Sorta.

Sorta- rough draft v1

The following morning, Natalie and I found ourselves seated across from Luraine in her office. The atmosphere was tense, the air thick with anticipation. Luraine's gaze was stern, her hands folded neatly on her desk.

"Mark had a chat with me," she began, her voice firm yet not unkind. "He vouched for you both, which was a saving grace." Relief washed over me, but it was short-lived. Luraine wasn't done.

"I've decided not to get the lawyers involved," she continued, her eyes boring into mine. "No charges will be pressed. But this comes with conditions."

Natalie stiffened next to me, her hand instinctively finding mine under the table.

"Natalie," Luraine turned her attention to her, "you are not to step foot on company property. Ever."

The finality in her words left no room for argument. Natalie nodded in understanding, her grip on my hand tightening.

"As for you, Jasmine," she said, turning her gaze back to me. "I'm still deciding whether you can continue working here."

It wasn't the ideal outcome, but it wasn't the worst-case scenario either. The threat of a legal battle was off the table and for that, I was grateful. As we left Luraine's office, I knew that the this clusterfuck was far from over, but at least, for now, we had some semblance of a reprieve.

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