It had been over a month since Raya first stepped into the role of Adrian Blake's personal secretaAt the beginning, the job had felt impossible, like trying to hold water in trembling hands. Every task seemed designed to expose her inadequacies, every deadline a guillotine waiting to fall.
Now, more than a month later?
It was still impossible.
Worse, perhaps. The initial shock had worn off, replaced by a bone-deep exhaustion and a growing, gnawing certainty: she had made a catastrophic mistake in accepting this position.
If she were brutally honest with herself, and lately, brutal honesty was all she had left, Stephen had been exceptional. Flawless, even. The longer she tried to fill his shoes, the more she understood why people still spoke his name in hushed, almost reverent tones months after his departure. He hadn't simply done the job; he had mastered it, anticipated needs before they arose, smoothed edges no one else could see. No one could truly replace him.
And Raya?
