Chapter 4

I stared at my phone, scrolling through the business news that had just come out. There it was—my face smiling back at me from the Seattle Business Journal's homepage: "Skyler Hall Appointed Regional Manager for West Coast Operations."

The caption beneath read: "Hall's strategic vision and crisis management skills have catapulted her to the forefront of corporate leadership."

I set my phone down on my desk, allowing myself a small smile. The Seattle branch was thriving under my leadership. Every day felt like a victory—not just professionally, but personally.

"Knock, knock." Marcus appeared in my doorway. "The quarterly reports are…