Chapter 5: Shifting Priorities

It was an early Friday morning when Mia received the email. The subject line alone sent a thrill of panic through her: “Meeting with Alex Carter – Prepare for Review.”

She knew it was coming—after all, Alex had specifically told her she’d be keeping an eye on her progress. But the reality of it still hit hard. Mia stared at the email for a few moments, gathering her thoughts. She’d spent the past few days working overtime, refining her designs, collecting data, and perfecting her presentation. But it still didn’t feel like enough. There was always more to learn, more to improve. In this company, it felt like perfection was expected on the first try, and anything less wasn’t enough.

Taking a deep breath, Mia shut her laptop, grabbed her bag, and set out for the office.

By the time she arrived, the office was already buzzing with energy, with teams running through various tests and development cycles. There was something invigorating about the pace here—a sense of urgency that pushed everyone to do their best. Mia had never worked anywhere like it before, and it felt both exciting and exhausting.

She headed straight for the break room, hoping to catch a moment of peace before her meeting. David was there, sipping his coffee and scrolling through his phone.

“Big day?” he asked, noticing her tense expression.

Mia gave a half-smile. “Alex wants to meet today. For a review.”

David’s expression softened. “You’ve got this, Mia. Seriously. You’ve been killing it these past few days. Don’t let her intimidate you.”

Mia nodded, though she didn’t feel entirely reassured. “I just want to make sure I’m not missing anything.”

David raised an eyebrow. “Well, just remember—this isn’t about impressing her. It’s about doing the work, proving you can bring something to the table. And you have.”

“Thanks, David,” Mia said, though she didn’t quite believe him yet.

At that moment, her phone buzzed in her pocket. It was a reminder for the meeting with Alex in twenty minutes.

“Time to face the music,” she muttered to herself.

Alex’s office was sleek and minimalist, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering an impressive view of the city below. Mia stood outside the door for a moment, trying to calm her racing thoughts.

When she knocked, Alex’s voice called from inside, “Come in.”

Mia entered, setting her bag down by the chair. She took her usual seat, across from Alex, who was already flipping through her presentation slides. Alex’s posture was immaculate, her expression serious and professional.

“I’ve gone over your data and the changes you’ve made to the onboarding flow,” Alex said, her voice cool and controlled. “I’m impressed with your attention to detail, but there are still gaps.”

Mia’s heart skipped. “What gaps?” she asked, trying to mask the unease in her voice.

“Some of your assumptions are still not grounded in the real user experience. You need more data to back up your decisions. I told you earlier—data-driven decisions are non-negotiable here.”

Mia swallowed. “I’ve been working on running tests. I’ll have more data by next week.”

Alex’s eyes sharpened. “Not good enough. We move fast here, Mia. You can’t afford to wait for the next week. You need actionable results today.”

Mia felt her chest tighten. “Understood.”

Alex studied her for a moment, then leaned back in her chair. “You’re capable. But you need to work smarter, not harder. If you want to stay ahead here, you need to stop second-guessing yourself.”

Mia nodded, trying to stay calm under the pressure. “I’ll fix it. I’ll have the data today.”

Alex’s gaze softened, and for a moment, Mia swore she saw a flicker of something like respect in her eyes. “Good. Now, let’s talk about next steps. You’ll need to present your final version to the whole team on Monday.”

Mia’s stomach dropped. “The whole team?”

“Yes,” Alex replied firmly. “This is where the real work begins. Be prepared. You have less than three days.”

Mia didn’t hesitate. “I’ll be ready.”

As the meeting wrapped up, Mia left Alex’s office feeling both drained and determined. She wasn’t sure if Alex’s words were meant to be encouragement or a challenge, but she was more focused than ever. She had to get this right. She had to prove herself.

Later that afternoon, when Mia sat down to revise her presentation, her phone buzzed again. This time, it was a message from Sofia.

Sofia: Hey, I’ve been thinking about it. When this competition is over, I want us to take a weekend trip together. A break. What do you think?

Mia smiled at the thought of her sister.

Mia: That sounds perfect. You deserve it.

She paused, then added. How’s the prep going?

Sofia: Good, but Lily says Marcus is driving her insane with his new “innovative” ideas. 😂

Mia laughed quietly, tapping out a response.

Mia: Tell Marcus he better win, or I’ll have to send a rematch request!

As she typed, Mia felt a small moment of peace. No matter how intense things got at work, she could always count on Sofia to ground her. They were a world apart in their day-to-day lives, but at their core, they were still connected.

Mia turned back to her laptop, cracking her knuckles. It was time to focus. It was time to finish what she’d started.

The next few days passed in a blur. Mia barely slept, running tests, adjusting her wireframes, and collecting data. She was determined to make Alex proud, to prove she could handle the pressure. But it was also a constant battle against her own self-doubt.

By Sunday evening, Mia had pulled together a polished final version. She was exhausted, but the feeling of accomplishment was worth it. The real test, however, would come tomorrow.

Monday morning arrived all too soon. The office was filled with a nervous excitement as Mia set up her presentation. She could feel the weight of the team’s eyes on her as they gathered in the conference room.

David shot her an encouraging smile as she walked in, but Mia’s gaze went straight to Alex, who was already seated at the head of the table, her expression unreadable.

Mia took a deep breath and launched into her presentation. Every word, every slide, was carefully crafted to show not only her ideas but her commitment to the project.

As she finished, Mia felt the silence in the room stretch on longer than she expected.

Finally, Alex spoke. “Well done.”

Mia’s breath caught.

“You’ve made progress,” Alex continued. “The work is solid. Now, let’s talk about how to push it even further.”

And for the first time since she’d walked into this office, Mia allowed herself to smile.

She was exactly where she needed to be.

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