The interview was scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

I arrived ten minutes early, résumé in a clean folder, blouse buttoned one higher than usual. The agency that sent me had called the position “executive assistant to the managing director.” Competitive salary. Quiet office. The kind of job that could finally stabilize everything after six months of temporary work.

The receptionist on the fifteenth floor was already packing her bag when I walked in.

“Mr. Kane is ready for you,” she said, barely looking up. “Last door on the left. Everyone else is gone for the day, so just go in.”

The hallway was silent. Most of the glass offices were dark....