“Bring it on!”
I nodded,all compliance,then bolted,taunting him from the other side of a desk.
Richard,sleeves rolled up,chased me,gritting his teeth.

Sophie stood there frozen,blushing.
The crowd cheered,“Catch her!Put her in her place!”
The commotion drew other departments’employees,who gathered outside,peeking through the glass doors,whispering and pointing.
As the crowd grew,Richard realized things were spiraling out of control.Caught between stopping and saving face,he was sweating,trapped.
When Olivia returned,Richard was panting and pointing at me.“Emma,stop right there!”
Her arrival put an end to the absurdity.

The incident spread like wildfire.Some mocked Richard’s absurdity,others criticized interns for being too bold,making the office resemble a nightclub.
No one dared acknowledge it for what it truly was: workplace sexual harassment.
This emboldened male colleagues,who began telling crude jokes in front of women,teasing young unmarried women and laughing at their discomfort.
Some even targeted Olivia,openly discussing sexual topics in her presence.

Olivia,who’d initially covered up the inappropriate incident to spare Richard’s reputation,saw her leniency backfire.
She slammed her fist on the desk,berating a leering colleague and kicking him off the project team.
I’d thought Olivia only cared about work,but then I saw her storm out of Richard’s office,call the VP,and vehemently criticized Richard’s behavior and the department’s toxic culture.
She told the VP she had evidence and demanded action,indicating she would pursue legal action if the company didn’t step in.
“Emma,I know you recorded everything that day. Safeguard it.The company might delete office footage—your video is crucial.”
I didn’t know what the VP said,but Olivia showed me the strength and determination of a professional woman.
Soon,a new policy against workplace harassment was implemented.
It made most male employees realize their actions could have legal consequences,reducing visible instances of misconduct.
Perhaps they never meant harm,just took advantage of the absence of consequences.
But Richard didn’t see himself as an ordinary employee.As a mid-level exec with connections,he believed someone would always cover for his mistakes.
The pen incident didn’t teach him a lesson—it fueled his desire to dominate me.
He openly called me a rose with throns he’d conquer.
Before he could act,the VP personally inspected our department,warning Richard to watch his behavior,forcing him to tone it down temporarily.
I held onto the video of him slapping employees’backsides,ready for him to bring about his own downfall.