CHAPTER FOUR – WORK ORDERS

As the weeks dragged on, Karina's determination never wavered, but the constant pressure began to take its toll. She found herself jumping at small noises, her nerves frayed from the constant stress of anticipating Miguel's next move. Even her small victories felt hollow. When she successfully closed a deal with a notoriously difficult client, Miguel's only response was a curt nod and a muttered, "It's about time." Karina's colleagues watched her struggles with a mixture of sympathy and morbid curiosity. She often caught whispered conversations that would abruptly stop when she approached. One day, as she was refilling her coffee mug (her third of the morning), she overheard a conversation between two executives from another department. "Have you seen the way Eladio's been treating that new girl? It's brutal." "I know. I almost feel bad for her. But you've got to admit, it's kind of fascinating to watch. How long do you think she'll last?" "I give her another week, tops. No one can withstand that kind of pressure forever." Karina's hand tightened on her mug, but she kept her face impassive as she walked past them. She'd show them all. She wasn't going anywhere. As she returned to her desk, Karina found a new email from Miguel waiting in her inbox. Her heart sank as she read it: "Ms. Zaslav, Your performance continues to fall short of the standards we expect at Eladio Enterprises. I require a complete overhaul of your latest project proposal, addressing all of the concerns raised in our last meeting. I expect the revised version on my desk by 9 AM tomorrow. No excuses. -M. Eladio" Karina stared at the screen, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over her. She'd spent weeks on that proposal, refining every detail. And now Miguel wanted her to redo the entire thing overnight? For a moment, she considered giving up. It would be so easy to walk away, to admit defeat and find a job where she wasn't constantly under attack. But then she thought of Miguel's smug face, of the whispers and stares from her colleagues. She thought of all the late nights and early mornings, the missed meals and sleepless nights. She'd come too far to quit now. With renewed determination, Karina cracked her knuckles and got to work. The office slowly emptied around her as the hours ticked by, but she barely noticed. Her entire world narrowed to her computer screen and the task at hand. The sky was just beginning to lighten when Karina finally hit "send" on the revised proposal. She leaned back in her chair, her eyes burning from exhaustion. But a small smile played at the corners of her mouth. Let Miguel try to find fault with this. As Karina gathered her things to head home for a quick shower and change of clothes before the workday began, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in her darkened computer screen. She barely recognized the pale, drawn face staring back at her. For a brief moment, doubt crept in. Was this really worth it? How long could she keep this up? But Karina pushed those thoughts aside. She'd made it this far. She wouldn't let Miguel Eladio break her now. With her head held high, Karina made her way out of the quiet office. As she stepped into the cool morning air, she took a deep breath, steeling herself for another day of battle in the corporate trenches. The sun was just peeking over the horizon as Karina trudged up the stairs to her small apartment. Her legs felt like lead, and her mind was foggy with exhaustion. As she fumbled with her keys, she could hear her neighbor's alarm clock blaring through the thin walls. Another day was beginning, and in just a few short hours, she'd have to do it all over again. Karina pushed open her door and stepped inside, dropping her bag with a heavy thud. The apartment was dark and quiet, a stark contrast to the chaos of her work life. She leaned against the closed door for a moment, letting out a long, shaky breath. Her eyes fell on a framed photo on her bookshelf - a picture of her with her brother and his best friend from college. She'd been so excited when she'd landed this job, eager to make her mark in the business world. How quickly things had changed. With a sigh, Karina pushed herself away from the door. She had just enough time for a quick shower and a change of clothes before heading back to the office. As she moved towards the bathroom, her phone buzzed with a new email notification. Karina hesitated, her hand hovering over the device. Was it Miguel, with yet another impossible demand? Or perhaps Tom, with a sympathetic but ultimately unhelpful message of support? In the end, she left the phone where it was. Whatever new challenge awaited her at Eladio Enterprises, it could wait for a few more minutes. Right now, she needed to find the strength to face another day. As Karina closed the bathroom door behind her, the first rays of sunlight began to filter through her apartment windows. A new day was dawning, bringing with it new battles to fight and new obstacles to overcome. But come what may, Karina was determined to stand her ground. Miguel Eladio hadn't broken her yet, and if she had anything to say about it, he never would. Karina Zaslav remained hunched over her desk, her eyes fixed on her computer screen. The clock on the wall ticked relentlessly, each second bringing her closer to the deadline for the crucial quarterly report she'd been working on for weeks. Karina rubbed her tired eyes, willing herself to stay focused. She was in the final stages of proofreading when something caught her attention. Frowning, she leaned in closer, her heart beginning to race as she realized the implications of what she was seeing. "No, no, no," she muttered, scrolling frantically through the document. "This can't be right." There, buried in the depths of the financial projections, was a glaring error. If left uncorrected, it would throw off the entire report, potentially costing the company millions. Karina's mind raced. How could she have missed this? She'd triple-checked every figure, every calculation. It didn't make sense unless... A chill ran down her spine as the realization hit her. This wasn't her mistake. The error had been deliberately planted, and she had a pretty good idea who was behind it. "Miguel," she hissed, anger and frustration bubbling up inside her. She glanced at the clock. Less than an hour until the deadline. There was no time to start over, no way to redo weeks of work in mere minutes. For a moment, panic threatened to overwhelm her. This was it. This was how Miguel would finally break her, force her out of the company. She could already imagine his smug face as he exposed her "incompetence" in front of the entire board. But then, something inside Karina shifted. A steely determination took hold, pushing aside the fear and doubt. She'd come too far, worked too hard to let Miguel win now. Taking a deep breath, Karina cracked her knuckles and got to work. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she implemented a daring solution. Instead of trying to fix the planted error, she restructured the entire section, presenting the data in a new, innovative way that circumvented the issue entirely.