Once Upon A Boss

The familiar scent of lukewarm coffee and stale office air hung heavy, a constant companion to Kristina Delarosa's days at EZ Corp. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, a rhythmic tap-tap-tap that usually drowned out the mundane. But not today. Today, a profound exhaustion settled deep in her bones.

“Back to work, Delarosa,” her manager, Ezekiel Leonard, clapped his hands, a stack of files landing on her desk with a soft thud. Kristina sighed, the weight of the papers mirroring the growing doubt in her mind. Was this really worth it? Was her lifelong adoration for Ezio Bayek truly enough to endure this?

“Aye aye, captain,” she mumbled, giving a half-hearted salute. Her eyes flickered to her wristwatch. 10:45 a.m. An hour and fifteen minutes until lunch. A groan escaped her lips, part frustration, part surrender, as she leaned back in her chair, a file obscuring her face. “Be strong, Kris… we’ll get where we want to soon.” The silent mantra was barely a whisper against the rising tide of second thoughts.