Chapter 17: The Office Knows
Day 53 started with whispers.
I arrived at 6:58 AM like always, but the associate bullpen felt different—conversations that stopped when I passed, glances that lasted a beat too long, Kyle Durant huddled with Jennifer Park and another associate near the coffee machine.
They went quiet when they noticed me.
Word travels fast.
I grabbed my coffee and headed to my desk, pretending not to notice.
Kyle appeared five minutes later, leaning against my cubicle wall with forced casualness.
"So... you and Donna Paulsen?"
I kept my eyes on my screen.
"We had lunch. Is that remarkable?"
"Harvey's Donna? That's bold or stupid. Still deciding which."
I looked up, kept my voice level.
"She's not 'Harvey's Donna.' She's Donna Paulsen, who happens to work for Harvey. There's a difference."
Kyle held up his hands in mock surrender.
"Hey, no judgment. Just saying—Harvey's pretty territorial about her."
"So I've heard."
"And you're doing it anyway?"
"I'm having lunch with someone I like. That's not a declaration of war."
Kyle studied me for a moment, then shook his head.
"You're either braver than I thought or dumber. Time will tell."
He walked away, and I went back to my work.
[BLACKMAIL ARCHIVE: UPDATING]
[OFFICE SOCIAL DYNAMICS: RELATIONSHIP VIEWED AS POWER PLAY]
[PERCEPTION: SCOTT RODEN CHALLENGING HARVEY'S TERRITORY]
[CLARIFICATION REQUIRED BUT UNLIKELY TO CHANGE PERCEPTION]
Great. Now I'm not just the guy who beat Mike in the mock trial. I'm the guy dating Harvey's secretary.
Jennifer Park walked past my desk an hour later, paused just long enough to say "Congratulations or condolences, depending on how this goes" before continuing to her meeting.
The entire office is watching.
Day 54 afternoon, I was reviewing discovery documents when Harvey's voice cut through the bullpen.
"Roden. A word."
Every associate within earshot looked up.
I saved my work, stood, and walked to Harvey's office with professional calm despite the adrenaline kicking in.
Here we go.
Harvey closed the door behind me, gestured to a chair.
I stayed standing.
"Stay away from Donna."
Direct. No preamble. Classic Harvey.
"With respect, that's not your decision."
Harvey's expression hardened.
"She's my secretary. That makes it my business."
"She's a person who makes her own choices. If Donna wants me to stay away, she'll tell me herself."
Harvey stood, using his height and presence as intimidation—the kind of move that probably worked on most associates.
I held my ground.
"You beat Mike in one mock trial and suddenly you think you can—"
I interrupted, keeping my voice calm.
"This has nothing to do with you. I like her. She seems to like me. That's the whole story."
Harvey stared at me, jaw working, clearly unused to associates who didn't immediately fold under pressure.
The silence stretched for five seconds that felt like five minutes.
Finally, Harvey spoke again, voice colder.
"If this affects her work, it becomes my problem. And if it becomes my problem, it becomes your problem. We clear?"
"Crystal."
"Get out."
I left his office, aware of every eye in the bullpen tracking my movement back to my desk.
Just drew a line with Harvey Specter. That'll end well.
[RELATIONSHIP UPDATE: HARVEY SPECTER]
[STATUS: HOSTILE - EXPLICIT WARNING DELIVERED]
[THREAT LEVEL: MODERATE TO HIGH]
[RECOMMENDATION: MAINTAIN PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARIES, AVOID ESCALATION]
I dismissed the notification and tried to focus on work.
My hands were shaking slightly.
Not from fear. From anger.
Harvey treating Donna like she was his property, like her choices needed his approval—
I forced myself to breathe, to focus on the documents in front of me.
Not worth the fight. Not yet.
Day 55 evening, I was still at my desk at 8:30 PM when Donna appeared.
The office was mostly empty by then—just a few workaholics scattered across the bullpen, the cleaning crew starting their rounds.
"Harvey talked to you."
Not a question. A statement.
I looked up from my laptop.
"He expressed concerns."
Donna's jaw tightened.
"He has no right—"
"He has the right to care about you. He's been your boss for years. I get it."
That stopped her. She pulled over Kyle's empty chair and sat.
"This doesn't bother you? Harvey telling you to stay away from me like I'm his property?"
"It bothers me that he treats you like property. It doesn't bother me that he cares about you."
Donna studied my face, looking for something.
"That's... surprisingly mature."
"I'm occasionally capable of maturity."
She smiled slightly, tension easing.
"I need to know something. Are WE complicated, or is everyone around us complicated?"
I thought about that carefully.
"Everyone around us. We're actually simple—I like you, you like me, we're both adults. The rest is noise."
"You can handle noise?"
"I've been handling office politics since I got here. This is just another variable."
Donna leaned forward, voice quieter.
"I'm not stopping this because Harvey's uncomfortable. Just so we're clear."
"Good. Because I'm not either."
She stood, gathered her coat, then paused.
Leaned down and kissed my cheek—quick, unexpected, warm.
"See you tomorrow morning. Colombian roast."
She left before I could respond.
I sat there for a full minute, hand unconsciously touching where she'd kissed my cheek, aware that half the remaining associates had probably witnessed that.
Tomorrow's gossip is going to be spectacular.
My phone buzzed.
Text from Kyle: Saw that. You're officially insane. Respect.
I smiled and went back to work.
That night, alone in my apartment, I found myself reviewing my own behavior with unusual self-awareness.
The System had helped me win cases, navigate firm politics, build relationships with Louis and Jessica.
But it was completely useless for this.
Donna saw through calculations. Valued authenticity. Liked me not despite my strategic thinking but because I was willing to turn it off for her.
This is either the smartest thing I've done or the most dangerous.
Probably both.
My phone buzzed.
Donna: Stop overthinking. I can tell you're overthinking.
I laughed out loud in my empty apartment.
Typed back: How do you know?
Her response was immediate.
I always know.
I set down my phone, still smiling, and the System ran its quiet calculations in the background.
[RELATIONSHIP ANALYSIS: DONNA PAULSEN]
[VULNERABILITY LEVEL: HIGH]
[EMOTIONAL INVESTMENT: INCREASING]
[ASSESSMENT: UNPRECEDENTED TERRITORY]
Yeah. I know.
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