Running a hand through her hair, she glanced down at the clipboard in her hands.

  Her heels struck the floor in sharp, rhythmic clicks, echoing down the hallway and filling the silence in a way she found comforting. Everything on the list was routine: equipment, substances, and, of course, some biological samples. Typical. Predictable.

  Except for this name, she was unfamiliar.

  Malitia…

  Her brow furrowed.

  She had subtly asked around, as if she were imparting a test of knowledge. But not even the brightest minds in the facility knew a thing. Including her.

  It was… unsettling.

  She couldn’t fuck up. Corporate didn’t make mistakes. If something was here, it was here on purpose. Which meant the problem wasn’t the shipment.

  Clicking her tongue, she exhaled through her nose. Schafer had gotten her into it, though now that she’d been promoted, she supposed she had to refer to them properly. An annoyance, but it wasn’t anything her brilliant self couldn’t adapt to. She always adapted. That’s why they’d picked her.

  If only she hadn’t had to listen to that idiotic lecture from the shipping crew. Something about package specifications. Stream Voltaire? Volt… whatever. Technical nonsense meant to cover their own asses.

  Then there was that idiot kid.

  The blonde one.

  He’d stopped her in the hallway, complaining about some bullshit, whining about paperwork like it was the end of the world. She tried to brush him off, politely, even. But it was like he was really trying to be annoying. He just kept shoving those stupid papers toward her face as if they mattered.

  So she tore them up.

  Which, honestly? It felt great.

  Shaking the memory away, Ashley slowed as she reached the IT section. She straightened her posture and smoothed her expression into something pleasant and professional. A smile people liked.

  Pushing the door open, her eyes immediately found her.

  A girl with long auburn hair cascading past her shoulders, ending just above her waist, neatly tucked with a cute little flower hair clip just above her left ear. Deep gray pools stared back and lit up instantly.

  Of course they did.

  Her uniform was a mess, as usual. Wrinkled, half-buttoned, thrown on with no concern for presentation. Beneath it, a modest black sweater and a white tie rested against her chest. Layers, and Ashley couldn’t fathom how she didn’t overheat.

  But nonetheless, she supposed there was something respectable about suffering for aesthetics.

  “Hi, Ash.”

  Warmth crept into Ashley’s face at Ava’s voice. She felt her lips curve without thinking.

  “Hey,” she replied, beaming.

  However, whatever warmth Ashley had felt evaporated the instant a putrid stench hit her like a freight train. She turned sharply toward its source, eyes narrowing into daggers.

  Her voice dropped into a hiss, “Fuck! Take a shower, geezer!”

  Her comment was met with a hearty chuckle as Matthew lazily raised a middle finger. Ashley’s hands clenched so tight veins popped against her skin.

  “Hey, you know I could fire your ass right now,” she growled.

  His laughter only grew louder, “Fire me? And leave your precious data in the hands of a child? I’d like to see that.”

  Ashley leaned in, her voice low and cutting, “Wanna test it?”

  Madison exhaled sharply, “Let’s not.”

  “Please… don’t.” Ava chimed softly, tugging at Ashley’s sleeve.

  Ashley shot Ava a quick glance before dropping into a chair.

  “Your ass got lucky,” she said.

  “Uh huh,” Matthew muttered lazily, earning Madison’s sharp glare.

  Ashley brushed a loose strand of hair from her face, then turned to Ava, “God, I can’t stand him.”

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Ava tapped her fingers together nervously, “Yep… So uh… why did—"

  “How do you put up with this stench?” Ashley cut in. “It’s enough to drive anyone insane. Actually, I’m not staying here any longer than I have to.”

  Ashley rolled past the stammering Ava in her chair, kicking Matthew’s desk. An assortment of papers and trinkets, including his nameplate, toppled to the floor, dirtying the ground even more.

  “Hey,” she said, locking eyes with him, “you know Schafer’s passkey? Tell me.”

  Meeting her gaze, Matthew opened his mouth before pausing. Slowly, his expressionless face wrinkled as he raised an eyebrow, “What did you just say?”

  “Are you deaf too? Schafer’s password. Tell.Me.It,” Ashley enunciated deliberately.

  “Why do you need it?” he probed.

  “You don’t need to know,” she replied, cool and steady.

  He retorted, “And why should I? What if I tell Schafer?”

  At his threat, Ashley laughed, “Oh, I’ll tell him about your secret comfort-drink stashes. How do you think he’d react, knowing you occasionally get inebriated on the job?”

  The room fell into silence. Madison and Ava exchanged a small, collective gasp while Matthew’s eyes widened.

  Rising, Ashley planted her hands on his desk, leaning down towards him, “I’m waiting.”

  A shaky smirk crept across Matthew’s face, “I’d take you down with me.”

