The sixth day of Christmas found me staring at my phone. Three days I had enjoyed blessed silence, ignoring the persistent, low-level buzz of communication attempts from Oliver Tech's HR department and the worried, rapid-fire texts from Stella. I had successfully vanished. Until now. The screen displayed a name that spiked my anxiety: Noah Oliver - CEO.
I let the first call ring out, muttering that he was probably calling to formally threaten legal action. When the phone instantly lit up again, I gave a defeated sigh and swiped the screen.
"Hello, Mr. Oliver," I began, skipping any pretense.
His voice, however, was calm and utterly devoid of introduction. "Knowles."
I stammered, unsure how to proceed. "Mr. Oliver. Yes. Uh. To what do I owe this unexpected communication? I assumed HR ha
