"Breathe, Eileen!" Zaya said, her voice steadying as we stood outside the towering entrance of the Council Office. Her hand squeezed mine reassuringly, the warmth of her touch grounding me. "We've got this!"
The building loomed before us, its marble columns stretching into the sky, and for a moment, I felt dwarfed by its grandeur.
The windows reflected the midday sun, giving the structure an almost ethereal glow. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to focus on Zaya's unwavering confidence instead of the monumental task ahead.
We stepped inside, the echo of our footsteps bouncing off the polished floors and high ceilings.
The interior was just as grand as Zaya had described stunning stained-glass windows, intricate carvings, and marble statues that made me feel like I had just walked into a historic museum rather than a government building.
