CHAPTER THREE – THE NEW GIRL

Throughout the day, Karina threw herself into her work with a fervor that surprised even her. She skipped lunch, barely looked up from her computer, and stayed long after her colleagues had gone home. As the office grew quiet and the sky outside darkened, Karina found herself alone with her thoughts. She couldn't help but overhear snippets of conversation from earlier in the day: "Did you hear about the new girl who dumped coffee on Mr. Eladio?" "I give her a week before she quits." "Rumor has it she actually yelled at him in his office. Can you imagine?" Karina gritted her teeth and pushed the gossip out of her mind. She had work to do. Days passed in a blur of spreadsheets, reports, and endless cups of coffee. Karina's determination never wavered, even as the bags under her eyes grew darker and her clothes began to hang a little looser on her frame. On Thursday afternoon, just as Karina was putting the finishing touches on her last report, Miguel's voice boomed across the office. "Weekly status meeting in the main conference room. Everyone attend." Karina's stomach clenched. She gathered her materials and made her way to the conference room, acutely aware of the curious glances from her colleagues. As the team filed in, Miguel stood at the head of the table, his gaze icy as it swept over the room. When his eyes landed on Karina, a small, cruel smile played at the corners of his mouth. "Let's start with our newest team member," he said, his voice dripping with false enthusiasm. "Ms. Zaslav, why don't you present your findings on the renewable energy market in Southeast Asia?" Karina took a deep breath and stood, willing her hands not to shake as she distributed her report. She launched into her presentation, her voice growing stronger with each slide. But Miguel wasn't about to let her off easy. He interrupted frequently, questioning her methodology and challenging her conclusions. "And where exactly did you source these projections?" he asked, his tone scathing. "They seem overly optimistic, don't you think?" Karina stood her ground. "I used data from three independent market research firms, cross-referenced with government reports from each country. If you'll turn to page 17, you'll see a detailed breakdown of my sources and methodology." A flicker of surprise crossed Miguel's face, quickly replaced by a scowl. He moved on to his next target, but Karina could feel his eyes boring into her for the rest of the meeting. As the days wore on, Miguel's tactics grew more insidious. He began assigning Karina to deal with the company's most demanding clients, setting her up for difficult conversations and impossible expectations. One particularly challenging call left Karina near tears. As she hung up the phone, she overheard Elena talking to Raj at a nearby desk. "I don't know how she does it," Elena whispered. "Mr. Eladio's been riding her harder than anyone I've ever seen. Most people would have quit by now." Raj nodded sympathetically. "I heard he's got it out for her because of that coffee incident. Talk about holding a grudge." Karina pretended not to hear, but their words fueled her resolve. She wouldn't give Miguel the satisfaction of seeing her break. As the second week of Miguel's relentless sabotage began, Karina found herself in yet another tense meeting. She was presenting a proposal for a new sustainability initiative when Miguel interrupted her mid-sentence. "This is completely impractical," he sneered. "Did you even consider the implementation costs? Or were you too busy daydreaming about saving the world to do proper research?" Karina felt her cheeks burn, but she refused to back down. "If you'll look at Appendix C, Mr. Eladio, you'll see a detailed cost-benefit analysis. The initial investment is significant, but the long-term savings and positive PR would more than offset-" "Enough," Miguel cut her off. "We'll table this for now. Moving on." As Karina took her seat, she caught a sympathetic glance from Sarah across the table. It was small, but it gave her a flicker of hope. Maybe not everyone was buying into Miguel's narrative. That afternoon, Karina decided to take a different approach. She sought out Raj, knowing his expertise in data analysis could help shore up her next presentation. "Hey Raj," she said, approaching his desk. "I was wondering if you might have a few minutes to look over something for me?" Raj glanced around nervously, as if afraid of being seen helping her. But after a moment, he nodded. "Sure, what do you need?" For the next hour, Raj patiently walked Karina through some advanced data visualization techniques. As they worked, Karina felt some of the tension she'd been carrying start to ease. It was nice to have an ally, even if just for a moment. But the reprieve was short-lived. The next morning, Karina arrived to find a mountain of new tasks on her desk, each with an impossible deadline. She recognized Miguel's handwriting on the sticky note attached: "I expect nothing but excellence, Ms. Zaslav. Don't disappoint me again." Karina's hands clenched into fists, but she took a deep breath and dove in. She'd show him excellence, alright. As the days wore on, Karina began to feel the strain. Her once-crisp blazers hung a little looser, and concealer could no longer fully hide the dark circles under her eyes. But still, she persevered. She started coming in earlier and staying later, using the quiet hours to double and triple-check her work. She anticipated Miguel's criticisms, preparing rebuttals and backup data for every possible question. One evening, as Karina was burning the midnight oil yet again, she was startled by a gentle knock on her cubicle wall. She looked up to see Tom standing there, concern etched on his face. "Karina, it's past 10 PM. You need to go home and get some rest," he said softly. Karina shook her head. "I can't. Mr. Eladio wants this report by morning, and I'm not even halfway done." Tom sighed heavily. "Look, I know Miguel's been... tough on you. But you can't keep pushing yourself like this. It's not sustainable." "I don't have a choice," Karina replied, her voice tight. "He's just waiting for me to fail. I won't give him the satisfaction." Tom looked like he wanted to say more, but instead, he just nodded sadly and left Karina to her work.