ck to the reception desk. Her hands felt numb as she pla

Harrell's office," she said, her vo

few words, and listened. A moment later, she hu

er eyes. "Mr. Harrell's office has indicated that your firm does not mee

t as if he had slapped her, right here in this cathedral of corporate power. She numbly stu

n, the sounds of the city muffled. Her ph

yed a number she knew all too well:

bled as she an

other. Sharon. She had an episode. A new orderly was assisting with her medication

ed over Caitlin. "I... I

But you need to com

e," Caitlin promise

was a purgatory of screeching wheels and fleeting landscapes. She stared out the window, not

f the way to the serene, manicured grounds of the sanitarium

ive office, her face a stony mask of defiance. Caitlin knelt by her side

long, itemized bi

final number at the bottom made the air leave her lungs in

ady nearly maxed out. She handed it to the finance clerk. The machine bee

an. By the time she pushed open the door to her office, the sky was completely dark. Only

ormed out, waving a piece of paper-a fax from Zeni

inger in her direction. "You couldn't even deliver a simple proposal? You

ed over her. She clenched her fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms, the sha

team, slamming his office d

r rolled her chair over, a silent offeri

f the day settling on her like a physical weight. She stared at the mountain of design work on her com