"Normal?" She scoffed. "Dominic is the Deputy Director and the son of a board member. Do you think it's smart to talk back to him like that in front of everyone?"
Her voice sharpened. "Don't think that just because you're... with me, you can act arrogant and ignore the hierarchy. There are things in this company even I can't control."
She crossed her arms. "Tomorrow, you will go to his office and apologize."
It wasn't a request. It was an order. A scolding.
She thought I was using her status to throw my weight around.
She thought *I* was the problem.
"Natalie!"
The shout erupted from somewhere deep in my chest. My voice boomed in the confined space of the car.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Natalie stared at me, eyes wide. I had never raised my voice at her. Not once in five years.
I turned in my seat to face her directly.
"I'm resigning."
She blinked, as if she couldn't process the language I was speaking.
"What did you say?"
Before I could repeat it, a knock rapped sharply against the car window.
Natalie rolled down the window.
Dominic leaned against the frame, casual as ever, like he owned every inch of the air around him.