Our company, Donnica?

Well, I think that says everything about how highly she thinks of Trevor right there. Even then she clearly busted her ass to get to where she is now, she views her success as something to share with him. That's commitment! It may have been a Freudian slip (one he didn't seem to catch), but it was beautiful nonetheless.

So at first glance, it may have seemed weird that Donnica had been so dismissive of his concerns until she saw how upset he really was. But I've noticed something about her. She kind of did the same thing at Azurea Island, too. In fact, there was that scene where she was getting her feet massaged by tinies with Katherine and Olivia, where she was about to explain to them why Trevor was different but ended up agreeing with them in that moment. I started thinking this then, but now, after seeing this in the office, I'm pretty confident.

Donnica is easily influenced by those around her.

It's not that she's taking direction. Far from it. That cold, heartless façade terrifies everyone around her. But both at the island and at the firm, there was a culture of disregarding and even disparaging tinies. When Katherine and Olivia asked why Donnica wasn't just making Trevor do what she wanted, she fed off that energy and seemed to forget for a second why she found him to be so special.

I feel like it's kind of the same thing here. I mean, Donnica has been using the firm to take away tiny rights since, what, chapter four? There's going to be some carryover with the employees, to say the least. And we heard Trevor complain about exactly that, hating that he had to spend so much time around those mean giants. So yeah, while Donnica didn't start treating Trevor like absolute shit, it only makes sense to me that she wouldn't take him seriously. They even talked about how he'd be doing some kind of real work at the office, only for him to end up cleaning her shoes for her, which is likely about the only thing the employees at the firm would think he's good for.

Of course, to be fair, she probably also had no reason to think that office management or accounting were within his skillset. I doubt that had come up before this chapter. And Trevor did say he had no idea what he could possibly do at the office. So maybe these factors played a part in the way she treated him, too? But yeah, I think it was mostly the work culture thing.

But Donnica really did learn from their spat on the island. When she saw how upset Trevor was, instead of doubling down and trying to force him to see things her way, she remained calm, repeated her mantra to him (Trevor, we said we were going to try), and actually heard him out. That was pretty awesome! And once she realized that he actually knew something about office management, it really was inevitable that she was going to get him to do this. As she showed here, she has the utmost confidence in his abilities; she just needed to figure out that some of those abilities were applicable to the office.

Trevor's rant was perfect! He made so many good points and sounded like an expert, but, at the same time, he came off kind of like a dick. And that's a good thing! Trevor was so laid back early on, and seeing this side of him over the last two chapters has been kind of refreshing, actually.

More importantly, Donnica has taken all of it in stride. I mean, he said some hurtful shit last chapter, but she showed her vulnerable side to him rather than toughening up and using her power over him to shut him up. In this chapter, we see her sit there calmly while he rants and raves at her, talking about how much her office sucks (that can't be fun to hear). She not only put up with both of these instances, but she actually listened to him and tried to understand where he was coming from. Like he has done with her all story, she's accepting him for who he is, even the parts that are ugly.

Last chapter, Trevor was frustrated that he had to always be the one to suck up his feelings and put Donnica first. Well, in this chapter, she took her turn. This was what had been missing in their relationship: True reciprocation. I was so happy to see that!

Also, that whole non-conversation to start the discussion about Trevor taking on the job was incredibly well written. That was a classic bit, but man did your descriptions make it super easy to envision. And they weren't wordy descriptions, obviously, but rather it was the word choices. Her eyes "assessing" him. Then her eyes widening while that unreadable expression remained unchanged. Then folding her arms. All without saying a word while Trevor desperately protests against this unspoken idea. His dialogue sold it so well, too. This was such an enjoyable scene!

Now the question is whether Trevor will be successful in his new role. I'm really curious about how this will turn out. It's going to be a challenge, and I could easily see his prediction about how the office will respond to him coming true. But, at the same time, Trevor is really smart dude, and he's well aware of how the office will view him. Might he be able to figure out a way to make it work? Will Donnica find ways to help him in this regard? Or is she blinded by her own feelings for him, assuming her employees will see the value he brings like she does? It should be pretty interesting seeing how this plays out!

