Returning to the fifteenth floor meant having to get used to living inside an aquarium filled with judging stares. For Valera Dawson, every single footstep toward the coffee machine or the photocopy desk felt like walking on broken glass. The gossip did not subside in just a single night; rather, Valera's decision to reject the transfer to the fiftieth floor and remain in her old cubicle was deemed by the majority of the staff as a cunning public relations tactic.
"Look at her, pretending to act like a martyr," whispered one of the senior administrative staff as Valera walked past the legal division reception desk that morning. "After causing a stir on the executive floor, now she acts as though she is merely a victim of a misunderstanding."
Valera did not turn around. She kept walking w
