pale as she stared at her phone screen. Her frantic escape had cost her

She burst out of the station and ran three blocks, her lungs burning. At the entrance to the building, she shoved her swollen feet bac

doors of Apex Capital Group's downtown bran

p. L

ped, and she squee

Manager Brenda Hayes stood there with a clipboard of layoff candidate

My offi

Brenda into the elevator, the older woma

brass floor indicator. "Headquarters just issued the merge

rs dug into the hem of her blouse. "Brenda, my audit

apping her rolled-up file against the handr

icles where coworkers typed in dead silence. Sitting behind her mahogany desk, Brenda tossed a transfer slip

sic move by management to force an employee to quit without paying severance. She bit her b

her ear and forced a stiff nod. "Unde

d gloating stares of her peers, Jannie carried the heavy load do

her bleached blonde curls bouncing. It was Jannie's stepsis

other. He had eventually abandoned his wife and biological daughter, married his m

affair with the HR manager, she had been fast-tracked into a full-time position. Since then, she had made a habit of provoking

neer, drawing out her words in a fake East Coast drawl. "Well, if i

ank and stepped sideway

e the narrow heel of her stiletto into Jannie

, and the box slipped from her grasp, scattering hun

mock surprise. "I didn't see you down there. Though ho

s snickered behind their monitors,

seeing her break. She dropped to her knees, gathered the scattered papers i

er may have gotten you a permanent badge, but it didn't make you my boss. Try this again,

e's glare. Recovering quickly, she crossed her arms and scoffed. "Keep talki

e HR supervisor walked over and pointed to a mountain of dusty file boxes

er lower back ached fiercely. Eulalie had a high-end French bistro deliver steak frites to the office, bragging

nal file and rubbed her throbbing temples. Just a

the CEO's office on the top floor needs a physical con

und contract folder to her chest. When she stepped out onto the marble reception area, C

from her hands, and gave a curt nod toward th

ot inside the executive suite, Jann