Now let's talk about Annabel for a second. Based on both her behavior here and in previous chapters, I'm now convinced that one of two things is true: She's one of those "true believers" that I called Donnica before, or she's in love with Donnica.

As for the true believer theory (which is what I'm leaning more toward),I mean, when Donnica overthrew John Turner, not only did Annabel take him, but she went out and got his whole family and made them the office foot slaves. That's pretty hardcore! Then there was how excited she was to go through the leftovers of that restaurant after Donnica was done with it. Now she's especially spiteful toward Trevor because he's "holding back" her idol, Donnica. This would explain Annabel taking on a cold, calculating demeanor when her youth has been showing for most of the story so far. She's trying to emulate Donnica. She just needs this stupid tiny to stop her hero from straying from the divine truth!

Not to mention that Annabel does have a collection of tiny people, if I remember right. She has the Turners and those two girls that Donnica used to work with that she hates. It would make sense if Annabel was putting together her own little "church" with forced worship at home.

Or Annabel is in love with Donnica. This is less likely, in my opinion, but I do remember Annabel getting turned on while staring at Donnica's feet squishing tinies. And the unofficial office manager is always so eager to help Donnica or gain her approval, from eagerly trying to schedule meetings with Amber's principal and opening the door for her to excitedly offering up the Turner family as foot slaves, instructing them to put extra effort into Donnica's feet. That extra dose of hate that Annabel has for Trevor could be good old fashioned jealousy.

Either way (or even if both of my guesses are wrong), Annabel is clearly going to be a problem for Trevor moving forward.

I loved the opening segment! I thought it was adorable to see how much this had bothered Amber since finding out about Rebecca's treatment when she was kicked out of her place and lost all her shit. It also makes sense that Amber is so possession-oriented, as Rebecca made that same observation last chapter, finding it innocent that Amber's first concern (before finding out about her being thrown down the stairs) was that Rebecca lost her clothes.

I also thought the contrast between when Amber would go out with her soccer teammates to fuck with the tinies and what she was doing in this chapter was great! That Amber left her socks just outside the line before leaving was a really cool callback to that memory at the beginning of the segment. Back then, it was just cruel fun, not giving much thought to it besides how much it must suck for the tinies. But this time was different. In Amber's mind (and I kind of agree, actually), the tinies actually deserved to have to deal with her smelly socks this time. It was an earned punishment rather than a thoughtless prank, and I love the emotional growth and maturity that represents.

Another thing that caught my attention was how much she referred to the tinies as bugs, particularly at the end of the segment. This felt different from all the times she called Trevor and Rebecca bugs. While the size difference played an obvious factor in the labeling, I feel like there's more to it. It felt more judgmental here. These tinies are the ones that hurt Rebecca, turned on her as soon as she lost her registration. They're so focused on themselves that they not only just worry about themselves, but they actively "cannibalize" their own, taking all her shit and not giving her a second thought once she was gone.

And based on all the whispering the tinies were doing once Rebecca's name was mentioned, with nobody stepping up to defend or even acknowledge Amber's little ladybug, it was clear that they remembered her but just didn't care.

Not to mention how all of them, even the dude who tried to stand up to her at first, caved so easily once Amber was pissed while Rebecca and Trevor always fought back even at Amber's worst.

So yeah, bug doesn't sound too far off the mark here!

I also loved the parallel of Amber taking away what's important to the tinies because they refused to give back what (Amber deemed) was important to Rebecca. First it was the food (which I'm assuming was probably extra, as it was donated and they'd have to  have something to live off of if no one donated), and then there was the short-haired woman's anguish at them losing their pool, the shallow, toxic waters now serving as a reminder of what they used to have but likely never will again. These people took everything from Rebecca, so Amber ended up taking the things they seemed to value most.

Some would call that karma.

And I can't say enough how immensely I enjoyed that nameless asshole crumbling after all of that fake defiance. He was tough when he thought the camera and security would protect him, but as soon as he saw that Amber was pissed enough that it she might just kill him anyway, he fell apart like the coward that he is. And his refusal to give Rebecca back what was hers anyway is just so impudent, especially after seeing what was in that box. Why would he even give a fuck about that album or any of the other shit they couldn't sell. It was about shitting on Rebecca and feeling like a man by facing down a giant. I'm so glad it blew up in his face.

