His Nanny Mate By Eve Above Story

Chapter 351 Olive Branches

Ella

The light filtered into the offices as I walked into the open floor plan, and I felt like I was walking into a den of

wolves. My coworkers had that shifty, guilty look on their faces that I had become all too familiar with recently. I

already knew why.

From the corners of my eyes, I noticed heads quickly swivel back to their desks, computer screens blinking to life as

if they had been hard at work all along. But the reality was all too clear: they had been watching. The entire office,

it seemed, had been huddled around the window, trying to catch a glimpse of my conversation with Logan.

A weight settled in my stomach. This had been precisely what I had hoped to avoid. It wasn’t just the topic of

whispers, I had become the spectacle of the morning. Hell, I had become the spectacle of the year. I had had

enough.

“Really?” I said, unable to keep the irritation out of my voice. I planted my hands on my hips, trying to convey both

authority and exasperation. “You all don’t have anything better to do?”

The room remained awkwardly silent. Their shared guilt was written all over their faces.

I exhaled, grounding myself, before deciding to tackle the elephant in the room head-on. “Yes,” I began, “I am

seeing Logan Barrett. And yes, he is… Well, he is who he is. But that doesn’t mean this place should turn into a

scene straight out of a Hollywood movie, with everyone peeking around corners and whispering behind hands.”

A few heads ducked, others averted their eyes, but I wasn’t finished. “It’s none of your business. And frankly, you all

should be ashamed of yourselves. Acting like a bunch of gossipy teenagers.”

By the end of my little speech, the atmosphere was thick with embarrassment. Pleased with the silence that

followed, I made my way to my office.

Every step felt like a victory, my head held high.

It wasn’t long into the morning before I was called into a meeting with Mr. Henderson and Bryan Fleming, one of

the firm’s experienced and rather condescending lawyers.

As soon as the meeting began, I could feel the tension in the room. Bryan, with his graying hair and pinstripe suits,

had made it abundantly clear since I started at the firm that he saw me as a green, inexperienced rookie who, in

his esteemed opinion, had yet to earn her stripes. His gaze was stern, scrutinizing every word I uttered, every point

I raised.

“Ella,” he scoffed, emphasizing my name as if it were synonymous with incompetence, “your lack of experience in

the field is painfully obvious. I wonder how you manage to keep up.”

I bristled at his condescending tone but maintained my composure. “I’ve successfully handled several high-profile

cases, including the ones with Logan Barrett, one of our most significant clients,” I reminded him firmly, defending

my capabilities. My voice was steady, but inside, I was a tempest of indignation and frustration.

“Oh, Logan,” Bryan sneered, an insinuating smirk playing on his lips. “Isn’t he your boyfriend? It seems like a pretty

convenient, and dare I say, conflicted arrangement, don’t you think?”

His implication was infuriatingly clear, undermining my professionalism and reducing my accomplishments to mere

favors from a ‘boyfriend’. My cheeks burned, and I was about to retort when Mr. Henderson stepped in, his voice

like a whip cutting through the tension.

“Ella has proven herself to be an asset to this firm,” he said sternly, fixing Bryan with a sharp look. “Her

accomplishments speak for themselves, and it is unbecoming to belittle our colleagues based on unfounded

assumptions and petty biases.”

Bryan shifted in his seat, his smugness replaced by discomfort under Mr. Henderson’s admonishing gaze.

“Ella is a promising lawyer,” Mr. Henderson continued, “and we expect everyone to treat her with the respect she

deserves.”

I could see Bryan swallowing his words, the subtle tightening of his jaw revealing his suppressed resentment. The

meeting continued, but the air remained charged, every exchanged glance a silent battle of wills.

Once the meeting ended and Bryan slinked away, I found myself alone with Mr. Henderson. My gratitude bubbled to

the surface, eclipsing my lingering annoyance. “Thank you, Mr. Henderson, for standing up for me.”

Mr. Henderson looked at me, his eyes softening ever so slightly. “I won’t always be there to stick up for you, Ella,”

he said, his tone matter-of-fact. “But out of respect for Logan, I’ll do it for now.”

His words were a mixed bag of reassurance and reminder. Logan’s presence was a protective shield, but it also

overshadowed my individual merits. It left a sour taste in my mouth, the realization that my ‘boyfriend’s’ reputation

might be the only thing warranting respect from some people.

“But what about my skills? My dedication?” I thought as I walked out of the conference room, the feeling of being

undervalued gnawing at my spirit. “Isn’t the fact that I’m a competent woman lawyer enough?”

“They’ll all learn soon enough,” Ema said, her voice tinged with annoyance. “I’ll be waiting for that day.”

I managed to hold in a scoff. “Yeah. If that day ever comes.”

A quick trip to my office had me realizing that I had forgotten to pack my lunch.

“Great,” I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Knew I was forgetting something this morning.”

My stomach was already growling from the eventful morning, and even Ema was getting antsy for something to

eat. With a sigh, I grabbed my wallet and headed to the vending machines.