Rose’s POV
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I barely had time to kick off the snow from my boots before the newsroom doors slammed shut behind me. The rush to get here, the slick roads, and Margaret’s biting words still lingered in my head, all of it making my pulse thrum like a beating drum. My scarf tangled as I tried to pull it off, and my laptop bag kept slipping off my shoulder as I hurried through the open floor plan toward my desk.
“Nice of you to join us,” a voice muttered from the next cubicle.
I ignored it, cheeks burning as I slid into my chair. The newsroom was buzzing with energy, and I could feel the weight of everyone’s judgment hanging heavy in the air. My lateness was nothing new, but today felt different—like the tension was razor-thin and waiting to snap.
I had barely logged into my computer wh
