Emily
I stayed at the company far longer than I had intended.
At first, it was just reluctance—an unwillingness to return home and face the familiar weight of that house. The sharp looks. Lily’s thinly veiled contempt. My stepmother’s polite indifference that always felt like judgment wrapped in silk.
But as the hours passed, I realized it was more than that.
I didn’t want to leave.
The building itself felt different from anywhere I’d been before. Not just expensive—though it was undeniably that—but purposeful. People moved with intent, voices low and focused, heels clicking in steady rhythm against polished floors. No one hovered. No one lingered pointlessly.
It felt… alive.
I wandered through the lower floors first, careful not to intrude, letting myself be guided by curiosity rat
