Page 18 - LSFlipFinalV7

LESS STRESS: MORE “YES”
She blinked. “Noon? But I was expecting to have
the full day, like we discussed yesterday.”
Julian’s smile didn’t falter. “Agile, Billie, agile. We
adapt. I have full faith in you. You’re one of our
strongest assets.” He patted her shoulder. It felt like a
like a claim of ownership. “I’ll be in my office if you
need anything.”
He walked away, leaving her with a rising sense of
panic. Noon. Six hours to finalize a report that
required at least a full day. This wasn't just stressful; it
felt deliberately punitive.
Around ten-thirty, she walked to the break-room.
She refilled her water, trying to focus on the simple
act, but her thoughts kept returning to the Phoenix
report, the impossible deadline, Julian’s unnerving
smile. As she turned to leave, she overheard a snippet
of conversation from two senior managers by the
vending machine. “—metrics are through the roof. The
stress levels are exactly where we need them to be for
the next phase.”
Back at her desk, the words echoed in her mind.
“The stress levels are exactly where we need them to
be.”
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