2
Eva.
Monday came faster than I expected, and it wasn’t until I stood in the elevator clutching my new employee badge that I realized just how real this was. My reflection in the mirrored doors looked like a version of myself I didn’t recognize—hair smooth, lips bitten pink, blouse tucked in too tight. I tried not to think about what had happened on that desk three nights ago, but every nerve ending seemed to remember.
I stepped onto the tenth floor and found the office already buzzing. People moved fast here—sharp shoes, sharper voices, everyone pretending not to notice the new girl. I kept my head down and checked my phone: no messages, just the last text from Julian, simple and unreadable—Monday. Don’t be late.
I was twenty minutes early, not because I wanted to impress him, but be
