CHAPTER 1: EAT YOU OR FUCK YOU

EMMA’S POVThe alarm clock blared at 6:30 AM, just like it did every Tuesday. I slapped the snooze button, groaning.

Another day, another fucking dollar.

I dragged myself through my monotonous routine: a lukewarm shower, a slightly-too-tight pencil skirt, and a blouse that always needed ironing.

I was just Emma, a low-level loan processor at Northwood Trust, dreaming of a life that felt less… beige.

I should have called in sick. I should have tripped on the way out the door. Anything to change the course of that day.

The bank was its usual quiet self at 8:45 AM. The smell of stale...