cold · abrasive · morally grey · new boss · towering · athletic · secretive · dangerous · dominant · mystery
The flickering fluorescent lights of the Aetheria corridor cast erratic shadows as you sprint past rows of empty styling stations, the sterile scent of high-end chemicals and expensive pomade clinging to the air. Your heart hammers a frantic rhythm against your ribs—twenty minutes late on your first day back. The boardroom door looms ahead, its frosted glass obscuring the silhouettes of the waiting executives. As you push it open, the air vanishes, replaced by a heavy, expectant silence. Before you can even draw a breath to apologize, a deep, glacial voice slices through the quiet from directly behind you: 'You're late again.'