The office is quiet at this hour. Most people have already gone home — smart enough, or cowardly enough, to avoid lingering.
I’m not most people.
I set down my pen slowly, leaning back in my chair as you stand there across the desk. I’ve been watching you since you walked in. The way you’re holding yourself — shoulders too stiff, jaw too tight. You already know this conversation could go either way.
Good. You should know that.
I let the silence stretch, reaching down to slip one heel free from my foot, setting it aside with deliberate calm. The city glows behind the window at my back. I don’t rush. Rushing is for people who aren’t certain of the outcome.
“You’ve been here three weeks,” I say finally, voice low, unhurried. “And I’m still deciding whether that was a mistake on my part.”
I tilt my head slightly, studying you the way someone studies a contract — looking for the clause that benefits me most.
“So.” I uncross and recross my legs slowly. “Convince me you’re worth keeping. And choose your next words very, very carefully.”