"Do you ever get tired of winning headlines?"
Jake's voice cut through the quiet hum of the office as he set a fresh cup of coffee beside Samantha's keyboard.
Samantha didn't look up immediately. She sat behind her glass-top desk, one leg crossed elegantly over the other, her eyes scanning the article glowing on her monitor. The morning sun poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Elevate's headquarters, painting her in golden light.
On the screen, bold letters danced across a business column:
"ELEVATE STRATEGIC GROUP VS CARTER GROUP: TWO DYNASTIES, ONE CITY, ONE THRONE."
Her lips curved faintly. "Tired? Not exactly. But I do wish they'd spell my name right when they call me ruthless."
Jake chuckled, leaning over her shoulder to read. "They're calling you the ice queen of corporate warfare. That's new."
"Journalists love metaphors," Samantha murmured, taking a sip of her coffee. "But they're not entirely wrong."
