I was high on success. After the IndoTech pitch, I couldn't come down.
Two weeks later, the office treated me differently. I wasn't just the quiet girl from Jakarta anymore. I was the "Golden Girl." Mr. Santoso deferred to me in meetings. Miss Rina stopped checking my timestamps. Even the security guards smiled wider when I swiped my badge.
But the most addictive part wasn't the praise from the team. It was the access to Joseph.
We became an unofficial unit. "Joseph and Marcella." It sounded professional, efficient. We lunched together to "discuss strategy." We stayed late to "review quarterly projections." In the open, under the fluorescent lights of the office, we were colleagues. In quiet moments—in the elevator, in the parking lot, or during late-night texts—we became more. We were
