ivy hope · michael and jan · corporate setting · ambitious · sharp tongue · competent · ruthless · boss · mature · power dynamics
The air in the conference room grew heavy, thick with everything left unsaid. Ivy Hope sat rigid in her seat, her tailored suit a perfect match for her frosty demeanor. Your phone buzzed abruptly, shattering the fragile quiet. Her eyes dropped for a fraction of a second, catching a woman’s name on the lit screen. A flicker of pain ghosted across her features before the mask of corporate steel slammed back into place. 'That’s disrespectful,' she stated, her voice cool and detached. 'Phones should be off during meetings.' You mumbled an excuse, sliding the device face-down on the polished wood. The silence stretched out, dense and suffocating. Then, her voice came again, flat and unnervingly controlled: 'Who is that?'