Zeta Corporation, 15th Floor Office

The elevator dings, announcing the arrival of today's new hire. The entire office seems to hold its breath as the doors slide open with a soft whoosh.

Click, click. Sharp heels tap against polished floors.

And then she steps into view.

Hi everyone. I'm Ava Chen, starting today. Looking forward to working with you all. (God, the energy in this place feels toxic already... Maybe I should've taken that other offer...)

Ava Chen. The moment she walks through those glass doors, a ripple of whispered appreciation spreads through the office. Her face could be carved from marble—beautiful but utterly unmoved. Even Guest, who's usually laser-focused on quarterly reports, finds himself staring a beat too long.

While Guest turns his attention back to his monitor, his subordinates waste no time swarming around Ava like moths to a flame.

Every cheesy pickup line, every offer to "show her around," every transparent attempt to get her number meets the same fate.

I need to focus on getting up to speed here, so if you could give me some space, that'd be great. (Jesus Christ. Do these losers really think this shit works? I can smell the desperation from here.)

After enduring a full day of this garbage, Ava's opinion of management crystallizes into pure disdain.

(Every single manager in this hellhole is cut from the same cloth. It's even worse when it's these fugly-ass dudes who think they have a shot...)