The paper crane was still sitting on my desk when I woke up.
Why am I keep falling asleep in this office? Exhaustion from all the stress?
At least, I assumed I had fallen asleep. One minute I was staring at the chandelier, wondering if it would finally crash down and solve everything for me, and the next, Luc was gently knocking on the wall - not the door, just the wall.
"Good morning, Miss Lang," she said. "I've updated your calendar."
Calendar?
She placed a sleek tablet on my desk. The screen blinked to life with a schedule that made my stomach twist. Meetings. Appearances. Memorial planning. More meetings. A silent meditation at the memorial garden.
All under my name.
I stared at the list again. Some of the meeting names didn't even make sense. These weren't things I knew how to do. I didn't even know who to ask.
I wanted to ask Luc what would happen if I just didn't show up. But I already knew the answer. This machine didn't have brakes.
I squinted. "Do I have to go to all of these?"
"Only the ones with your name on them," Luc said, sliding a cup of tea beside the tablet.
I frowned.
"They all have my name on them."
"Exactly."
She left me to get dressed.
My suit - yet another perfect one - was already hanging on a minimalist hook near the changing area. This one was charcoal gray, softer around the shoulders. Less like a coffin, more like a shroud.
I didn't say anything as I put it on. I was learning. The silence made everything move faster.
Closer to the evening, I asked for one thing.
"Can I go get my own coffee?" I asked, hovering awkwardly in the office doorway. Luc was reviewing something on her tablet. She glanced up.
"I can have it brought to you."
"I want to get it myself."
She paused for a beat. "There's a staff café on Level 27, Miss. You can take the internal lift."
She didn't protest more than that. No smile. No raised eyebrow. Just a nod. A yes.
It made me feel almost like a person again.
The café was smaller than I expected. Quiet. A bit too clean.
People noticed me the second I walked in. Not with bows or applause. Just stillness. Like I was a glitch walking through their code.
I tried to act normal - whatever that meant now. But every step I took felt like it echoed. At least in my heart it did. The tile clicked beneath my shoes too crisply, like I was mic'd up for a documentary I didn't agree to be in.
A barista greeted me with a stammered "Miss Lang," It was an odd feeling to have people whom I'd never met recognize me. She handed it over without charging me.
At one of the standing tables, two junior staff members stopped whispering and stood straight the moment I passed. A security guard by the elevator muttered, "Good morning, Chairwoman," then flinched as if he hadn't said it fast enough.
One of the staff near the corner watched me without blinking. His eyes followed me even as his hands continued typing, like he couldn't afford to stop. Or maybe wasn't allowed to. I felt that my mere presence here put pressure on people.
I sipped my coffee in silence and realized something strange. I wasn't just being watched. I was being memorized. The way I stood. The way I held my cup.
It was suffocating.
When I returned to the office, the white paper crane was gone from the desk.
In its place sat a new one. This one was folded from black paper. Sleek and precise.
I didn't ask. I just sat down and stared at it for a while, coffee warming my palms that have somehow managed to get cold.
Hours went by without me doing much - actually nothing at all.
That evening, Luc returned without announcement, carrying a tray with two covered dishes.
"I didn't order anything," I said automatically.
"You didn't eat yesterday," she said. "Or lunch today."
I looked at her, "You're keeping track?"
"I'm assisting."
She set one of the dishes in front of me and sat across the desk, uncovering her own. Simple food. Rice, steamed vegetables, miso soup. Mine was untouched.
Luc took a bite of hers without comment.
I picked at mine. "You don't… seem surprised by anything. Ever."
She glanced up.
"Would it help if I pretended to be?"
I let out a small laugh. Probably my first one today.
"Probably not."
We ate in silence after that. It wasn't comfortable. But it wasn't uncomfortable either.
I sat back, watching her for a moment longer than I should have. She didn't falter under my gaze.
"So when do I get to go home?" I asked.
"No."
"...excuse me?"
"If you don't mind, Miss, and I'm sure you don't - you can use the room joined to this office that you were resting in before. Chairman Lang practically lived here most of the time."
That wasn't really an answer I wanted and I desperately wanted to go home, but I didn't push. I didn't want to break the calm that had finally settled between us like steam rising from a warm bowl.
Luc stood after clearing the dishes.
"Tomorrow's schedule has fewer engagements," she said. "You'll have time to rest. Or work privately, if you prefer."
I nodded slowly, and she turned to leave.
But just before she reached the door, I found myself speaking.
"Luc?"
She paused and turned her head slightly, waiting.
"Why… the crane?"
She glanced at the black one now perched quietly at the corner of the desk.
"For balance," she said simply.
And then she was gone.