Anne's POV
Monday morning arrived with the weight of a thousand unspoken questions.
I had dressed with extra care, choosing a forest green blouse that brought out the warmth in my skin, paired with tailored black trousers. It was professional. It was appropriate. It also made me feel powerful, and I needed every ounce of power I could muster.
The morning passed in the usual blur of meetings and emails. At 11 a.m., a notification popped up: an invitation to a closed-door strategy session on the Atherton acquisition. Attendees: the executive team, the head of finance, and... me.
My heart stuttered. This was a room full of VPs and directors. I was a junior analyst, barely out of probation. What was I doing there?
I arrived at the conference room five minutes early, my tablet clutched
