PROJECT

Augusta's POV:

She watched as Lamas stared out his window. She didn't think she could even keep this to herself anymore. She rose from her seat and walked over to him. His face was still turned to the window till she cleared my throat. He turned, cocking a brow at her.

"I think we need to discuss about my partnership with Adrian. I know I'm the one who got myself into this, but now I see, we're a good match. And I'm not sure I want to punch anyone's face this afternoon." She said and he chuckled, clasping his hand as he leaned forward.

"Haven't you dealt with way worse before? In the mafia world where you deal with manipulation like it's a normal day-to-day life thing? And here you want to cut something just because you can't stand her manipulation? What's going on, Augusta? Not to taunt you but why do you want to back down from this? You can handle her with just a word that comes out of your mouth. You're in a higher-ranking position than she is. You can remind her of that. Adrian only manipulates people she thinks she has more authority than. I'm sure you can deal with that."

"But you don't understand it's affecting our cooperation."

" You've worked with worse. And if she deserves a punch or two on the face, you might as well give it to her. I support it."

Her frustration grows, feeling unheard and invalidated by Lamas' nonchalant response. She had expected him to take it more seriously and not treat it like it was nothing. He seemed so preoccupied that he couldn't think about a lot of things at the moment. Augusta noticed. But did she care? Maybe a little.

" I can't believe you're dismissing this so easily."

"That is between you and your teammate. Go discuss it with her about it." He said and Augusta rolled her eyes with disbelief before heading out.

She sat here in the dimly lit room, surrounded by holographic displays. She couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and frustration being that she had been the one to take this work when nobody asked her to. And now she had to suffer the repercussions, just because Adriana couldn't comport herself. The girl was everywhere at once, seeking the validation she didn't even need, just because she liked Lamas. What the fuck? Was the fucking how she looked when she was head over heels for Derek? It certainly wasn't a good look nor was it the best for someone's reputation because in this office, everyone knew her as the obsessor. She wanted Lamas all to herself because she slept with him dozens of times. And she had to admit, the thought of that made her feel a pang of jealousy. The woman that Lamas had slept with before her...even she, wasn't a saint. She had slept with dozens of men before Lamas.

She should have sensed it from the moment they were paired. Even from the times, she would walk into his office looking like a slut. Her confidence was a result of him rubbing her ego when he wanted to be in between her legs. Then she gave herself a title that didn't even belong to her because she felt Lamas wanted her as his. Her prideful personality was a result of the opportunities he had given her in the past causing her to believe that she was better than everybody else because Lamas favoured her by sleeping with her. And she was proud of it. It caused a lot of silent disregard towards her. Even though so many people couldn't say it to her face, what they said behind her back said it all. So Augusta getting the position Adriana had wanted for a long time caused friction between her and Adrian. But Augusta of course was in no mood for drama. Funny enough Adrian could do so much better having observed that she has a brilliant mind and an uncanny talent. Her need to always impress and her personality shielded it all.

She felt really weak, she hadn't slept well enough throughout the night for the last few days since she discussed some plans with Lamas. It had been a few days and he was occupied with work and all that. Adriana on the other hand, was still as naughty, prideful and bossy as ever, and constantly tried to outdo Augusta, which in Augusta's opinion was cute. There was no way a short brat like Adriana could outdo her no matter how much she tried. Having two decades of experience in martial arts and intense manipulation...compared to Adrian's own, it was nothing. She remained committed to their work anyway even though it wasn't something she liked.

"We need to make this project stand out! I want to impress the world with our technical skills and innovation. No room for mediocrity!" She demanded. Augusta looked up to the heavens. Highly frustrated.

"You don't have to fucking tell me what to do. We're partners, not teacher and student." Augusta said and that sort of stunned Adriana. "What? I'm I wrong?" She cocked a brow, her eyes going over the room to see him in his office, totally and completely occupied. It made her curious about what he was trying to do. These days, he had been a little distant and that raised her suspicions. What the fuck was he up to? Then she turned to focus on what she and Adrian were doing. She knew this girl here was trying her hardest to outshine her. What a freaking waste of time. She had no fucking idea what she was up against. Augusta tried her best to maintain a harmonious partnership with Adrian who just wanted to do everything her way. Augusta noticed the glances they were getting and she knew that of course, it wasn't because of her they glanced with slight irritation. She sighed though because Adriana didn't seem to have an iota of respect for herself.

"We need to push harder! I won't settle for anything less than perfection. We have to prove that I am the best in this field."

"Look, if you continue with this shenanigans of yours, I'm going to have to drop the project. Get it into your head, we're both in this together, your wanting to take all the credit is just really off. Whether you like it or not. And don't speak to me like you have more fucking experience than me in this field, and don't act like you're frustrated. I chose something much easier. You went for the tough one just to prove yourself. You fucking love yourself bitch? Don't tell me what to do in this scenario or how to do my job. You chose for yourself, I'm just helping." She said and there she could see a glint of jealousy in her eyes because of what she said. "You better watch what next comes out of that mouth."