  “I’m sure your wife would appreciate that,” Ashley spat, her tone sharp. “Being a couple months pregnant and all.”

  Matthew froze. That reaction told her she’d said enough. Pulling back, Ashley clasped her hands behind her back, a sly grin spreading across her face.

  “How about this? You do this for me, and I’ll get you your paid leave and forget about you. Deal?”

  After standing for a while, Ashley’s brow narrowed, “So what will it be?”

  Breathing in, Matthew met her gaze with renewed vigor, “You promise?”

  To his question, Ashley shrugged, “It’s like you said, I can’t let a child do all the work.”

  Matthew stared at her for a long moment. That glint of defiance in his eyes hadn’t left, but eventually he exhaled, “Fine.”

  Tearing off the fragment of a page, Matthew grabbed a pen and scribbled something down. Afterwards, he offered it to Ashley, who happily plucked it from his fingers and read its contents.

  “’Course it is,” she said, rolling her eyes.

  “You cross me, and I’ll have you know hell." Matthew growled.

  Ignoring him, Ashley pocketed the note and swiftly made her way to the door. Pausing as she cracked it open, she tilted her head back and jeered. “You can be pleasant after all.”

  Shutting it behind her, she giggled and pumped her fist. Finally, she had rendered that asshole speechless, and it had been glorious. Patting the pocket containing her well-earned note, she took a step before another thought crossed her mind.

  Glancing back at the door, Ashley placed a finger on her chin. She decided on settling against the wall and crossing her arms. A few seconds passed, or had it been minutes? What could they possibly be doing in there? Were they talking about her behind her back? No… that couldn’t be. She wouldn’t do that.

  The urge to open the door became irresistible. She had to know, but if she did, her exit would be ruined. Her hands unconsciously grabbed the sides of her sleeves as a single tooth dug into her lower lip.

  They must know. They had to know everything. Except… that was impossible. She couldn’t have been caught stealing from… In fact, it wasn’t even stealing. She was just… securing some of it in her office since it was banned on corporate grounds and checking it before it was reported. She just had to make sure it was real.

  Enough was enough. They were corrupting her. That fatass and the new girl… They were getting her to take their side. She had to stop them. Her hand shot out for the doorknob, only for the door to swing open on its own.

  Peeking her head out, Ava stepped out. Freezing with her arm midair, Ashley flinched and retracted it.

  “I almost thought you’d fallen asleep.” Ashley began, forcing the words out through her teeth.

  Ava shut the door behind her, her gaze sharp, “Why… did you do that?”

  Ashley cleared her throat. “Ah well… you see…”

  Once she trailed off, Ava continued, “What if you just asked Mr. Schafer? You’ve known him longer than me, after all."

  Ashley’s grin returned, “Ah, that… he’s busy, so I didn’t want to bother him.”

  “So… you had to talk with Matthew?” Ava concluded.

  “Exactly! See, you get it,” Ashley said, nodding.

  “Does it have to do with why you wanted to talk?”

  “Yes! Right!” Ashley dug her hand into her coat and pulled out the clipboard. “This! Know what this is?” she asked, pointing to the abnormality.

  Ava followed the finger, reading aloud, “Malitia? Sorry I don’t.”

  Ashley nodded, "That's ok; nobody knows. That’s why I need Schafer’s password. I’ll use it to find his current access code since it rotates. That way we can check if the corporation actually sent this here or made a mistake. Now everybody's happy! Schafer stays unbothered, Matthew gets time with his newborn, and we don’t get in trouble for having this. Genius, right?”

  Ava tilted her head, “So… you don’t actually know either.”

  Ashley exhaled through her teeth, a soft laugh escaping, “Nope. But at least now you understand why I had to go through Matthew like that.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.”

  Placing a hand on her hip, Ava’s eyebrows furrowed, "Well, I think you should be nicer to him.”

  “Is that so? Ok then, I will. Promise," Ashley swiftly added.

  Ava’s features softened, and she let out a long breath, “You really shouldn’t act like this. You give off the impression that you’re a total jerk.”

  Ashley let out a shaky giggle. “How unfortunate.”

  “You’re a boss now too, you know; you have to act like it.”

  “I can’t help the way I am.” Ashley said nonchalantly as she bobbed her shoulders, "Anyway, I’m sure you have work to get back to. Don’t worry, I’ll excuse your extra long break.”

  “I’ve been on break this whole time?”

  “Um… actually, you’ve been working because you’re helping me.”

  “Oh… okay. But really, you should be kinder. I think that’s who you really are. You’re always looking out for everyone else, right?”

  Ashley grew silent for a moment, then stepped away, “Totally. Later.”

  With that, Ashley strode down the hallway, acknowledging Ava’s farewell with a wave. With that task done, all she had to do now was figure out what to do next.