CHAPTER FIFTY–SIX – A Name That Means Danger
Laura and Zara exchanged glances before following the stream of colleagues filing into the conference room. Bo stood at the head of the table, her piercing paze sweeping over the assembled team.
“Let’s make this quick,” Bo began, her words clipped and precise. “We’ve got a lot to cover and not enough time, as usual,”
She tapped a few keys on her laptop, and a project timeline appeared on the screen behind her. “First up, the Nexus Project. We’re behind schedule, and that’s unacceptable.”
Laura felt a knot form in her stomach. She’d been working on a small part of the Nexus Project, and suddenly felt very exposed.
“Kira,” Bo barked, “where are we on the interface design?”
Kira Volkov sat up straighter, her face a mask of cool professionalism. “We’ve completed the initial wireframes and are moving into the high–fidelity mockups Should be ready for review by end of day tomorrow.”
He nodded curtly. “Good Make sure it stays that way.” Her gaze shifted. “Zaya, what’s the status on the backend integration?”
Zaya Patel, usually bubbly and excited, seemed to shrink under Bo’s intense stare. “Um, we’ve hit a few snags with the API, but we’re working through them. Should have a solution by-
“Should have?” Bo interrupted, her eyebrow arching dangerously. “I don’t want ‘should have, Zaya. I want results. Get it done by Tomorrow, or we’ll need to have a serious discussion about your place on this team.”
Laura watched as Zaya’s face fell, feeling a surge of sympathy for her colleague. She barely had time to process this when Bo’s attention snapped to her.
“Laura, you’re new here, but that doesn’t mean you get a free pass. How’s the data analysis coming along?”
Laura took a deep breath, willing her voice to remain steady. “I’ve completed the initial round of analysis on the user feedback. I’m compiling the results into a report, which should be ready by-”
“By end of day,” Bo finished for her. “I want that report on my desk before you leave tonight. No excuses.”
Laura nodded, trying not to show how flustered she felt. “Yes, of course.”
Bo continued around the room, grilling each team member in turn. The tension in the air was palpable, everyone seemingly holding their breath until Bo moved on to the next person.
Finally, after what felt like hours but was probably only twenty minutes, Bo clapped her hands together. “Alright, that’s it. You all know what you need to do. I expect nothing but the best from this team. Now get to work.”
As the team began to file out, Bo called out, “Oh, and remember, Ryan will be stopping by later to check on our progress. I don’t need to tell you how important it is that we impress him. Do not let me down.”
With that ominous warning hanging in the air, the meeting dispersed. Laura lingered for a moment, watching as her colleagues hurried back to their desks, a new urgency in their movements.
Zara appeared at her side, letting out a low whistle. “Well, that was actually tamer than usual. Must be your lucky day.”
Laura couldn’t help but laugh, the absurdity of the situation finally hitting her. “If that was tame, I’d hate to see what a bad day looks
like.
As they made their way back to their desks, Laura couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d just survived her first trial by fire. Little did she know, the day was only just beginning.
Laura had barely settled at her desk when Zaya appeared, practically vibrating with excitement. “Laura! Laura! You have to see this!”
Before Laura could respond, Zaya had whipped out her phone and was shoving it in Laura’s face. “Look at these photos from my hiking trip this weekend. Isn’t it gorgeous?”
Laura blinked, trying to focus on the cascade of images flashing before her eyes. “Oh, um, yeah. That looks… nice.”
Zaya beamed, oblivious to Laura’s lack of enthusiasm. “It was amazing! We hiked for hours, and the views were just breathtaking. Oh, and look at this waterfall!”
Laura nodded politely, her eyes darting to the stack of work on her desk. She had a report to finish by the end of the day, and Bo’s warning echoed in her mind. But Zaya seemed so excited, and Laura didn’t want to be rude.
“That’s really cool, Zaya,” she said, trying to inject some enthusiasm into her voice. “It looks like you had a great time.”
“Oh, I did! You should come with us next time. I know this great trail that ”
“Zaya,” Bo’s sharp voice cut through the chatter. “Don’t you have work to do?”
Zaya jumped, nearly dropping her phone. “Oh! Yes, sorry, lo. I was just
“Save the social hour for after work,” Bo snapped. “Get back to your desk. Now.”
As Zava scurried away, Laura caught sight of Kira watching the interaction from across the room. There was a glint in Kira’s eye that
made Laura uneasy.
Turning back to her desk, Laura reached for her stack of reports, only to find them scattered across her desk. She frowned, certain she’d left them neatly piled. As she began to gather them, she noticed Kira smirking in her direction
a little
Laura’s suspicions were confirmed when Kira sauntered over, her voice dripping with false concern. “Oh dear, did you have a l accident with your reports? How clumsy.”
Laura bit back a retort, forcing a neutral expression. “No worries, I’ve got it under control.”
Kira leaned against Laura’s desk, her perfectly manicured nails tapping against the surface. “You know, Laura, I couldn’t help but notice you seem a bit… overwhelmed. It’s understandable, really. Not everyone can handle the pace here at Sivarra Tech.”
Laura took a deep breath, reminding herself to stay professional. “I appreciate your concern, Kira, but I’m managing just fine.”
Kira’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Of course you are. I’m sure Bo will be very impressed with your… adequate performance.”
Throughout the morning, Kira continued her campaign of subtle jabs and undermining comments. She “accidentally” sent Laura the wrong file for a collaborative project, costing Laura an hour of work. During a team discussion, Kira repeatedly talked over Laura, dismissing her ideas with thinly veiled contempt
By lunchtime, Laura’s patience was wearing thin. She was organizing some data when Kira approached again, this time with a stack of
papers.
“Laura, be a dear and file these for me, would you?” Kira said, dropping the stack on Laura’s desk without waiting for a response. “I’d do it myself, but I have more pressing matters to attend to.”
Something in Laura snapped. She stood up, facing Kira directly. “Actually, Kira, I have my own work to focus on. I’m sure you’re more than capable of filing your own papers.”
Kira’s eyes narrowed, her smile turning cold. “Excuse me?”
Laura held her ground. “You heard me. I’m not your personal assistant, Kira. We’re colleagues, and I’d appreciate it if you treated me with the same respect I’ve been showing you.”
A tense silence fell over their corner of the office. Kira’s face flushed with anger, but before she could respond, Bo’s voice rang out.
“Is there a problem here?”
Both women turned to see Bo standing nearby, her arms crossed and her expression thunderous.
Kira’s demeanor instantly changed, her voice saccharine sweet. “Not at all, Ho. Laura and I were just having a little chat about workload distribution.”
TH
Bo’s paze shifted between them, clearly not buying it. “Well, chat on your own time. We have deadlines to meet, in case you’ve forgotten.”
As Bo walked away, Kira leaned in close to Laura, her voice barely above a whisper. “This isn’t over, new girl. You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”
