The oppressive weight of student loans and her grandmother's mounting medical bills pressed down on Lily like a physical burden.

She could feel the stress as a heavy, invisible cloak, constricting her shoulders and making it hard to stand up straight.

Her lungs felt tight, each breath a struggle against the suffocating anxiety of needing a job, any job.

The sound of her rapid, shallow breaths echoed in her ears like a warning bell.

So, when the opportunity arose to work at the prestigious Sterling Enterprises, she'd grabbed it with the desperation of a drowning woman clinging to a raft.

Now, standing in the packed elevator, she felt the walls closing in, the cold, smooth metal of the elevator pressing against her back.

The metallic scent of the cabin mingled with the expensive perfume of her fellow passengers, a cloying mix that made her nose wrinkle.

Each of them seemed to exude an effortless confidence that Lily desperately wished she possessed.

Their polished shoes and crisp suits were a stark visual contrast to her own slightly rumpled outfit.

Then, him.

The doors slid open on the top floor with a soft hiss, revealing a figure that made Lily forget how to breathe.

Ethan Sterling, CEO, and walking, talking embodiment of "tall, dark, and ridiculously handsome." He stepped in, his presence instantly filling the small space.

The air crackled with an almost palpable energy, like the static before a thunderstorm.

His sharp, steel - grey eyes swept over the occupants, lingering on Lily for a fraction of a second, a flicker of something unreadable in their depths.

Lily's heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the suffocating silence of the elevator.

She could hear the blood rushing in her ears.

The proximity was intoxicating, his crisp, clean scent a tantalizing mix of citrus and something distinctly masculine that wafted over to her, making her head spin.

Ding.

The doors opened onto her floor.

Lily stumbled out, her legs suddenly shaky, a blush creeping up her neck like a warm, spreading fire.

Her mind still reeled from the encounter with Ethan Sterling.

As she made her way to the break room, she tried to compose herself, but the uneasiness in her stomach grew with each step.

The harsh fluorescent lights in the hallway cast long shadows, and the sound of her own footsteps echoed loudly, making her feel even more alone.

She'd made it. Barely.

Her relief, however, was short - lived.

As she rounded the corner to the break room, a sly foot shot out, sending her sprawling.

Hot tea splashed across her blouse, the scalding liquid searing her skin like a brand.

She could hear the liquid hitting the floor with a splatter, and the sharp intake of breath from the onlookers.

She looked up to see Sarah, a senior employee with a reputation for making life hell for newbies, smirking down at her.

"Oops," Sarah drawled, the insincerity dripping from her voice like the tea now staining Lily's shirt.

"Clumsy much?" Her posse of equally catty colleagues tittered behind her, their high - pitched laughter grating on Lily's ears.

Their eyes gleamed with malicious amusement, like predators watching their prey.

Humiliation burned in Lily's throat.

She scrambled to her feet, muttering an apology, desperate to escape the scene.

This was going to be harder than she thought.

The training room was sterile and intimidating, rows of identical desks facing a large screen.

The white walls reflected the harsh light, making it difficult to focus.

David, the instructor, a man whose smile lines seemed permanently etched into a grimace, paced the room like a caged predator.

His heavy footsteps thudded on the floor, and the sound of his clicking pen was a constant distraction.

He spoke in rapid - fire jargon, peppering his lecture with complex financial models and market analyses that flew right over Lily's head.

The words seemed to blend together into a meaningless hum, like the buzzing of a fly.

Panic gnawed at her.

She'd spent hours studying the company's website and industry trends, but the actual training was light years ahead of anything she'd anticipated.

The pre - training reading material, which was supposed to prepare them for the intensive course, was mysteriously missing from Lily's desk.

She'd asked Sarah and the others if they'd seen it, only to be met with shrugs and thinly veiled sneers.

It was clear they were deliberately excluding her, setting her up to fail.

Lily's anxiety spiralled.

She scribbled frantic notes, trying to keep up, but the words blurred on the page, a jumble of meaningless symbols.

