"Victoria, starting today, you''re officially part of our IT department. That means you can''t y for the other team anymore," George announced, a wry smile on his


    face.


    "All we''re doing here is working hard to provide for our families, trying to make a bit more so life gets a little easier. I hope you''ll be able to stick with us through thick and thin. Let''s not let all our hard work go to waste again."


    Victoria couldn''t help but be amused by George''s speech. Was he weing her or warning her? His words sounded like a dressing down, but every sentence seemed to highlight her achievements.


    After all, in thest game development project, Victoria had almost single- handedly secured the team a hefty bonus-enough to double everyone''s sry


    for two years.


    When word came that Victoria was joining the IT department, no one was more excited than George. He''d barely slept the night before as he tried toe up with the perfect way to wee her.


    "I understand. I won''t let everyone down again," Victoria replied. All she''d wanted was to reim the intellectual property that belonged to her, but she''d ended up dragging the whole department into the mess. She felt genuinely apologetic about that.


    "Now, let''s give a warm wee to Ms. Turner, the newest member of our IT department!"


    The office erupted in apuse, so much so that Violet, passing by with her assistant, couldn''t help but frown and shoot a look at Georgia.


    "Remind the IT team that this is apany, not a pep rally. Tell them to tone it down..."


    Georgia caught Violet''s meaning and immediately changed course, heading straight for George in the IT department.


    George led Victoria to her new desk, and she couldn''t help but notice it was covered with an assortment of quirky figurines and pastel plush toys.


    George, face stoic, said, "These are from your new colleagues. You''re the only woman on the team, so they went a little overboard. Had nothing to do with me. But just so you know if your work slips, I''ll still call you out on it."


    Victoria stifled augh. She never understood why George always wore such a fierce expression when talking to her; his words, though, never quite matched the look.


    "Thank you," she said with a soft smile.


    George turned and walked away, still feeling awkward.


    That afternoon, the IT manager came to her desk. "Ms. Marchand''s assistant needs a file. Please find it and bring it over as soon as possible."


    Victoria frowned. Why did Violet''s assistant always seem to need her for these things? Was Violet supervising the IT department now, too?


    She gathered the requested file, but before she could go looking for Georgia, Georgia appeared at her desk.


    "Ms. Turner, is it really that hard to get a file? I''ve been waiting over ten minutes and still nothing. Since you''re so busy, I came to get it myself," Georgia said, her tone bristling with authority.


    But Victoria knew the truth-from the time she''d been notified to now, it had barely been five minutes. Yet Georgia imed to have waited more than ten.


    The memory shed in Victoria''s mind: thest time she''d tried to see Violet, she''d been left waiting in the hallway for over two hours. The irony was not lost on her.


    Georgia snatched up a file and swept out of the room.


    Victoria watched her leave and almost called after her to say she''d taken the wrong one, but Georgia was already gone.


    With a small, amused shake of her head, Victoria returned to her seat. Sure


    enough, less than three minutester, the phone rang. She was summoned to Ms. Marchand''s office.


    "What''s this about?" Victoria asked, her voice even. The IT manager looked uneasy.


    "Did you give Georgia the wrong file? Ms. Marchand wants you to bring the correct one yourself."


    Victoria stood, collected the right documents, and walked calmly toward Violet''s office.


    This time, the door was wide open. Inside, Violet sat alone, with Georgia fuming just outside.


    "What was that supposed to be? Did you give me the wrong file on purpose, just to make me look bad?" Georgia all but hissed. "Ms. Marchand chewed me out because of you!"


    Georgia was constantly running herself ragged for Violet, handling everything from crucial tasks to petty errands. When she''d first learned her new boss was a woman, she''d assumed the job would be easy. A month in, she was spinning like a top, lucky to get five hours of sleep a night. Everyone could sense her frustration—no one dared cross her.


    Victoria replied coolly, "You didn''t even ask which file was the right one. That''s not on me."


    The response made Georgia''s face turn red, but with Victoria being highly valued by Mr. Garcia, she couldn''t do much about it.


    "Ms. Turner, please bring the documents here," Violet called from inside the office. Victoria strode in, poised and unhurried.


    Violet leaned back in her leather chair, regarding Victoria with a mixture of pride and challenge.


    "I know you''ve had a lot going on at hometely," Violet said. "But no matter what, work has toe first. I need you to stay focused on Quantum Core Technologies.


    After all, money doesn''t grow on trees. Everyone here is giving their all to deliver results for thepany. I expect you to do the same, Ms. Turner-and not, as you didst time, walk away with a fortune while thepany lost millions."