The tension in the project team had reached an almost suffocating level. The long-anticipated cooperation between Everhart's company and Soveir's conglomerate had finally been announced to the public, making headlines in the business world.
For Melisa, it should have been a proud moment. Instead, she found herself surrounded by sharp eyes and thinly veiled hostility. Her colleagues, especially those who had always viewed her as an outsider, now treated her as a pawn in their personal games. They whispered about her in corners, ridiculed her behind false smiles, and subtly tried to erase her contributions from reports and presentations.
And she let them—for now.
Melisa understood politics better than any of them. The Everhart family name had taught her the rules of the elite, the games played behind silk curtains, and the price of premature retaliation. She had learned patience from watching her parents navigate brutal negotiations with unshakable calm.
