Chapter 9: Layoffs begin

The atmosphere in Dragon Corporation’s headquarters had changed dramatically over the past few days. What had once been a bustling center of innovation and progress now felt tense and uncertain, as if the very walls of the building were bracing for an inevitable storm.

Kerrigan Lokir watched from her office window as employees hurried to and fro, their faces marked by a mixture of confusion and anxiety. The layoffs had begun.

Kelan Benidict, now the newly appointed lead of the restructure, had wasted no time in making his presence felt. The arrogant executive seemed determined to prove himself to be as much of an ass as possible, reveling in his power and the fear he instilled just by appearing in a new department.

It seemed he had chosen to swing the axe even more indiscriminately across the company’s departments than expected. To Kerrigan, it was clear that Kelan was more interested in making a name for himself than in actually improving the company’s efficiency.

While she was more