Joshua's jaw stiffened, his eyes narrowing. "I asked you to come to my office hours ago. You can't just ignore me like that."
"I'm sorry if that upset you," Claire said, still keeping her voice calm. "But I have responsibilities here that I can't ignore."
For a moment, they simply stared at each other, the stress in the room thick enough to cut with a knife. Claire could see the anger in Joshua's eyes, but she refused to back down. She wasn't going to let him control her anymore.
Finally, Joshua exhaled sharply, clearly not getting the response he had hoped for. "Fine," he muttered, turning on his heel and marching out of her office, the door slamming behind him with a loud click.
Claire sat back in her chair, letting out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Her heart was pounding, but she felt a strange sense of pleasure.
She had stood her ground, and even though it had been tough, she knew it was the right thing to do.
