Chapter 25
Miranda’s irritation seeped through her usual polish, her voice slicing the air with a sharper edge as her mood soured. She fixed Valeria with a skeptical stare, barely masking her unease. Before Luciana could muster a reply, Valeria met Miranda’s challenge with a serene smile, her tone smooth and unruffled. “Starbright Group has an exclusive hiring channel,” she said, her words flowing effortlessly. “I earned my spot after passing a grueling examination—one that doesn’t forgive the faint-hearted.”
Miranda’s brow creased, suspicion carving deep furrows across her face as she leaned forward, her voice thick with doubt. “I’ve been here for years—how is it I’ve never heard of this so-called exclusive channel?” Her question hung like a storm cloud, heavy with accusation, daring an answer.
The room stilled, an awkward hush settling over them as Luciana faltered, caught in the crosshairs of Miranda’s probing. Valeria’s hiring wasn’t standard fare—she’d been handpicked by headquarters, a directive whispered in confidence to Luciana alone. The tightrope between secrecy and disclosure trembled beneath her feet. Sensing the tension coiling like a spring about to snap, Luciana stepped in with a diplomat’s grace. “There is such a channel,” she said, her voice steady as a metronome. “It’s rare, reserved for exceptional cases, and its test is a beast few conquer. We don’t trumpet it in HR memos.” She cast a quick glance at Valeria, then back to Miranda, her eyes urging peace. “Valeria’s proven her mettle, and with your experience, Miranda, you’re the perfect one to guide her.”
The words smoothed the jagged edges of the moment, tempering Miranda’s ire—for now. Yet beneath her placated exterior, a nagging doubt gnawed at her. Starbright’s hiring was a gauntlet, a crucible that melted mediocrity away. Adriana’s tales had painted Valeria as a shadow of capability, unfit for such a forge, exclusive channel or not. Then, a darker thought slithered into Miranda’s mind, chilling her spine: Could Valeria’s placement stem from strings pulled by some unseen higher-up? The possibility gripped her with a cold dread she couldn’t shake. No—she’d bide her time, peel back the layers of Valeria’s murky origins before striking.
With a practiced effort, Miranda buried her skepticism beneath a warm smile, extending her hand with a veneer of camaraderie. “Great,” she said, her voice steady and inviting. “From now on, you’ll be working right under me.”
Luciana exhaled a quiet breath of relief, the shift in Miranda’s demeanor a balm to her nerves. After doling out a few more instructions, she slipped from the office, leaving Miranda to steer the helm. Pointing to a nearby desk, Miranda said briskly, “That one’s yours.”
Valeria nodded, gliding to the station with an easy grace and settling in as if it had always been hers. “Alright, Ms. Chavez, what’s next on the agenda?” she asked, her eagerness a soft spark in the room’s hum.
Miranda paused, her mind ticking like a clock as she weighed her options. “Well…” she began, sliding a hefty stack of documents across to Valeria’s desk, the papers whispering against the wood. “I need these sorted for this afternoon’s meeting. Get them in order first.”
“Sure,” Valeria replied, her focus snapping into place as she dove into the pile. The task was simple, a mere ripple in her capabilities, yet she sifted through it with a precision that belied its modesty. In just half an hour, she handed the neatly organized files back to Miranda, who pored over them with a critical eye. A flicker of genuine approval softened Miranda’s features, blooming into a grin. “Excellent work,” she said, her tone warm with unexpected delight. “You’ve shown you’re more than up to the task.”
The shift in her attitude was stark, a pivot from earlier frost to sudden sunshine. Valeria’s eyes flickered with a fleeting thought—praise for such a basic chore felt disproportionate. Was Miranda truly impressed, or was this a calculated play? She kept her composure, her voice steady and confident. “Thank you, Ms. Chavez. What’s next?”
Miranda’s smile eased into something gentler, almost maternal. “That’s it for now. You’ve earned a break—take a moment to breathe.” Her words ushered in a hush, the room’s attention swiveling to Valeria like moths to a flame, curiosity glinting in their sidelong glances.
Valeria retreated to her desk, her presence a quiet ripple in the office’s tide. She gazed through the glass window, the sprawling panorama of corporate life unfolding before her—phones trilling, papers rustling, a symphony of routine. The sharp ring of Miranda’s phone shattered the lull, and she stepped out, her exit igniting a murmur of chatter among the staff.
“Wow, Miranda’s usually a tyrant who doesn’t give a damn about us grunts,” one voice piped up, laced with disbelief. “Did pigs sprout wings overnight?”
“No kidding,” another chimed in. “Her smiles are rarer than a desert bloom—something’s up.”
Valeria tuned out the gossip, her focus drifting beyond the glass, until Miranda swept back in, a hefty bag of coffee slung over her shoulder. “Here’s to our newest team member!” she declared, her smile radiant. “Coffee’s on me today!” The colleagues, still reeling from their whispered theories, exchanged stunned looks, their disbelief palpable.
Unfazed by the undercurrents, Miranda bustled about, doling out steaming cups with a cheer that felt almost performative. The morning wore on, and Valeria found her workload light—yet Miranda’s attentiveness grew insistent, a parade of treats landing on her desk with startling frequency. The solicitude teetered on the edge of overwhelming, even for Valeria’s steady nerves, stirring a faint unease beneath her calm facade.
As lunchtime loomed, Valeria rose to head for the cafeteria, only for Miranda’s voice to ring out, bright and casual. “Hey, Valeria, I’m going that way—how about I grab your lunch too?” Heads snapped around, colleagues pausing mid-step, their eyes locking on Valeria with unguarded curiosity.
The fervor in Miranda’s offer prickled Valeria’s instincts—she sensed the probing beneath the kindness, yet its intensity still pressed against her composure. She offered a slight smile, waving a hand gently. “Thanks, but I’ve got no pressing tasks. I’ll get it myself.”
Miranda chuckled, her warmth insistent. “Come on, you’re new—it’s my job to look out for you. No need to stand on ceremony!” Before Valeria could demur, Miranda clapped a reassuring hand on her shoulder and darted off, leaving her no room to refuse.
Valeria sank back into her chair, the weight of curious stares settling around her like a fog. Five minutes later, Miranda breezed in, balancing two lunch boxes with a triumphant grin. The sixth floor had hushed, most staff trickling out for their break. Miranda scanned the near-empty space, then pulled a chair beside Valeria, settling in with an air of easy familiarity.
As they ate, Miranda leaned into conversation, her tone light but pointed. “You might not realize, but even as a branch of Starbright Group, landing a job here is like cracking into an Ivy League school. Top grads claw through five interviews and three written tests. Getting in fresh like this? That’s a stroke of fortune.”
Valeria sensed the shift—Miranda was probing, circling her prey. She nodded, her voice even and unruffled. “I wouldn’t call it luck alone. The exclusive channel I went through had its own brutal gauntlet—assessments that don’t pull punches.”