The scratchy sound of her pen on the paper was a reminder of her desperation.

This was it.

She was going to drown.

She couldn't afford to fail.

Not now.

Not ever.

A shadow fell across her desk.

"Struggling, sweetheart?"

Lily looked up, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill.

It was Emily, a petite woman with kind eyes and a warm smile that radiated genuine friendliness.

The soft glow of the desk lamp illuminated her face, making her seem like an angel in the otherwise cold room.

She slid a thick folder across the desk, its cover discreetly unmarked.

The smooth surface of the folder felt cool against Lily's fingertips.

"Here," Emily whispered, her voice barely audible above David's drone.

"These are my notes from last year's training. And some extra materials I've gathered. They might help."

Lily's jaw dropped.

"But… why?" she stammered, her voice thick with emotion.

Emily gave a small shrug, her smile unwavering.

"Because we've all been there. And because Sarah is a grade - A, certified witch with a capital 'B'. Don't let her win." She winked, then returned to her own work, leaving Lily staring at the folder like it was a lifeline.

Hope, a tiny, flickering flame, reignited within Lily's chest.

She devoured the contents of the folder, Emily's neat handwriting and clear explanations a stark contrast to David's confusing lectures.

The paper had a faint, pleasant smell, like old books.

The extra materials, including sample project proposals and market analysis reports, were like gold dust.

She could actually understand this stuff.

A wave of gratitude washed over her, so potent it almost brought tears to her eyes again.

Emily was her secret weapon, her corporate fairy godmother.

Okay, maybe Lily was getting a little carried away, but seriously, the relief was intoxicating.

Lily spent the next few days in a whirlwind of activity.

She worked through lunch, fueled by lukewarm coffee and Emily's encouraging smiles.

The bitter taste of the coffee lingered on her tongue.

She stayed late, poring over spreadsheets and market trends until her eyes burned.

The soft glow of the computer screen cast a blue light on her face.

She even started dreaming in flowcharts and bullet points.

It was exhausting, but for the first time since starting at Sterling Enterprises, she felt like she had a fighting chance.

She wouldn't let Emily, or herself, down.

She was going to slay this dragon, even if it meant working herself to the bone.

Lily was so immersed in her work that she didn't notice the change in the air.

The usual chatter in the training room had died down, and an unspoken tension filled the space.

The silence was thick, like a fog.

Then, Mr.

Smith, his face even grimmer than usual, strode into the training room, his shoes squeaking ominously on the polished floor.

The sound seemed to pierce through the silence like a knife.

He surveyed the trainees with a look that could curdle milk.

"Right," he barked, his voice echoing through the silent room.

"As you know, this training program is designed to weed out the weak. To separate the wheat from the chaff, as they say." He paused, letting his words sink in.

Lily felt a knot of dread tighten in her stomach.

"Therefore," Mr.

Smith continued, his eyes glinting, "you will each be required to prepare a comprehensive project proposal. This isn't some fluffy exercise. This is a real - world scenario, a potential multi - million dollar deal. Your proposals will be evaluated by the executive board, and only the best will be considered." He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a near - whisper.

"You have one week."

One week.

Seven days.

168 hours.

To create a proposal that could determine her entire future.

Lily felt the blood drain from her face.

This was insane.

Even with Emily's notes, she was barely keeping up with the basic training.

How was she supposed to produce a professional - grade proposal in such a short amount of time?

Other trainees are whispering, some are stunned, others are excited.

The hushed voices filled the room like a low - grade hum.

Panic clawed at her throat.

She glanced at Emily, who offered a small, encouraging nod, but even her usually bright smile seemed strained.

Lily was drawing a mindmap of strategies, a complete mess of tangled lines, arrows pointing in all directions.

The pen slipped in her sweaty hand, and she was so nervous that she almost made a stain on the paper.

"Any questions so far?" David suddenly asked.

A hand shoot up, thin and long, with nails painted in shocking pink.

"Yes, Sarah?"