After the conference wrapped—hands still waving ideas as I dismissed them with a final stylus flick—I drifted back to our office, the door clicking soft behind me.
Sunlight slanted lower now, gilding the Helly Paws prototypes in amber pools across the battleship table. Kicking off my heels with a relieved sigh, I padded barefoot to the plush leather chair, floral maxi whispering up my calves as I propped both legs bold on the oak surface—bare soles flexing, toes curling lazy.
The room hummed quiet, just the faint whir of laptops and distant factory clatter filtering through the windows.
"Overall, the meeting went good," I muttered to the empty air, twirling a raven strand around my finger. "But I really hate Hellen for ditching me in my first big conference alone." If she had been there, I would have been more confident. She was always with me whenever I did something big.
