Melissa raised her head. "Are we leaving now?"

Her eyes still bore traces of tears, giving her the appearance of a forlorn rabbit.

Marcus chose to ignore her question, turning instead to address the three other secretaries. They promptly rose, acknowledging him with a respectful, "Mr. Fowler."

Marcus offered no acknowledgment in return.

Striding to Melissa's desk, he tapped it lightly, saying, “Yes, now."

In a seemingly afterthought gesture, he tossed his suit jacket towards Melissa, and then strode out ahead.

Melissa quickly gathered her belongings and hastened after him.

Inside the elevator, Marcus pressed the button for the 24th floor, and then turned to Melissa, her head bowed, and asked, “Do they often bully you? Why didn't you tell me?"

"No, it's not like that."

"Oh? So you just got something in your eyes?"

After a pause, Melissa looked up, her voice steadier. "Colleagues are merely that, nothing more."

Marcus adjusted his shirt collar nonchalantly, his tone casual. “And what about me? Am I just your supervisor?"

"No. You're my patron."

Her response seemed to please Marcus, who smiled softly.

When the elevator reached the 24th floor, Melissa's surprise was evident, but Marcus was already stepping into the HR department. His rare presence sent ripples of unease.

Indifferently, he commanded, “Replace the second and third secretaries of my office."

The director of the HR department looked at Melissa before asking, "What about Miss Brown?"

Marcus give him a sharp look that made him shudder. Noticing the jacket in Melissa's hands, realization dawned on him.

Melissa was under Marcus’ protection.

By the day's end, the impeccably groomed secretaries upstairs were jobless, all because of Melissa's tear-stained eyes.