Chapter 30

• My office was spacious, with a touch of understated luxury. I hadn’t been inside many offices before, but I’d seen enough in movies and TV shows to recognize the markers of authority. The elegant wooden desk, the plush office chair, the meticulously crafted cabinets, and the exquisite coffee table flanked by a sofa and armchairs—it was the kind of setup that belonged to someone important. A general manager or a department director, perhaps. Yet here I stood, in a space just like those from the screen, except this was mine.
• The strangeness of it all settled over me as I wandered the room. My fingers brushed lightly over the polished desktop and my sleek, top-of-the-line laptop. Even a personal coffee machine graced my office. It was a stark contrast to the way I used to work—perched on a bed or the floor with my laptop precariously balanced on my knees, sipping lukewarm coffee brewed hours earlier. I knew my skills should have earned me a five-digit monthly salary long ago, yet standing here, surrounded by such extravagance, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I didn’t quite belong. Beneath my calm exterior, joy bubbled uncontrollably, but an anxious voice whispered that any moment someone would burst in and demand I leave.
• That thought had barely crossed my mind when a sharp knock rattled the door, followed by it swinging open before I could even answer.