Seraphina's Point Of View
The chairman didn't dismiss me immediately.
That was the first sign something else was coming. Just when I thought the silence meant escape, his fingers tapped once… lightly, on the file before him. The sound sliced through the room like a quiet command, and my breath caught despite myself.
"Director Seraphina."
My name didn't feel like mine in his mouth. It sounded heavier, weighted with expectation and something I couldn't quite name. The syllables hung in the air between us. I paused mid-step, the carpet suddenly feeling too soft beneath my feet, and turned back.
"Yes, sir."
He didn't look at me immediately. Instead, he opened the file, flipping through it with deliberate slowness, as though he had all the time in the world, as though my heartbeat wasn't trying to claw its way out of my chest. Each rustle of paper felt like a countdown.
