The Kingsley Contract

apartment. The screen practically lit up the whole room-mostly because half

pin uselessly, sighed, then gave up a

idn't help-it smelled like burnt noodles from dinner. She glanced around. This was New York? Funny.

lls over on the table by her keys. She sna

hing ached these days-her feet from work, her chest from stress, her head from

o, but she could still see her mom, stuck in that hospital bed, trying to smile like nothing was wro

n, yanking her back

wn Nu

ls only called after hours i

el

The woman's voice was

.Ye

ell. I'm calling on beh

inked. W

rian Ki

ne and

ether. This was the billionaire ever

s he want

ngsley would like to dis

Chloe made her w

d if it was stuck. She tried to convince herse

rvous on their f

re's a certain kind of awkwardness that comes with being new, not knowing the unspoken rules, where to

ept telling hers

here probably carried folders like it was no big deal. Like it was just paper, not the sum total of months of job searches, exhaust

stly. Maybe a bit terrifying too, because this

shifted the folder, fished her phone

Did y

smile. She typed back,

Big meeting f

eplied in

. Don't let anyon

Her mom always managed to say the right thing w

: I'l

away just as the el

the lobby desk had given her that look-half encouragemen

it encouraged transparency, ambition; in reality, it meant there was nowhere to hide. Even the people lo

ke she knew where she

rl?" Someon

at a desk, giving her the same not-quite-pitying look

hloe," s

ed. "You picke

two other people, in two different places, so

nt screen on the far wall, playing some company

look

te rituals. At the front was a man. He didn't yell-unlike the usual CEOs melting down on s

mpet

on screen made Ch

there, very still, like he'd just

finally managed, her voi

ced-an answer,

ng near, apparently. He addressed the room calmly, as if be

adar," Chloe muttere

said it, Chloe could tell she'd sai

e Ben

ever fit people in authority. Her smile was polite in the same way a closed door is

Chloe

with

st but wasn't. She just

needed badges, then others that wanted passcodes-layers of access Chloe had

elf. She looked small-not just physically, but in all the ways that coun

nyone push

breath, str

y doors, turned with that same loc

d, just like that, the world she thought