MasukSeñora Torres remained in his office after the rest of Sterling Tech had fully settled into their work for the day. Outside his door, the office floor continued in its usual pattern, staff moving between desks, keyboards clicking, phones ringing, and short conversations happening only when necessary. From that side of the building, nothing appeared unusual. Work continued as expected, and everyone followed their normal tasks without interruption. Inside his office, everything was arranged with careful simplicity. The room was medium-sized, neither cramped nor overly spacious, with a layout designed more for function than decoration. The walls were painted in a soft neutral tone, a mix of light grey and off-white that made the space feel clean and professional without drawing attention. There were no bright colours or personal decorations, only a quiet, controlled environment meant for work. The desk sat at the centre facing the entrance, wide and polished, with a dark wood finish that
The next day at Sterling Tech started in the usual way. Rachel was already at her desk before everyone in her department. She was focused on clearing pending complaints and responding to customer messages that had built up overnight. Her eyes stayed on the screen as she moved from one task to another, typing, reading, and updating records without pausing. It was mid-morning when Señora Torres entered the office. Rachel noticed his presence almost immediately. He walked past Rachel’s section twice without responding to Rachel's greetings. She could tell that something was wrong. At Daniel’s desk, he stopped briefly to check a file and ask a short question before moving on. Rachel saw him pass again but did not stop what she was doing, keeping her focus on the work in front of her.“Good morning, Daniel. Have you update the file?”Daniel stood up slightly as he spoke to him.“Yes sir, I’ve updated it as you requested,” Daniel said.Señora Torres glanced at the document in his hand and n
Rachel left Joseph’s office with a feeling she could not easily explain. Nothing had been clearly resolved in the way she had expected before entering the room. There was still no final answer that would allow her to settle her thoughts. She contemplated whether not saying what she saw was a good idea or not. The pieces of the conversation remained scattered and unfinished. The corridor outside felt colder than she remembered, even though nothing about the temperature had changed. She walked slowly at first, not because she was lost, but because her thoughts were still inside the office she had just left. Joseph’s voice, his calm replies, the way he watched her without rushing her, all of it remained with her as she moved away from the executive floor. When she reached the staircase leading back down, she paused for a moment. She had caught a glimpse of someone from the same place she was heading to. She did not put much attention to that. She held the railing lightly and looked down
The executive floor was quieter than the rest of the building. The noise of the customer service department faded behind her as she walked through the corridor. She reached the reception outside Joseph’s office. The assistant looked up.“He is expecting you,” she said.Rachel nodded once. “Thank you.”She stood there for a moment without moving. Then she raised her hand and knocked gently.“Come in,” Joseph’s voice said from inside.She opened the door and entered.Joseph was seated behind his desk, reviewing documents. He looked up as she walked in, then closed the file in front of him. His attention shifted fully to her.“Rachel,” he said.“Good afternoon, sir,” she replied.He gestured toward the chair opposite him.“Sit.”She sat down. The room became quiet for a moment. Joseph leaned back slightly, watching her.“You wanted to see me.”Rachel placed her hands together on her lap, steadying herself without showing it. She had come this far. Now she only had to speak. Joseph rema
Monday morning came quietly, the kind of morning that looks peaceful from the outside but doesn’t always feel that way on the inside. Rachel was already awake before she fully wanted to be. She lay still for a moment, eyes open, staring at the ceiling as the soft light from the window slowly filled the room. Everything around her looked normal. The house was quiet, the morning air was calm, and there was nothing about the moment that suggested anything was wrong but she didn’t feel fully settled. She stayed in bed a little longer than usual, not because she was tired, but because she didn’t feel like jumping into the day immediately. Her mind was already awake, even if her body wasn’t ready to follow yet. The weekend kept coming back to her. The conversation with Benjamín was the first thing that came back. He made the issue feel easy and she knew that if she wanted clarity, she should ask Joseph directly. That was what he had told her. Rachel had not replied much then, but the word
Saturday morning came quietly, without urgency or interruption. The apartment felt different in a way that had nothing to do with sound or movement. It was simply slower, as if the world outside had agreed to delay itself for a few hours. Rachel woke earlier than she needed to, not because of habit this time, but because her sleep had not fully carried her through the night. She lay still for a moment before getting up, listening to the faint sounds of the apartment settling into the morning. Benjamín was already awake when she came out of the room, sitting on the couch with a steadier posture than before, his recovery now visible in the way he moved without hesitation. Rachel noticed it immediately, but she did not comment. She moved into the kitchen and began preparing something simple, not out of necessity but because routine had become something she could do without thinking. The sound of water, the movement of cups, the small rhythm of a normal morning filled the space between th
Rachel saw Joseph’s message later that evening. He had sent the message before she left work but she was too busy to notice it. She had been dealing with customer complaints when her phone vibrated. She looked at the screen and saw his name. For a moment, she just paused, then she opened the messag
On Wednesday afternoon, Rachel was still at work. The office was calmer than the morning. Some people had already started finishing for the day, while others were still completing small tasks before closing. Rachel was at her desk going through emails and clearing pending work. She checked her phon
7:36 PM Neon lights flickered against the brick walls of the old bodega-turned-nightclub in Malasaña. American pop mixed with Spanish reggaeton, vibrating through the floor and into every ear inside.Laughter clashed with the clink of glasses. Perfume, gin and tonics, and cigarette smoke mixed thic
The world was a strange balance of ruin and routine, just like the Yin and Yang, of hospital lights and office doors, of whispered prayers and million-dollar signatures.In Madrid, wealth and desperation walked the same streets, spoke the same language, breathed the same air.She believed in surviv







