The next morning began with another headline. Clara saw it before she even finished her first cup of coffee.
RAVENSCROFT GROUP IN CRISIS?
She stared at the screen for several seconds. Then she closed the article without reading it.
There was no point.
The previous day had taught her something important.
Most of the people criticizing her had already decided what they wanted to believe. Facts were optional. Narratives were not.
She picked up her tablet and headed toward the executive floor. The moment she stepped out of the elevator, she felt it.
The atmosphere. Conversations stopped a little too quickly. People smiled a little too carefully. Others avoided eye contact entirely. None of it surprised her anymore.
What surprised her was how exhausting it had become.
Less than two years.
That was all she had spent at Ravenscroft Group. Less than two years.
To many employees, that single fact outweighed everything else.
