"I don't care what it takes, Alvin. Figure it out!"
The words didn't merely leave Melissa's lips; they erupted from her throat like a spray of venom, scorching the quiet air of her sprawling corner office. She slammed both hands onto the polished obsidian surface of her executive desk, her knuckles turning a bruised, bone-white hue. Her eyes were wide, dilated, and strained at the edges with a feverish intensity that made her look less like a seasoned corporate director and more like a woman standing on the precipice of madness.
She leaned forward, reducing the distance between them until Alvin could see the faint, frantic tremor in her jaw.
