CHAPTER FIVE – THE PRESENTATION

As the minutes ticked by, Karina's focus was absolute. She barely noticed as the last of her colleagues bid her goodnight, leaving her alone in the dimly lit office. Finally, with just moments to spare, Karina hit 'send' on the report. She leaned back in her chair, exhausted but exhilarated. Whether her gamble would pay off remained to be seen, but at least she'd gone down fighting. The next morning, Karina arrived at the office early, her stomach in knots as she prepared for the board presentation. She'd barely slept, her mind racing with all the ways Miguel might try to sabotage her. As she walked into the conference room, she could feel Miguel's eyes on her, cold and calculating. He sat at the head of the table, a hint of a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "Ah, Ms. Zaslav," he said, his voice dripping with false politeness. "I trust you're prepared for your presentation?" Karina met his gaze steadily. "Of course, Mr. Eladio. Shall we begin?" As Karina launched into her presentation, she could see Miguel shifting in his seat, his eyes darting to the section where he'd planted the error. But as she smoothly transitioned into her restructured analysis, his smug expression began to falter. "As you can see," Karina explained, gesturing to her innovative data visualization, "by approaching the market segmentation from this angle, we can more accurately predict consumer behavior across diverse demographics." The board members leaned forward, clearly intrigued. Even Miguel looked taken aback, his brow furrowed as he struggled to find a flaw in her logic. As Karina wrapped up her presentation, the room erupted in applause. Several board members approached her, eager to discuss her fresh approach. "Impressive work, Ms. Zaslav," one elderly executive said, shaking her hand warmly. "It's refreshing to see such innovative thinking." Out of the corner of her eye, Karina could see Miguel standing off to the side, his face a mask of barely contained fury. For the first time since she'd started at Eladio Enterprises, Karina allowed herself a small, victorious smile. As the days passed, Karina's triumph at the board meeting became the talk of the office. Whispers followed her as she walked through the cubicles, a mix of admiration and speculation. "Did you hear about Karina's presentation?" Elena murmured to Raj as Karina passed by. "I heard she completely blindsided Miguel." Raj nodded, impressed. "It's about time someone stood up to him. But man, can you imagine the fallout?" Their conversation was cut short as Miguel himself strode through the office, his face like thunder. Employees scrambled to look busy, the tension in the air palpable. As Karina settled in at her desk, she couldn't help but overhear a conversation between two marketing interns at the nearby water cooler. "I'm telling you," one of them whispered excitedly, "there's definitely something going on between Karina and Mr. Eladio." Her friend giggled. "No way! You think? I mean, the tension between them is pretty intense..." Karina felt her cheeks burn. She wanted to stand up and shout at them, to explain that their "tension" was nothing more than Miguel's relentless bullying and her determination not to break. But she knew that would only add fuel to the gossip fire. Instead, she threw herself into her work with renewed vigor. If she couldn't stop the rumors, she'd at least give them something substantial to talk about - her professional achievements. As the weeks went by, Karina began to notice subtle shifts in the office dynamics. While Miguel's hostility remained unchanged, some of her colleagues seemed to be warming up to her. One afternoon, as Karina was struggling with a particularly complex data set, she felt a presence behind her. She turned to find Sarah, the data analyst, peering at her screen. "You know," Sarah said casually, "if you use a pivot table here, you could streamline this whole process." Karina blinked in surprise. Sarah had never voluntarily spoken to her before. "Really? That would be incredibly helpful. Would you mind showing me?" Sarah glanced around furtively before pulling up a chair. "Sure, but let's keep this between us, okay? I don't want to get on Mr. Eladio's bad side." As Sarah walked her through the process, Karina felt a warmth in her chest. It wasn't much, but it was a start. Maybe she wasn't as alone in this office as she'd thought. Over the next few days, Karina noticed more small gestures of support. Raj would casually mention useful shortcuts when they passed in the hallway. Elena started including her in lunch invitations. Even Tom, her supervisor, seemed to be making more of an effort to shield her from Miguel's worst excesses. One evening, as Karina was working late yet again, she was startled by a gentle tap on her cubicle wall. She looked up to see Elena standing there, a sympathetic smile on her face. "Hey," Elena said softly, "a few of us are going to grab dinner and drinks. Want to join?" Karina hesitated, glancing at the mountain of work on her desk. "I don't know, I've got so much to do..." Elena's smile turned mischievous. "Come on, live a little. Besides, I heard a rumor that Mr. Eladio has a dinner meeting tonight. The coast is clear." After a moment's consideration, Karina nodded. "You know what? I'd love to." As they gathered their things, Karina felt a lightness she hadn't experienced in weeks. Maybe, just maybe, things were starting to look up. The group ended up at a cozy pub a few blocks from the office. As they settled into a booth, Karina found herself sandwiched between Elena and Raj, with Sarah and Tom across from them. "First round's on me," Tom announced, heading to the bar. As they waited for their drinks, the conversation flowed easily. For the first time, Karina felt like she was part of the team, not just an outsider looking in. "So, Karina," Raj said, a twinkle in his eye, "we've all been dying to know. What's the deal with you and the big boss?" Karina nearly choked on her water. "What? There's no 'deal'. Miguel just... he just doesn't like me, I guess." Elena leaned in, her voice low. "Oh come on, you can tell us. The way he looks at you... it's intense." Karina felt her face grow hot. "It's not like that at all. He's just... he's trying to push me out of the company. That's all." The table fell silent for a moment, the mood suddenly somber. Then Sarah spoke up, her voice firm. "Well, he's an idiot if he thinks he can get rid of you that easily. You're one of the most talented people in that office, Karina. We've all seen it." Murmurs of agreement rippled around the table. Karina felt a lump form in her throat, touched by their support. Tom returned with their drinks, raising his glass in a toast. "To Karina," he said, "the thorn in Miguel Eladio's side." They all laughed, clinking their glasses together. As the evening wore on, Karina felt the weight of the past few months begin to lift. For the first time since she'd started at Eladio Enterprises, she felt like she belonged.