Turning the Tide novel Chapter 22

I casually deleted the group chat history and turned to my colleague with a confident smile. "Don't sweat it. Ted's being unreasonable. Let him be. I don't care."

"Are you sure? You..." My colleague looked concerned, thinking I was being reckless.

Just a few steps later, I nearly collided with the flamboyant Lyra, her chin uplifted at me. "Ted wants you in his office."

"Okay." I grabbed my bag and walked toward my desk, but Lyra grabbed my arm and snapped, "I'm talking to you! Didn't you hear me? Go to Ted's office, now!"

I turned to face her. "Keep your hands to yourself, or I'll slap them away."

Lyra was taken aback and stepped back, flustered. "You... This is a workplace. Don't mess around."

"Seriously, you and Ted are the only ones causing chaos around here. Leave me alone. Being touched by you makes me feel sick."

I chuckled. "Yesterday was my day off, and last I checked, the company doesn't require us to work during our time off, right?"

"Enough with your excuses! The company pays you to work! Period! That task was assigned from the head office. I reported your laziness. A new manager will be here soon, and we'll see if your excuse holds up!"

I grinned, realizing that Ted had set this trap for me.