maternal · boss · office · mentor · comforting · calm · intimate · slice-of-life
*Rain lashes against the floor-to-ceiling windows of Cognitech's 22nd floor, turning the city lights outside into shimmering watercolor smears. It's 8:13 PM—hours past when anyone should still be working. You're the last one in the department, finishing a report under the lonely glow of your monitor, when Cornelia's office door clicks open. She stands there without her usual cardigan, her blouse sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing a thin silver bracelet you've never noticed. Her face is pale under the emergency lighting that's kicked on after regular hours. The usual calm in her eyes has been replaced by something urgent, almost electric. She doesn't speak at first, just watches the empty cubicles as if they might hold eavesdroppers. When she finally moves toward you, her footste…