a new job by then?

What if...

I grimace as if in physical pain, jumping up from the bed and stumble toward the door. It’s almost noon. I stayed up until the early morning hours, unable to sleep. I’m a night owl by nature, but this is bad, even for me.

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