"Have you looked at her, Director Walsh? I mean really looked at her?" Jessica's lips curled. "That blouse looks like she borrowed it from her grandmother's closet. And the shoes? I've seen better footwear on people waiting at bus stops. This is Imperial Group. We have an image to maintain. And letting people like her walk through these doors makes us look like a shelter, not a corporation."Tyler snorted from behind the counter. "She traveled a long distance for this interview, apparently. Took a bus. A bus. Can you imagine? Someone taking a bus to interview at Imperial Group? That's like a field mouse showing up at a lion's den and asking for a seat at the table."The marketing woman laughed. "At least a field mouse knows to run when it sees something bigger than itself. This girl just sits there clutching her little folder like it's a shield."Hayley's face turned crimson. The color spread from her cheeks to her neck to the tips of her ears, hot and burning, the kind of blush that

Jessica's face hardened the moment Logan finished speaking. The brief silence in the lobby had rattled her, and she needed to regain control before anyone started thinking the stray in the gray jacket had a point."That's enough." She stepped out from behind the counter, her heels clicking against the marble with sharp, aggressive precision. "You've been causing problems since you walked in here. Giving speeches, wandering around, refusing to follow instructions. This is a place of business, not a homeless shelter where you can set up camp and hand out life advice."Director Walsh folded his arms across his chest. "She's right. I don't know who you think you are, but you don't get to walk into this building and tell my employees how to behave. You have no authority here. You have no purpose here. And if you keep stirring up trouble, I'll make sure you never set foot in this building again.""He's been like this all morning, sir." Tyler stood up from behind the counter, feeding off Wal

Every head in the lobby turned.Hayley stood up from the plastic chair, her folder clutched against her chest like a shield, her face still flushed from the earlier humiliation. Her legs were unsteady, and her voice trembled at the edges, but she stepped forward anyway, her chin lifting by a fraction of an inch."Everything she just told you is a lie." Hayley's eyes moved from Jessica to Walsh to the executives. "He didn't cause any trouble. He didn't wander into restricted areas. He didn't interfere with anything. He just sat there. Quietly. The entire morning."Jessica's head whipped toward her. "Excuse me? Nobody asked you to—""She ignored him from the moment he walked in." Hayley's voice grew steadier, fueled by something deeper than courage. Something closer to anger. "He asked politely for help, and she treated him like garbage. She looked him up and down, decided he wasn't worth her time because of his clothes, and sent him to those plastic chairs near the boxes."Hayley's fin

The guards exchanged a brief glance. One of them, the taller one, gave a small shrug and they both began walking toward Logan with measured steps.The gathered employees watched with the eager anticipation of a crowd at a spectacle. Some leaned forward. Others pulled out their phones, hoping to capture the moment. A few smirked, already composing the story they would tell at lunch.This is going to be satisfying. Finally getting rid of that pest.Jessica's smile widened as the guards closed the distance. Five feet. Four. Three.Logan didn't move. Didn't flinch. Didn't shift his weight or adjust his posture or show the slightest sign of concern. He stood like a man waiting for a bus he already knew was coming, his expression so calm it bordered on boredom.The lack of reaction only made Jessica more irritated. "What are you smiling about? You think this is funny? In about ten seconds, you're going to be standing on the curb wondering what happened. And nobody in this building is going

Logan looked at Richard with the same calm that had been sitting on his face all morning. "I'd suggest checking the lobby cameras before anyone reaches a conclusion. The footage will tell a more accurate story than anything being said right now."Richard nodded once, without hesitation. "Of course." He turned to the nearest security station. "Pull up this morning's lobby surveillance footage. Everything from the moment the doors opened. I want it on the main screen within five minutes.""Yes, sir." The security officer moved immediately, pulling out his radio and relaying the instruction with urgent precision.The color that had been draining from Jessica's face for the past two minutes finally completed its journey. She went from pale to white to something closer to translucent, as if the blood in her body had collectively decided to retreat to somewhere safer.The cameras. The cameras had been recording everything. Every dismissive glance. Every cruel remark. Every comparison to ins