Wolfe Tower, Executive Utility Hallway – 9:30a.m.
The heavy door clicked shut behind her.
Talia walked stiffly down the side corridor, past a line of untouched silver carts and sparkling white gloves. Her vision blurred for a moment, but she blinked hard.
No tears. Not here. Not where the cameras might see.
She turned a corner and slipped into a small, unused linen storage room. Closed the door behind her. No lock, just silence. And for the first time that morning — she exhaled fully.
Her back pressed against the cold metal shelf. Her chest rose and fell too fast.
She wasn't sobbing. But her hands shook as they slid down her blouse.
You look like you're here to impress someone.
The words burned through her like acid. She looked down at herself.
The blouse she had carefully ironed. The pants she'd borrowed from her mother's closet. The soft pink lip balm she'd worn not to attract attention, but to look alive.
Now she felt ashamed of every choice.
Like she'd overstepped by simply existing. Her hands curled into fists. Then — the sharp ping of her phone.
Message from: Wolfe Assistant Terminal
Subject: Uniform Assignment – Effective Immediately
"Per Mr. Wolfe's instruction, you are to collect your standard Executive Service Uniform from Storage Room B3. No personal clothing is permitted on the executive floor moving forward.
Compliance expected tomorrow morning. No exceptions."
Talia closed her eyes. Even her clothes. Taken.
She let her head rest against the shelf, breathing quietly, trying to gather herself.
And she didn't see him — Alexander — standing just beyond the door, having paused while reviewing a schedule update on his tablet.
He hadn't meant to listen. But he had heard the door softly shut. He had heard the breathlessness in her chest. And then… he heard nothing.
Too quiet. Too still.
He didn't enter. Didn't knock. But he stood there for a moment longer than he needed to — hand at his side, jaw tight, eyes cold.
Not at her. At Wolfe.
He's breaking her,Alexander thought.
And she hasn't even been here an hour.
And still… She hadn't left.
He turned away. Slowly. But with a different kind of awareness now.
Not of her beauty. But of her strength — and how easily it could be taken if no one noticed.
Wolfe Tower – Linen Room, 10:00 a.m.
The light overhead flickered softly as Talia Brooks adjusted the collar of her blouse and wiped under her eyes with the edge of her palm. No tears had fallen. But the weight of almost-crying left her cheeks warm and her spirit sore.
She reached for her phone again — needing distraction, escape, anything.
Another notification blinked at the top of her screen.
HR Payroll Notification – Wolfe & Co.
Subject:Confidential Onboarding Compensation Summary
Position:Executive Culinary & Sanitation Support
Start Date:Effective immediately
Monthly Salary:$6,200.00 USD(Net).
Includes Executive Hazard Bonus + Discretionary Allowance
First Payment:Processed end of the month
She stared.
Her breath caught — not from shock this time, but from something deeper. Something more grounding.
$6,200!
That wasn't a job offer. That was a lifeline.
She could cover her father's overdue medical treatments.
She could help her mother fix the moldy ceiling.
She could return to university next semester — and pay in full.
She pressed her hand to her chest, the weight of that number settling into her bones. Suddenly, the uniform didn't feel like a collar. It felt like armor.
She stood before a mirror in the service room now, buttoning up her newly issued Wolfe & Co. executive support uniform: sleek black slacks, a crisp white fitted shirt, and a clean gray utility apron embroidered with silver initials.
No personality. No color. No identity. But it fit perfectly.
She smoothed the sleeves. Tied her apron. Checked the mirror once more. She didn't look like the girl who had walked in this morning.
She looked stripped down. Sharpened. Still standing. And as she picked up the neatly folded uniform bag for future shifts, her phone buzzed again.
From: Alexander Blackwood
Subject: Confirmation of Orientation Completed
Miss Brooks,
Mr. Wolfe expects punctuality and invisibility. You've passed your first hour. Let's see if you survive the week.
Welcome to the Tower.
She didn't reply. She just took a breath — deep and even — and stepped out of the room. Not softer. Not warmer. But still here. And in Wolfe Tower, that was already a kind of victory.