Chapter 5 - The Glass Ceiling
At 2:30 PM, Chloe Thorne was sitting at her polished granite desk outside Julian's corner office, sipping an espresso and talking on her phone.
"I know, right?" Chloe giggled into the receiver, twirling the white watch around her wrist. "Some pathetic intern thought she could walk onto the executive floor today. Julian literally put her in her place right in front of everyone. She left crying."
She hung up as the elevator doors chimed open.
Two security officers stepped out, followed by a woman in a sharp charcoal-grey pantsuit.
Chloe’s eyes narrowed as she saw me approaching her desk. She slammed her espresso cup down, standing up with an arrogant huff.
"You again?" Chloe sneered, waving her hand dismissively. "How did security even let you back in here? I told you, custodians use the service entrance! Did you not learn your lesson this morning?"
I stopped directly in front of her desk, my hands resting calmly in my pockets.
"Miss Thorne," I said softly. "I suggest you check your company email."
Chloe blinked, surprised by my composure. She glanced down at her desktop monitor. A red notification flag was flashing across her screen:
ALERT: EMPLOYEE ACCESS REVOKED. ALL CORPORATE CARDS SUSPENDED IMMEDIATELY BY PARENT BOARD.
Chloe’s face paled slightly, but she quickly forced a laugh. "This is a system error. Julian will fix this in two seconds."
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She turned toward the double mahogany doors of Julian's office and pushed them open without knocking.
"Julian!" she whined, stepping inside. "The system is glitching! My cards are frozen!"
