The city was waking up, but Anna Thompson didn't feel the optimism of a fresh morning. The sunlight glinted off the glass façade of Midnight Sketch Studios, but to her, it only reflected the icy indifference of the world she had walked into. She adjusted the strap of her bag and inhaled sharply, steeling herself. Today, she would show up. Today, she would face the company that had tried to ruin her life… and she had only one intention in mind: to resign.
As she stepped through the revolving doors, the familiar hum of computers and muted conversations greeted her, but it sounded different now. Distant. Cold. Every smile she had once thought genuine now seemed tinged with calculation.
Claire Hudson was the first to see her.
"Oh… look who decided to grace us with her presence," Claire said, her tone sweet but sharp, like sugar laced with poison. Her eyes flicked over Anna's outfit, her hair, her posture, as though looking for a flaw to critique.
