Chapter 3: The 10 PM Threat

Sunday night stretched before Leo like a minefield. He'd spent the weekend in meticulous preparation—reviewing case studies, practicing analytical frameworks, and running through the types of strategic scenarios the Ministry of Economic Development was known to test. His dining table had become a war room of spreadsheets, policy documents, and economic projections, each page a weapon in tomorrow's battle for his future.

The irony wasn't lost on him that he was preparing for the most important exam of his career while technically being docked a day's pay for the privilege. Amanda's invisible hand had already cost him two hundred dollars, but Leo had made his peace with that calculation. The potential return—a position that would transform his entire trajectory—made the financial sting irrelevant.

At 9:47 PM, his phone buzzed.

The notification appeared innocuously among his study materials, just another interruption in an evening already fragmented by nervous energy. Leo almost ignored it, his mind still locked on a complex scenario involving international trade agreements. But something about the timing made him glance at the screen.

The message was from Amanda Sterling.

His blood pressure spiked as he read the contact name. She'd been radio silent for three weeks, vanishing into her tropical paradise while leaving her department to function through Craig's terrified proxy management. Now, less than twelve hours before the most crucial exam of Leo's career, she had something to say.

Leo opened the message, and the words hit him like a physical assault:

"Leo - Just reviewed your remote work request for Tuesday. DENIED. Your 'examination' is not adequate justification for disrupting normal business operations. Remote work is a privilege earned through demonstrated commitment, not a convenience for personal pursuits. Report to office Tuesday 8 AM sharp or this will be reflected in your performance review. Unexcused absences are grounds for disciplinary action up to and including termination. - A. Sterling"

Leo stared at the screen, reading the message three times before the full scope of its cruelty sank in. The timing was surgical in its precision—late enough that any response would seem desperate, but early enough to guarantee maximum psychological damage before his exam. Amanda had crafted this missile from her beachside resort, timing its delivery for maximum destructive impact.

His hands trembled slightly as he set the phone down. The message wasn't just a denial of his request; it was a declaration of war wrapped in corporate terminology. She'd called his career-defining opportunity inadequate, reduced his professional development to a "personal pursuit," and finished with a barely veiled threat of termination.

The genius of it was in the impossible choice she'd engineered. Show up to work on Tuesday and potentially miss critical follow-up communications about the exam results, or stay home and face disciplinary action that could not only block any promotion but potentially cost him his job entirely. Either option would give her grounds to destroy his career within Aethel Corp.

Leo's mind raced through the implications. Amanda had timed her vacation to avoid any direct confrontation about his time-off requests, then struck from a distance when he was most vulnerable. She'd weaponized the corporate bureaucracy, using policy and procedure as instruments of personal control.

But it was the tone that truly revealed her nature. The cold dismissal of his ambitions, the casual cruelty of calling his opportunity "inadequate"—these weren't the words of a manager making difficult operational decisions. This was someone who took pleasure in crushing subordinates who dared to dream beyond their assigned roles.

Leo stood up from his study materials, pacing to the window that overlooked the city's glittering skyline. Somewhere out there, Amanda was probably lounging by a infinity pool, her phone beside her on a teak table, satisfied with the precision of her latest attack. She'd calculated that the threat would break his focus, that he'd spend the night before his exam paralyzed by anxiety about his job security.

The realization crystallized his rage into something colder and more focused. This wasn't about policy or operational requirements—this was about power. Amanda had identified him as a threat from the moment he'd asked about professional development during his interview. Every promise she'd made had been a lie designed to secure his acceptance, and every action since had been calculated to neutralize his potential.

She'd played him perfectly, except for one miscalculation.

Leo Vance didn't break under pressure—he became sharper.

He returned to his study materials with renewed intensity, but now his preparation carried a different edge. The exam had become more than just an opportunity; it was his weapon against Amanda's attempted manipulation. Every correct answer would be a blow against her efforts to control him. Every strategic insight would prove that her "inadequate excuse" was actually the key to his liberation.

The hours crawled by as Leo absorbed case studies and refined his analytical frameworks. Each page he turned was an act of defiance against Amanda's psychological warfare. She wanted him distracted, anxious, and ultimately defeated. Instead, he channeled his fury into razor-sharp focus.

At 2 AM, he finally closed his notebooks and allowed himself four hours of sleep. But even in his dreams, Amanda's words echoed: "Unexcused absences are grounds for disciplinary action up to and including termination."

When his alarm sounded at 6 AM, Leo woke with crystalline clarity. The rage had transformed overnight into something more dangerous—cold, calculated determination. Amanda Sterling had tried to destroy his future with a single text message. Now he would show her exactly what happened when someone underestimated Leo Vance.

He dressed carefully in his best suit, the same one he'd worn to his interview with Amanda three months ago. The symbolism felt appropriate—he was about to complete the journey she'd tried to prevent him from starting.

As he grabbed his keys and headed for the door, Leo's phone buzzed again. For a moment, his heart hammered with the possibility of another late-night missile from Amanda. But this message was from the Ministry's examination coordinator, confirming his registration and providing final logistical details.

"Best of luck today. We look forward to seeing what you can accomplish."

Leo smiled for the first time in hours. They had no idea what he was about to accomplish, fueled by three months of suppressed ambition and one perfectly timed act of managerial cruelty.

Amanda Sterling had intended to break his spirit on the eve of his most important challenge. Instead, she'd forged it into something harder and more focused than she could possibly imagine.

The exam hall awaited, and Leo Vance was ready for war.