All I ever wanted was to be diligent—a model assistant, loyal to my boss, and focused on my work. I kept my head down, did everything by the book, and never gave anyone a reason to question my professionalism.

But apparently, being caught “releasing tension” in the copy room changes how your boss sees you.

This morning, his voice was cool, “Lila,” he said, without looking up from his desk. “I need you to declutter the copy room. Take out every useless document and clean the place up. New files are arriving this evening.”

There was an edge beneath his words—too calm, too knowing. As if this was a punishment...