Chapter 12 - Ground Level
Evelyn stood in the middle of the atrium for three long seconds. A thin, approving smirk flickered at the corner of her lips before she smoothed it away with professional indifference.
"Desk 14B has an outdated monitor," Evelyn noted dryly.
"I’ll submit a requisition form," Elena answered without missing a beat. "Like everyone else."
Evelyn turned on her heel, her tailored coat flaring out behind her. "Boardroom A at five sharp, Miss Vance-Montgomery. Don't be late. We have a board seat to discuss."
"I'll be there after my shift ends at four-thirty," Elena replied, sweeping the first batch of white ledger paper into a neat, disciplined pile.
The brass elevator chimed, swallowing the CEO back into the stratosphere of the thirty-fourth floor.
The floor remained frozen for another full minute. Then, slowly, the rustle of fabric broke the silence.
Maya stood up from her desk, walked across the marble floor, picked up a plastic dustpan from the maintenance cart, and knelt beside Elena.
"You're crazy," Maya whispered, eyes wide with adrenaline. "You own this damn building and you're sweeping the floor?"
"I own shares," Elena smiled faintly, the stinging in her cheek dulling under the cool office breeze. "I don't own the work until I do it. Help me bag this, will you?"
May you like
One by one, three more junior associates stepped out from their cubicles, bending down to collect the scattered reports, their shared terror slowly evaporating into a conspiratorial camaraderie.
For the first time in ten years, thirty-three smelled like clean air instead of dread.
