r

n't realized I was still in. My head felt like it was wrapped in cotton, heavy, dull. T

te. It wasn't anyw

hing about it. My mind was a blank slate, no recollection of how I'd ended up in this bed or even where I'd been the night

orbed something I couldn't put my finger on. I moved around, scanning for my things, searching for any indication of w

ly. The mirror caught my reflection, and for a moment, I barely recognized the man staring back at me,cold eyes, sharp jaw, the same features I

m seemed too quiet, too still. My instincts were on high alert,

o surprise there. I wasn't expecting anything. No one but the few I kept arou

mind drifted, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't piece together anything. The fragments didn'

presence lingered, but the details were as elusive as the dream I couldn't qu

kseat without a word. The driver didn't ask qu

e. There was a missing piece I couldn't find. Something important, somethin

ut that nagging feel

ment to my success, cold and imposing, just like I was. Thirty stories of concrete, polished glass, and ruthless ambition, where ever

Enterprises. Grandpa handed the company to me sinc

I strode towards the entrance. The staff at the building knew better than to greet me. They s

the cleaning crew,they were all invisible to me. They were just part of the machine I had b

space. I stood still, hands clasped behind my back, face impassive. I didn't have time

ne, the desks organized with mechanical precision, just like everything in my life. I walked past my emplo

lamming shut behind me with a force

sk. She entered without hesitation, her face a mixture of fear and professionalism. She

autious. "The quarterly figures are in. We have

ut your excuses, Gina. I only care about solutions

ut she nodded quickly

screen. I didn't look up again until

ing attention to any of it. The only thing that mattered was the stack of reports in front of me, each one a refle

al projections on my screen, when a soft knock echoed fr

ers in her hands. She looked nervous, but I didn't have time to care about tha

research for the new expansion plan is ready. I've gone over it with t

colder than ice. "You believe? That's not enough. I don't pay you to believe. I p

stack of papers on my desk, but

sheet, my finger coming down sharply on the numbers. "This projection is off by three percent. Did you not bother

her mouth to respond, but I cut h

ng soundly, I was combing through the same data you were supposed to have mastered. And do you know what I found? Mistakes, a big ones at that. You sh

s again. And when you come back, make sure you've done your research thoroughly. No more 'believing

he frustration. Good. She needed to learn that the pres

she said, her voice b

of my time, and I had work to do. Without another word

it didn't matter. Sleep was for the weak. Every waking moment had to be productive. This was the price of succ

out her retreating form. There were more reports to review, mo