At seven o’clock on a gray Monday morning, Elena stood in her kitchen with one hand around a cooling mug of coffee and the other hovering over her phone. An email waited from her manager: Could we discuss your proposal today? Nothing more. No accusation. No warning. Just a question.
Still, Elena’s shoulders tightened. Her mind supplied the rest.
She thinks I overstepped. She’s going to expose the mistake. I should have kept quiet.

