For her first day of work, Rivera arrived fifteen minutes early. It was an old habit. The lobby felt different today. Yesterday, it had been a battlefield. Today, it felt like the first day of school: exciting, terrifying, and full of the promise of a new identity.
She stood in front of the elevator mirror and adjusted the sleeves of her cream silk blouse. She had chosen neutral on purpose. If she was going to survive this place, she needed to blend in.
The elevator doors opened onto the Valmont transition floor. For Rivera, it was better than the main corporate levels upstairs. There were fewer glass walls, less intimidation, more movement, more noise. 'Good,' she muttered to herself briefly.
She stepped out and was immediately greeted by a tall woman with braids pulled into a neat bun
