Jessica shook her head, muttering “Unbelievable,” before grabbing her wallet. “Fine. I’m still paying. But I want it on record that I resent it.”
Sloane smiled, clearly entertained.
I leaned back in my chair, watching the empty seats around our table—spaces once filled by strangers and regulars alike. People coming and going. Some just passing through. Others there for the first time. Just like life.
Two weeks earlier
Coming back to the office after a long leave still felt strange.
Part of me was relieved—finally returning to a routine I had known as instinctively as breathing. But there was also a quiet sense of loss I couldn’t quite name—the loss of mornings without demands, without schedules, without roles I had to perform perfectly.
That morning, I sat at my desk with a cup of coffee that had already gone cold, opening an inbox that had piled up while I was gone. Emails. One after another. Task updates. Follow-ups I had postponed. Reminders that arrived far too quickly.
I let out a slow breath.
I had just been on leave. And yet, it already felt like month-end closing was creeping up again. I wasn’t even halfway through my inbox when I noticed Harley standing in front of my desk, a thin folder in his hand. He waited until I looked up.
“Morning,” he said.
“Morning,” I replied. “Have a seat.”
He pulled out a chair and sat down nearby.
“We need to start handing over some of your tasks,” I said, getting straight to the point. “HR’s confirmed the recruitment. But before the new hire comes in, I’ll temporarily take over a few of these reports.”
I shifted my laptop slightly, showing him the list.
“This one,” I continued, pointing, “and this one. You’ll keep handling the rest until the end of the week.”
Harley nodded. “Okay.”
“Any concerns?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No. That makes sense.”
I nodded back.
“Then please prepare a brief status summary for each,” I said. “So the handover doesn’t get messy.”
“Got it,” he replied.
He stood to leave, and just before walking away, added, “Welcome back, by the way.”
I gave a small smile. “Thanks.”
Only after he returned to his desk did a thought surface—something that felt... strange.
How quickly it happened.
People could leave, and the system would move on immediately, replacing them without pause. As if someone’s presence could always be reduced to a list of tasks.
Not long after, Jessica appeared, her smile bright as ever. “Lunch later, yeah?” she said to Harley and me.
I raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
She glanced at Harley. “Because someone’s leaving.”
Harley scoffed softly. “You’re being dramatic.”