I'm also glad Amber didn't take that drastic step (literally; look at me, I'm punning!) and kill nameless asshole. As nasty as her brattier self could be earlier in the story, she never struck me as a killer, even when she threatened Rebecca. I can't imagine how she'd process rage killing that dude once she calmed down. Thankfully we don't have to find out (at least for now; who knows what the fuck you have planned!).

One thing this whole segment has me kind of excited about is that I could see this whole experience helping Amber see Trevor in a new light. Those tinies at the puddle were "bugs," but Trevor has acted nothing like them the whole time she's known him. She was annoyed when she felt like he was trying exert authority over her early on, but even after all the shit she did to him in response, he was never terrified of her and he stood up to her for Rebecca's sake. All of those other tinies didn't give a shit and kicked her out on the street, taking all her shit, but Trevor took on a literal giant for the sake of his friend. Not to mention that he housed her and tried to help her get somewhere that she might be treated better. And Rebecca defended him pretty fiercely before as well.

Is an Amber/Trevor friendship and/or actual familial relationship actually going to happen? Shit, I'm really starting to get hope that this will happen!

And Amber psyching herself up to tell Rebecca about the whole thing, convincing herself that her little ladybug will just be happy to have her shit back was so cute, as was how considerate Amber was when she entered her own room. The way she gently opened and closed the door, crept in, and called out soothingly was so sweet! I've really taken to Amber for some time now, but I'm liking her more and more each time we see her now!

Rebecca's reaction to finding out Amber didn't listen to her was fucking perfect. First there was her being a pissed at herself because she knew Amber was lying to her. Then there was the panic at the prospect of Amber having done something to get herself in trouble. Once she was sure that Amber would be fine, Rebecca let Amber know how betrayed and not listened to she felt. Then, when she saw just how upset Amber was at how Rebecca had been treated, the tiny eased up but finished with a tad bit of sternness to get her point across.

And Amber took all of it. No bratty retorts. No punishments. No indignance at being talked to this way by a tiny. She listened and defended herself when she felt she needed to. They had a real conversation about it. And that they can have these hard conversations, that Rebecca can come down on Amber like this and the teenage giantess can handle it will never not be awesome!

I loved when Amber told Rebecca she was wrong this time. It was such an emotional moment, but I agree with Amber on this one. That was her stuff. That dude hurt her. Rebecca didn't deserve any of that! I get Rebecca just wanting to leave the past behind, but dammit, fuck those people that did that to her!

The photo album was so heartbreaking! What a great representation of the fucked up way we all tend to process loss. Rebecca both loved and hated having that reminder of her mother back. Reliving those memories is such a bittersweet thing. And I love how Amber was shown to be so understanding here. We focused on Rebecca for a while, and I was left wondering what Amber was doing during all this. Then we see her with her head on her arms on the desk, silently letting Rebecca know that it's okay to be vulnerable around her, just like Rebecca did for Amber a couple chapters ago. For two fucked up girls who have shit on by life, they have a remarkably healthy relationship!

And that last exchange, with Amber asking why Rebecca thinks her life was ruined was gold! Rebecca finally opens up and shows that, behind all that strength and defiance, she just views herself as a failure. That's so fucked up! And Amber telling Rebecca that she's the most amazing person Amber has ever met is the perfect response. Those tears at the end by Rebecca were so touching, too! I feel like Rebecca can finally start to heal too now!

This was a fantastic chapter overall! Don't sweat the lack of smut (although you still worked a little butt stuff in there!). I feel like there was a lot going on here, and there's a lot to build off of in the chapters ahead.

Avid reader here! Thank you for the new chapter and sorry that I haven’t left a review for so long.

I really like it how you always unexpectedly add depth in places I never expected and how the tables seem to turn every chapter, and all that while keeping things hot. Thank you for keeping things interesting!

I was secretly hoping that Amber would do a little more to that town and got some legal freedom to do some more damage, but she  found a workaround for this and managed to make this entire community revolve around her feet, nice.

I didn’t see Trevor’s new job coming. This will be interesting, of course no one in that office will respect him. I’m curious to see where this is going.

Thank you for writing and until next time!