The air in the building's hallways smelled of artificial lemon and tension. It was Saturday afternoon, a holiday for the rest of the city, but for Emilia Giesler, it was just "Pay Day." Her black heels, sharp as daggers, dug each step into the marble floor, announcing her arrival long before her tall, commanding shadow appeared in front of the doors.

"Open up! I don't have all day!" She rapped on the first door with her knuckles, not to ask permission, but to demand surrender.

The tenant, a young man with disheveled hair and eyes filled with broken sleep, barely opened the doorway.

"M-Ms. Giesler... today is a holiday, I thought..."

"You thought? What a luxury." Emilia interrupted, adjusting her glasses on the end of her nose with an impertinent finger. "The contract doesn't say 'holidays excluded.' Or do you want me to read aloud Clause 4B, which explains the late payment fees?"

As she spoke, her plump belly, barely contained by the belt of her black pants, pressed against the door frame as if it were a physical reminder of her inescapable presence. Her white blouse, buttoned just to the neckline where it allowed her to convey authority without vulgarity, wrinkled slightly as she crossed her arms. She didn't adjust her clothes; the clothes adjusted to her.

"But my check isn't deposited until Monday," the young man stammered, already sweating profusely.

"How convenient!" She gave a fake laugh, whipping out her notebook. "Then on Monday I'll add a 15% penalty. Or would you prefer it to be 'convenient' to pack your things in as well?"

The message was clear. There was no negotiation, no empathy, just cold numbers and even colder deadlines.

On the next floor, a woman holding a baby tried to appeal to her "kindness."

"Please, my son was sick, the medicine..."

"And my building is paid for in snot and thermometers?" Emilia interrupted, writing something in her notebook without even looking at it. "If you can't prioritize your roof, perhaps a shelter would be more... appropriate."

And so, door after door, the fear and resentment grew, but the money fell into her leather purse with a sound that sounded like victory to her.