"Mom, we're going to be late!"
Leo stood by the door with his backpack hanging slightly off one shoulder.
"We're not late," Lila replied, adjusting her hair in the mirror. "You just woke up dramatic."
"I was not dramatic," Leo said. "I was alert."
Selena walked past them, keys in hand. "Both of you, stop talking and move."
Luke leaned against the wall, watching the scene play out like it always did.
"They argue like this every morning?" he asked.
Selena didn't look at him. "Every morning."
Luke smiled. "Consistent."
At the school gate—
Leo ran ahead. "Bye Mom!"
"Don't forget your lunch!" Selena called.
"I won't!"
Lila waved. "See you later!"
"Stay focused in class," Selena added.
"We will!" Lila replied as they disappeared inside.
Luke closed the car door and turned to her.
"They don't look like they take school seriously," he said.
"They do. Just not at this moment."
Luke nodded. "Fair enough."
Selena handed him a folder.
"Everything's in there," she said. "Schedules, approvals, and anything pending."
Luke took it and flipped it open briefly.
"You've already organized all this?"
Selena replied, "It needs to run without interruptions."
Luke looked at her. "And you trust me to handle it?"
"I do."
He closed the folder. "Alright. I'll manage."
Selena opened the car door. "Call me if anything comes up."
Luke gave a small nod. "You always say that like problems won't appear."
Selena sat in the car. "They appear. Just not often when things are handled properly."
Luke chuckled. "That's one way to put it."
Later that morning—
Selena arrived at the Alena building.
She walked through the entrance without hesitation and approached reception.
"Good morning," the receptionist said. "How can I help you?"
"I'm here for the strategy intake."
The receptionist typed quickly into the system.
"Selena… yes. You're on today's list. Please wait over there."
Selena nodded. "Alright."
She moved to the waiting area and took a seat.
A few other candidates were already seated.
One of them glanced at her.
"First time here?"
"Yes."
"You look calm."
Selena replied, "There's no reason not to be."
He nodded. "Fair. HR sessions here usually take a while."
Selena said nothing further and leaned back slightly.
After a few minutes, Mia walked in.
"Selena?"
Selena stood. "Yes."
"I'll be handling your session," Mia said. "Come with me."
"Okay."
Inside the meeting room, several candidates were already seated and talking quietly among themselves.
Selena chose a seat near the middle and placed her folder on the table.
Mia took her position near the front with the HR team.
"Good morning," one of the HR staff said. "You've all been shortlisted for this assessment. You'll be given a case to review and discuss as a group, then present your conclusions."
Papers were distributed.
"Take a few minutes to read."
The room became quiet as everyone began reading.
Selena scanned the document carefully.
After a moment, one of the candidates spoke.
"So what's everyone thinking?"
"We need to focus on speed," another replied.
"Speed alone won't solve it," someone else added.
Selena looked up.
"Then what do you suggest?" one of them asked her.
Selena placed her pen down lightly.
"Speed without understanding the situation leads to errors."
They paused and looked at her.
"So what's the alternative?" another asked.
"Observe first," Selena said. "Identify patterns. Then act based on what's consistent."
A brief silence followed.
The discussion continued in small groups.
Some agreed, others debated.
Selena contributed when needed, but she didn't dominate the conversation.
She listened more than she spoke.
When she did speak, her points were direct.
No extra explanation.
No unnecessary arguments.
In another part of the building—
Adrian sat in his office reviewing documents.
He wasn't part of the session.
He wasn't involved in the intake process.
HR handled that.
His focus was elsewhere—company performance, reports, and strategic summaries.
A knock came at the door.
"Come in."
An assistant entered and placed a file on his desk.
"Here are the shortlisted candidates from today's intake."
Adrian nodded. "Leave it."
The assistant left.
Adrian picked up the file and began flipping through it.
Names. Backgrounds. Notes.
He read quietly, page by page.
When he reached one profile, he paused.
Selena.
He looked at the name for a moment longer than the others.
"Selena…" he repeated under his breath.
He didn't recognize her.
But something about the name felt familiar.
Not enough to place it maybe because of what happened to him in the past.
Just enough to make him pause.
He leaned back slightly.
"Probably just coincidence," he said quietly, then closed the file.
Back in the meeting room—
The HR team instructed each group to present.
Selena's group went first.
They stood and presented their approach.
One of the members spoke while others supported.
Selena added only when necessary, keeping her points brief.
"Timing matters more than reaction speed," she said during the presentation.
A few people nodded.
After all groups had presented, the HR team concluded the session.
"Thank you all. You'll be contacted with results and next steps."
Candidates began gathering their things.
Selena remained seated for a moment, organizing her notes.
Mia walked over.
"You did well," Mia said.
Selena looked up. "It was straightforward."
Mia smiled. "Most people try too hard in sessions like this."
Selena replied, "Trying too hard usually shows."
Mia laughed softly. "You're not wrong."
They walked out together.
"You'll be assigned soon," Mia said.
Selena nodded. "Alright."
Mia glanced at her. "You're not nervous at all?"
Selena replied, "There's no reason to be nervous about something that's already decided."
Mia raised an eyebrow. "Confident statement."
Selena didn't respond further.
Later that day—
Selena received a message on her system:
You've been assigned to the Strategy Department.
She read it once.
Then closed the message.
She walked to her assigned desk and sat down.
People around her were already working, typing, discussing, moving between tasks.
No one paid special attention to her.
She blended in easily.
Across the building, Adrian was reviewing another set of reports.
He paused for a moment and asked his assistant, "Who handled today's intake?"
"HR team," the assistant replied.
Adrian nodded. "Good."
He opened another file, but the earlier name still lingered in his thoughts.
Selena.
Not someone he recognized.
But not someone he could ignore either.
Selena powered on her system and began reviewing the company's internal documents.
No one knew who she really was.
No one questioned her presence.
She sat among them like any other employee.
Typing. Reading. Observing.
Waiting.
And for now, that was enough.