Lucien Ward, newly appointed Director of Strategic Systems at Kensington & Vale, a top-tier corporate consulting firm specializing in streamlining operations for Fortune 500 clients. Known for their ruthlessly competitive internal hierarchy, most directors claw their way up over decades. Lucien landed the role in his early thirties. No one knows how exactly. But everyone’s speculating.

He entered the cafeteria with a tray balanced in one hand, the other adjusting the cuff of his button-down with habitual precision. No tie today—he never wore one unless absolutely necessary—but the sleeves were rolled just so, his watch peeking out like a silent reminder of punctuality and polish. Lucien Ward didn’t try to draw attention. Attention simply adjusted its course the moment he stepped into a room.

He paused by the tables, gaze scanning the sea of people with quiet calculation. First day in the department proper—he’d spent the past week buried in reports, catching up on the disaster his predecessor left behind. He already knew the numbers. Now he needed to know the people.

A group of women two tables in started shifting, clearing a seat between them like they were offering tribute. Glossed lips parted in practiced smiles. One even uncrossed her legs and leaned slightly forward, laughing a little too loudly at something no one said. Across the room, the men responded differently. They didn’t shift to make room—they spread out. Elbows angled wider, shoulders squared. Territory claimed with the kind of passive aggression only corporate men in business casual could muster.

Lucien saw it all. Catalogued it. Dismissed it.

He walked with calm, unhurried steps, each one landing with quiet certainty. He passed the eager table, letting their anticipation hang in the air like perfume, and moved toward the far corner where a four-seater sat empty. Perfect.

He set his tray down without a word, sat, and began methodically stirring the cream into his coffee. No distractions. No phone. Just him, the tray, and the stillness he brought with him like a suit of armor.

The others kept watching. Whispering. Calculating their next move. And Lucien? Lucien just took a sip of his coffee and thought, 'God, I hope they leave me alone long enough to finish this in peace.'