space reflected the cold, impersonal nature of the environment. She felt the tension from her colleagues like a steady pulse, a silent judgment following her every move. The large windo

Every now and then, she would glance up, hoping for an interaction, a smile, or even a glance from her coworkers. But instea

, but the occasional sidelong glance and muffled laughter sent an unsettling chill down her spine. She felt as if she were a target of some unspoken joke, a distan

immigrants taking jobs, with Karl quietly chuckling along. Her face burned with a mixture of anger and sadness. She bit her lip and focused on her computer

ffhand remarks, small slights that she had brushed aside, telling herself that s

significantly improve the company's reach in West African markets. As she stood in front

hering to let her finish her sentence. His tone was clipped, dismissive, and t

proof. Yet, with just a few words, Karl had swept it aside, as though her ideas were of no consequence. Around the

e a weight, heavy and suffocating. She wanted to defend herself, to challenge him, but th

posure, to smile when spoken to, but inside, the pressure had been building like a dam ready to burst

stration and hurt she had been holding in. Ama buried her face in her hands, shaking with quiet sobs as the words she had heard throughout the

-truly and com

hispered to herself between sobs. "Why

hen she landed her dream job was now a distant memory. She had worked so hard to get here, to prove he

sional demeanor. He never said anything explicitly racist, never crossed the line

he would glance at her, then quickly look away, as though her presence made him uncomfortable. He never invited her to infor

mpany's diversity initiatives, implying that Ama's posi

he said with a smirk, looking directly

he wanted to scream, to tell him how hard she had worked to get where she was, but the words

p for herself and the fear of losing everything she had worked for. She knew that speaking

She had come to Germany with dreams of making a name for herself, of being a trailblazer for others like h

," and she had to close her eyes, taking deep breaths to stop the tears from spilling over. Every fiber of her b

ermined her. As she presented her research, Karl interrupted with a smug c

y things work around here, Ama," he s

sing her cool, of letting all the anger and frustration spill out in a torrent of words.

hands trembling as she gripped the edge of the sink. The faces of her family back in Ghana flashed in her mind-her parents, pro

re," she thought.

ped away her tears, her hands steadying. No. She wasn't going to let

ing in her chest. Though drained and weary, Ama knew that this was not the en

hattered but determi