By evening, everyone in the marketing department looked wrung dry.
It had been a long day even before Sue's mother-in-law had stormed in and turned the office into a battlefield. After that, work had staggered forward in broken pieces—small bursts of focus interrupted by whispers, tension, and the quiet exhaustion that follows public humiliation.
So when the day finally ended, relief drifted through the department like cool air.
Ukraine and Misaki left together, walking side by side as they often did. It was their favorite part of the workday—those few minutes between the building and the parking lot when the world slowed down just enough for real conversation.
They both had plans that evening. If either of them wanted to say anything meaningful, now was the time.
Misaki took a breath.
"I asked the minister about the girl," she said, carefully avoiding names.
Ukraine glanced at her.
"You did? What did he say?"
"He said he had no idea who she was."
Her mouth tightened.
