Perfect! Let's get started. I'll keep
Maya stepped into the office like a gladiator bracing for the arena. She had rehearsed every line, every excuse, every justification. "Any press is good press," she muttered under her breath. "Market disruption. Innovation." She felt clever. She felt prepared.
Elena was already there, sitting behind the conference table, her posture calm but rigid. Dark circles framed her eyes — the first crack in her armor Maya had ever noticed. That should have made Maya feel relief. It didn't.
"I've stabilized the PR," Elena said softly. Her voice wasn't accusing. It wasn't even disappointed. It was… precise. Calculated. Surgical.
Maya blinked. "You lied?"
Elena nodded. "I issued a personal apology video. I took full responsibility. I said it was a draft released in error by an automated system. I protected the company — and I protected you."
Maya's chest felt like it had been hollowed out. "Why?" she whispered, her voice smaller than she'd like.
"Because you didn't mean to destroy us," Elena said. Her tone cracked slightly. "You just wanted to be seen. I know that. I know you're not malicious."
A wave of rage, humiliation, and disbelief rolled through Maya. She wanted to scream. She wanted to argue. She wanted to retreat to the comfort of denial. But there was nowhere to hide.
Her genius, her "rebellion," the fire she had thought made her unstoppable — it had evaporated. What was left was a little girl, standing in a room too big, watching her sister sweep up the shards she had left behind.
"I… I think I should quit," Maya said finally. The words felt strange on her tongue — not defiant, not clever, just true.
Elena's eyes softened. "If that's what you need, I'll support you. But only if it's for you, not to escape responsibility."
Maya nodded, unable to speak. The office felt heavier, smaller, like the walls themselves were pressing in. She had expected punishment, but instead she got understanding. And that hurt worse than anything else.