BAIT🥹

FIRST DAY, FIRST STORM

Sophia rushed across the company’s massive compound, her heels clicking against the polished marble, almost tripping over her own feet. Her heart hammered in her chest like a drum, each beat threatening to burst free.

She wasn’t late… but she was almost late, and that near-miss sent a shiver down her spine.

The glass doors loomed ahead, cold and imposing. She pushed through, gasping for air, and headed straight for the elevator. Just before the doors closed, she slipped in—barely—joining a group of well-dressed workers already inside.

Everyone was silent. Everyone looked serious. The kind of serious that weighed on her chest and made her shoulders tense.

A soft ding sounded, and the elevator doors opened again.

An older woman stepped in—elegant, commanding, expensive. Every movement she made was precise, deliberate, a study in authority. The moment she entered, every single person in the elevator bowed their heads, then quietly stepped out, giving up their space without a word.

Sophia blinked, frozen.

Why are they leaving? Did the elevator malfunction? Is something wrong?

She wanted to ask, but the words died in her throat. Everyone left… except her.

The doors closed behind the last person.

The woman slowly turned her head, eyes sharp and assessing. “Who are you?” she asked calmly, her voice low but cutting.

Sophia’s throat tightened. “I… I’m Sophia, ma.”

The woman raised a brow. “And what are you doing in my elevator?”

Sophia swallowed again, forcing herself to speak politely. “I’m going to my department, ma. I didn’t… I didn’t want to be late.”

The woman studied her from head to toe. Not smiling. Not frowning. Just a gaze that seemed to weigh every thought, every breath, every secret. Sophia’s stomach churned.

Another ding. The doors opened on the next floor. The woman stepped out without another word, her heels clicking sharply against the marble.

Sophia exhaled shakily. What kind of company is this? she whispered silently. Her pulse was still racing.

By the time she reached her department, the adrenaline hadn’t faded. She walked through the rows of sleek cubicles, past people whose faces were neutral, curious, or slightly judging. Her first impression: this office was a battlefield, and she had just crossed the front line.

Inside, she met her team leader—Mrs. Kate—a tall woman with glasses sharper than her voice, the kind of presence that made every word feel like a verdict.

“You’re the new staff?” Mrs. Kate asked, her tone flat.

“Yes, ma,” Sophia said quickly, keeping her voice steady despite the nervous flutter in her stomach.

“Good. We don’t waste time.” She dropped a heavy stack of files on Sophia’s desk with a thunk that echoed like a drumbeat of expectations. “Type these. Cross-check the numbers. Update the database. And prepare the weekly report. Before closing.”

Sophia blinked, her mind racing. “All today?”

Mrs. Kate’s eyes didn’t waver. “Is that a problem?”

“No, ma,” Sophia replied firmly, even as her pulse quickened.

The day began in a blur.

Sophia typed until her fingers ached, the rhythmic clatter of the keyboard echoing in her ears. She sorted papers until her back throbbed, ran between departments like someone carrying fire in fragile hands, and double-checked every number as though a single error might unravel everything she had fought to achieve.

Other staff glanced at her occasionally. Some were curious, others judging, some perhaps quietly amused by her determination. She ignored them all, letting the rhythm of work drown out fear and doubt.

Hours stretched endlessly. Every beep of the printer, every phone call, every chime of a colleague’s heels was amplified in her exhausted senses.

When closing time finally came, everyone else packed their bags and left, the hum of departure echoing through the office. Sophia, however, kept going. One more file. One more entry. One more calculation. She couldn’t stop now—not when she had fought so hard to be here.

Mrs. Kate walked by, her sharp heels clicking, and paused. She looked at Sophia’s meticulous work. “You’re slow. But you’re thorough. Improve.”

It wasn’t praise, but it was something—a recognition of effort amidst relentless demands. Sophia allowed herself a small nod, a quiet acknowledgment that she had survived the first battle.

By the time she reached home, the exhaustion hit her fully. Her hair was rough, her face tired, and every muscle ached as though she had run a marathon. She opened the door to the familiar warmth of Adam’s apartment and was greeted immediately.

Adam gasped dramatically. “Sophia! Did they use you to build the company?”

Sloane ran to her, little arms wrapping around her mother’s legs, her voice soft and concerned. “Mummy, are you tired?”

Sophia smiled weakly and bent down, pressing a gentle kiss to her daughter’s forehead. “Just a little, baby.”

Adam handed her a steaming cup of tea, the aroma soothing and familiar. “So? How was your first day?”

Sophia sank onto the couch with a long, shuddering breath. “Adam… I nearly fainted. The work was too much. And the people… they’re intense.”

Adam laughed softly, a warm, steady sound. “But you survived.”

She nodded slowly, feeling the ache in her fingers and back, the strain in her shoulders, but also the quiet pride swelling in her chest. “Yeah… I did.”

She looked down at Sloane, who curled against her, tiny fingers resting on her mother’s chest. Sophia whispered, almost to herself, “I’ll keep going. For you.”

Her first day had been chaos. Overwhelming. Exhausting. Intense.

But she hadn’t given up.

Not now. Not ever.

And as she watched Sloane drift into a quiet nap, Adam settling beside her with a protective arm around her shoulders, Sophia felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time: the steady pulse of hope, of strength, of life moving forward.

This was only the beginning.

She had survived the elevator, the office, Mrs. Kate, the relentless pressure. And tomorrow… tomorrow she would do it again, stronger, sharper, better.

Because she had to.

For herself. For Sloane.

For the life she was building—one exhausting, beautiful, chaotic day at a time.