Return. Keep. Toss.

The sterile scent of antiseptic filled the air. A steady beep echoed through the quiet space, each pulse a reminder of time moving forward—whether she wanted it to or not.

Somewhere beyond the haze, a voice cut through the silence.

"Aaria, where's the ERM file I told you to get me?"

The crisp authority of Christon's tone reverberated through his hospital office, laced with his usual impatience.

"It's in my cabin, sir," Aaria, standing by the door, eyed her senior, who was busy with something on his desk. "I'll bring it right away."

Aaria barely had time to turn before Christon's sharp voice cut through the air again.

"Now, Aaria!"

The urgency in his tone had her hurrying out the door, heels clicking against the polished floor. She wasn't foolish enough to test his patience, not when his attention was already divided between the files cluttering his desk and whatever storm was brewing behind his cold, calculating gaze.