Chapter 4: Crossing Lines

The third day of Mia’s internship began with the kind of nervous energy that felt almost electric. After her encounter with Alex Carter the day before, she’d spent most of the night tweaking her prototypes and diving into user data. Sleep had been an afterthought.

She arrived early, laptop in hand, her determination outweighing her exhaustion. The office was quiet, the usual bustling energy muted in the early hours. Mia liked it this way—time to settle, to breathe, to prepare.

As she pulled up her analysis on user behavior, she caught sight of David making his way over.

“Morning, early bird,” he said, a coffee cup in hand.

“Morning,” Mia replied, stifling a yawn.

“Let me guess,” David said with a knowing smirk, “you stayed up late working on whatever Alex said yesterday, didn’t you?”

Mia laughed lightly. “Is it that obvious?”

“It’s a rite of passage here,” David said. “Just don’t let her push you too far. She has a way of expecting perfection.”

Mia paused. “She’s tough, but… I get it. She’s built something incredible. I want to be part of that, to contribute in a meaningful way.”

David gave her an appraising look. “That’s the kind of attitude that gets you noticed here. Just make sure you don’t burn out before you get there.”

Mia nodded, appreciating his concern, but her focus was already shifting back to her work.

By mid-morning, the office was alive with its usual buzz, and Mia found herself called into an impromptu meeting with Nina Patel, the head of UX design. Nina was sharp and direct, her standards almost as intimidating as Alex’s.

“You’ve made good progress,” Nina said, scrolling through Mia’s presentation on the large conference room monitor. “But Alex is going to want this polished before the end of the week. Are you prepared for that?”

“Yes,” Mia said without hesitation.

“Good,” Nina replied. “Because she doesn’t care how long you’ve been here. If you’re presenting something, it better be airtight.”

As the meeting wrapped up, Mia’s phone buzzed with a message from Sofia.

Sofia: We got selected for the finals of the competition!!! 🥳 Lily’s already planning the next round, and Marcus is acting like he’s won a Nobel Prize. Wish me luck for round two!

Mia smiled at her sister’s excitement. Sofia was thriving in university, her passion for business strategy evident in everything she did. Despite their different paths, Mia often felt inspired by her younger sister’s fearlessness.

Mia quickly typed back a response.

Mia: That’s amazing! I’m so proud of you. Let me know when the finals are—I’ll try to make it.

Her thoughts lingered on Sofia for a moment, wondering what it must be like to work with friends like Lily and Marcus. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had that kind of camaraderie in her own life.

By lunchtime, Mia’s focus was interrupted once more, this time by the sound of heels clicking purposefully against the office floor. Alex Carter was heading straight for her.

“Mia,” Alex said, her tone brisk. “Do you have a moment?”

Mia’s pulse quickened. “Of course.”

“Follow me.”

Alex led her to a smaller meeting room, its minimalist design as intimidating as the woman standing across from her. Alex gestured to a seat, and Mia quickly sat down, laptop at the ready.

“I reviewed the initial wireframes Nina sent me,” Alex began, her tone sharp but not unkind. “Your design concepts are promising, but I’m concerned about the scalability. Walk me through your thought process.”

Mia took a deep breath and launched into her explanation, pointing out the data-backed decisions she’d made and how her adjustments aimed to solve specific user pain points. Alex listened intently, her expression unreadable.

When Mia finished, Alex leaned back in her chair, her piercing gaze making Mia feel like she was being x-rayed.

“You’re thorough,” Alex said finally. “And you’re clearly putting in the effort. But effort alone won’t get you far here. You need to think bigger, anticipate problems before they arise.”

“I understand,” Mia said, her voice steady despite the knot forming in her stomach.

“Do you?” Alex asked, her tone softening slightly. “Because this isn’t just about impressing me or Nina. It’s about creating something that works, something that lasts.”

Mia nodded. “I’ll do better. I promise.”

Alex’s lips quirked into the faintest hint of a smile. “Good. I’ll be watching.”

As Alex stood to leave, Mia mustered the courage to speak. “Ms. Carter?”

Alex paused, turning back.

“I wanted to thank you,” Mia said, her voice earnest. “For the advice you gave me at the conference two years ago. It made a difference.”

Alex tilted her head slightly, her expression thoughtful. “I remember now. You asked about building user trust through design.”

Mia’s eyes widened in surprise. “You remember that?”

“I remember a lot of things,” Alex said, a hint of amusement in her voice. “Keep up the good work, Mia.”

And with that, she was gone, leaving Mia sitting there, stunned but invigorated.

The rest of the day flew by in a blur of meetings and project updates. When Mia finally packed up to leave, she felt a strange mix of exhaustion and exhilaration.

As she stepped into the crisp evening air, her phone buzzed again. Another message from Sofia.

Sofia: Lily says hi, and Marcus says he wants a rematch at Monopoly the next time we all meet up. Don’t work too hard, okay?

Mia laughed softly, typing back a quick reply.

Mia: Tell Marcus he’ll lose again. And don’t worry, I’ll find time to breathe. Good luck with the competition prep!

As she walked to the subway, her thoughts lingered on the day’s events. She wasn’t sure where this journey would lead, but for the first time in a long while, she felt like she was exactly where she was meant to be.

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