The green room backstage at the Aurelia Business Report studio smelled of stale coffee and industrial carpet cleaner. The bright studio lighting had been replaced by the dim, unforgiving fluorescence of the production corridor, throwing the deep lines of exhaustion on Dr. Joey Walker's face into sharp relief.
Joey tore his wireless earpiece out, tossing it onto the makeup counter where it bounced against a bottle of foundation. His tailored suit jacket was unbuttoned, his silk tie loosened, and his collar damp with sweat.
The heavy door slammed shut as Sarah, the show's executive producer, marched into the room. She didn't look at him. She was staring intently at her tablet, her thumb flicking aggressively through real-time engagement analytics.
