The Intern (The Dalton Family #4)(29)

He slowly glanced up. “Yes.”

One word.

That was all he would give me.

I smiled. “I’ll get back to the filing now.”

I didn’t wait for anyone to respond.

I didn’t look at any of their faces.

I didn’t even pick up the folder from his lap.

I just walked out into the hallway, feeling all their eyes on me, and returned to Declan’s office, going right back to the cabinet, where I resumed my duties.

As I placed the folders inside in alphabetical order, I couldn’t escape my thoughts.

Declan Shaw wasn’t the man I’d thought.

At this pace, I truly didn’t know how I was going to survive this. It would be one thing if he didn’t show appreciation, if he was constantly grumpy and demanding—I could deal with that. But knowing he didn’t want me here, that he would rather have anyone but me, that hurt. And that was a feeling I couldn’t overcome.

“Why the hell would you rush into Dominick’s office, interrupting our meeting?”

Surprised by the sound of his voice, I shot my attention toward the doorway where Declan was standing, his shoulder leaning against the frame, his hand clutching the folder.

“Your team has spent days looking for a precedent. I thought you’d be pleased with what I’d found.”

“You thought wrong. In fact, just stop thinking altogether.” His stare penetrated my chest, wrapping around my heart, squeezing with a strength that made it hard for me to breathe. “Don’t ever interrupt a meeting to give me a piece of information that I would have found myself.” He walked in and tossed the folder onto his desk.

I wasn’t going to apologize.

I didn’t believe I’d done anything wrong.

If he had known the precedent existed, then his team wouldn’t have wasted the last three days researching.

He just couldn’t stand that I’d found it.

That I’d made him look like an asshole in front of my family.

I got up from my knees to grab another handful of folders. “Understood.”

He took a seat at his desk, putting his back to me. “How long were you eavesdropping outside Dominick’s office before you came in?”

Was the big, bad wolf worried that I’d overheard his bitch session?

Only a guilty person would ask that question.

That was Law 101.

Dickhead.

“I wasn’t.” I put my back to him as I reached into the box, bending so my ass was high and visible from where he sat. I stayed in that position for a second and then glanced at him. “Why?”

Of course he had been looking at me. Declan was a pig—the photo of him and Madison had proven that.

“Should I have been eavesdropping?”

“You should have been completing the task I assigned. I asked you to hurry the hell up. You clearly didn’t listen to anything I said.”

I’d listened to every word.

He had told me he needed me to finish the filing because he had weeks’ worth of work to catch up on and he needed to access his cases.

I’d told him I’d move faster.

Which I’d done.

“What made you rush down the hallway and barge into Dominick’s office like that?” He turned his chair toward me, spreading his fingers wide and pressing them together, like he was palming a basketball. “Why couldn’t you have waited to show me the folder when I came back to my office?”

I straightened, holding a hand on my hip, the stack of folders resting in my other arm.

He was looking for an argument.

I wasn’t going to give him one.

“I won’t do it again.”

“You’re not the lawyer on this case, Hannah. You’re not the one who has to stand in the courtroom and present a believable argument. I can’t for the fucking life of me figure out why you did what you did today.”

I felt the same way about how he was acting and what had warranted this kind of reaction.

“I was excited for you,” I admitted. “I’ve watched how hard you’ve been working on this case, and I wanted to offer some relief.”

“Relief?” His eyes narrowed, his hands dropping as his arms crossed his chest. “Don’t get excited for me. Just do your goddamn job. If I tell you to file, do it. If I send you on an errand, don’t text if you’re running late; I don’t need the constant updates of where you are and when you’ll be back. If I give you the assignment of finding a precedent, that’s when you’re allowed to look for what I’ve requested. I’m not here to fucking babysit you, Hannah.” He sighed, like even the sound of my name disgusted him. “If you want to be a litigator—and a successful one at that—you have a lot of work to do.”

My heart was beating so hard that my throat was vibrating.

I couldn’t believe he was treating me this way.

That my bringing a folder into Dominick’s office had set him off this badly.

What Declan didn’t know was that I was a storm and he’d just ramped up the wind inside me.

As I stared at him, all I felt was anger.

Frustration.

Repulsion.

I held his gaze for several seconds. “Then, I’d better get back to work.” I didn’t hesitate. I just returned to the cabinet, moving at the same speed as I had before.