It was just past seven in the morning, and the newsroom at The Evening Chronicle was already humming. Typewriters clicked behind frosted-glass doors, and the heavy thrum of morning chatter leaked in from the bullpen. Cars had filled the gravel lot outside, their headlights briefly cutting through the early fog before vanishing.

In the modest breakroom—its linoleum floors freshly waxed and the scent of burnt coffee lingering—Clarice Whitford stood at the counter, steady hands wrapping around the ceramic mug she’d brought from home. Her back was straight, posture impeccable, as always. She kept her shoulders gently squared and her eyes low, offering the kind of quiet grace that invited no trouble, drew no stares.

Men filed in and out with brisk nods or no greeting at all. A few leaned past her with muttered "’Scuse me’s" or none at all, their laughter booming like brass behind her as they resumed their conversations at the table.

Clarice didn’t flinch. She stepped aside when needed, kept her gaze calm and forward, and took a quiet sip of her coffee, just as the door clicked open again behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder—just a glance, measured and brief—and froze for a breath.

A woman. New. Curious.

Clarice’s brows lifted a touch, not in surprise so much as quiet curiosity. She moved gently to the side, her voice low, warm but careful. “Go on ahead,” she said, nodding toward the pot. “It’s fresh enough. Mr. Halley just made it.”

She set her mug down softly on the counter and clasped her hands loosely in front of her waist, a habit from years of balancing etiquette with self-preservation.

"You know…” she murmured, her eyes flicking toward the corner where the men bellowed and joked like they owned the walls, “they didn’t mention anything about hiring another woman.”

Her voice was low enough not to carry, but not quite a whisper. A soft blend of welcome and warning, as if to say: Be careful, but you're not alone.

She turned a little toward her, tilting her head with gentle interest. “What department did they put you in?”