Episode 3

The hours pass quickly, and soon it's lunchtime.

I grab my frozen meal, the container a bit crumpled from being carried around so much, and walk to the staff area to heat it up. The atmosphere is calm, almost empty, as usual at this time, and the smell of coffee still hangs in the air.

"Is the tea finished?" I ask, not expecting much, but just wanting a little conversation.

"We don't have tea... Want some coffee?" The attendant replies with a friendly smile.

"Oh, no thank you." I answer quickly, with a forced smile. The last thing I need right now is coffee. What I really wanted was something warmer to calm the anxiety that's starting to consume me.

As the microwave starts to heat my food, I feel a familiar presence approaching. When I look, I see Ethan coming towards me, his expression serious, but at the same time, a little softer than usual. This unnerves me for a moment.

"Everything alright?" He asks, his voice low.

I take a deep breath, trying to hide the tension I feel in every muscle of my body.

"Oh... Yes, sir." I reply automatically, more out of politeness than real conviction. Something about his presence still makes me uncomfortable.

He looks at the microwave, apparently thinking for a moment, and then says:

"I'm going to make some tea..."

"I wanted some too, but... We don't have tea." I say, forcing a smile. I feel like he's trying to be nice, but I don't know what to do with it.

The microwave beeps and I grab my food, relieved to finally be able to get away from that tension a little.

"Excuse me, sir..." I say quickly, moving away to sit at a table in the corner. I try not to think too much about the situation, pick up my food, put on my headphones, and look out the window. Outside, the sky is gray, but the view of the city makes me feel a little calm, a feeling I'd almost forgotten what it was like.

I close my eyes for a moment, and the music starts to play softly in my headphones. The melody is familiar, almost like an embrace that envelops me. A song that has always calmed me since I can remember. I let myself be carried away by the notes and, for a few moments, the noise of the world outside disappears, leaving only me and the music, bringing me back to a sense of peace that I rarely find.

Sarah Homer

Upon returning to my desk, I feel a growing tension. As always, the work pace continues, but something seems to be in the air. Camily, who is sitting next to me, observes me with a look that mixes curiosity and a certain mischievous smile.

"He's going to have some fun..." She says quietly, which makes me roll my eyes.

I don't quite know what she means, but the feeling in the air isn't the best. Ethan's office has that frosted glass that only allows you to see the shadows of people inside, without details. Even so, Sara's presence is somewhat... suspicious.

"He wouldn't do that here, would he?" I ask, feeling a growing discomfort. I don't even want to imagine what could happen between them, but I can't help it. Right at work, it gives me a lump in my throat.

Camily lets out a sigh, shrugging.

"Sweet Elle, he always does... With practically all the female employees." She laughs with a tone that seems to know too much, as if she's seen this before.

This makes me uncomfortable. It's not the kind of situation I wanted to imagine. Just thinking about it makes me feel disgusted.

"How awful..." I reply, my voice somewhat low and distant. What's happening there is something I can't control, and that thought is a bit too much for me.

"Have you had lunch yet?" Camily changes the subject, trying to lighten the mood, but I'm still lost in my own thoughts.

"Yes..." I answer distractedly, but my gaze wanders a bit. How can Ethan be so hard to understand? Maybe I'm just being paranoid.

Camily, noticing that I'm not entirely there, gives a mischievous smile and offers something that usually makes me smile.

"I have sour candies, want to share?" She holds the bag in front of me, and I can't resist.

"Sure!" I reply, with a slight smile, finally taking my mind off the complicated matters. Sour candies are one of those little joys in life that can pull me out of a bad mood.

After a few minutes, while we were chewing and laughing at silly jokes, Ethan appears in our staff area. His gaze is serious, and his posture is tense. He clearly has something important to say, and everyone in the room knows that when he presents himself like this, it's not for something trivial.

"I need to inform everyone..." He begins, pausing before looking at us. His voice sounds heavy, as if he has a weight on his shoulders. "Sara has been appointed to be in charge of our department from now on."

The news catches me by surprise. I knew there was something strange in the air, but I didn't expect this.

"She's going to be our boss?" I ask, unable to hide my confusion.

Ethan pauses and looks directly at me, his gaze firm but distant. He doesn't seem to want to discuss the decision, but I can't understand.

"No, not exactly. I'm still coordinating the work, but Sara has been appointed to be one of those responsible for the processes. She will help with whatever is needed." He explains, without showing much enthusiasm, as if he were just relaying the information.

I take a deep breath, but frustration starts to build.

"The decision was made by the board. We'll have to work with this." He says, in a tone that leaves no room for questions.

I remain quiet, processing the information. How will this affect our work? I can't shake the feeling that we're being thrown into a situation that will harm us.

Camily, noticing my discomfort, lets out a nervous laugh.

"Looks like we'll have a new boss... even without her knowing anything about what we do." She says, with a touch of irony.

I look at her and, for a second, our eyes meet. We know that, no matter how hard we try, we can't change what happened. All we can do is wait and see how everything unfolds.

Ethan walks away, but I still stand there, reflecting on what this means for our department and for the work we do. Something tells me we'll have to adapt to more changes, and I hate changes.

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