Author's POV
The following morning, Heidi arrived at her desk at Wisdom Blue to find her access card deactivated and two security guards waiting by the elevators.
Her heels clicked once, twice—then stopped.
She stared at the red light on the scanner like it had personally insulted her.
She tried again. Slower. More deliberate.
The light blinked red once more. Denied. The sound felt louder than it should have—sharp, final, like a slammed door.
"There must be some mistake," she sputtered, her perfect features contorting with disbelief.
The guards didn't flinch. One of them hit the elevator call button. The other just nodded toward the hallway.
The HR director—a middle-aged wolf with a spine of steel and a Rolodex of office grievances—stepped forward, tablet in hand.
