Allison was already considering the perks of moving into an apartment once her job at Summit & Vale Solicitors was confirmed. It would make hermute a breeze, and living solo meant she wouldn''t have to deal with Javier and Linda-pure bliss.

Her interview was with the firm''s HR and Nicole, the head of the litigation department. With a solid degree and three years experience under her belt, Allison breezed through Nicole''s questions like a pro. Nicole seemed impressed, offering a sry that matched Allison''s hopes: a solid fifteen grand base plus a cut of the legal fees.

As the interview wrapped up, Nicole smiled warmly, “Ms. Allison, see you tomorrow."

Allison, returning the smile, replied, "See you tomorrow."

The whole process had been way smoother than she''d expected. She figured they might y hardball with the sry, but it was a cinch.

Once Allison left, Nicole gazed out the window, sighed, and muttered, “What a pity, I really thought highly of

her."

On her first day, Sandy from HR took Allison around to meet her new coworkers and get her bearings. Summit & Vale was a pretty big ce. She was joining the main office, which housed the Business, Litigation, Non– Litigation, Finance, and HR Departments.

The Business Department handled the hustling and deal-making.

The Litigation Department, where Allisonnded, was all about handling court cases withwyers and interns. The Non-Litigation Department focused on legal advice, debt collection, contract checks, and the like.

Finance and HR took care of the usual money and people stuff, just like anywhere else.

Each department had its own lead. Nicole, who''d interviewed her, was the Litigation head, a practicingwyer in her thirties with a sharp short haircut that screamed corporate dynamo. The main office boasted over twenty practicingwyers. Aside from the supervisors, each office was shared by twowyers.

Allison was paired with awyer in his forties. After getting her desk sorted, she settled in.

Nicole popped in, looking a bit apologetic, "Allison, normally everywyer has an intern to help out, but two just finished their stints and are off to practice elsewhere. We haven''t filled those spots yet, so you''ll need to manage without an assistant for a bit."

Allison nodded, "No worries, I can handle things on my own."

"Perfect,” Nicole smiled and headed out.

The guy at the other desk nced up from hisputer, "Hey, I''m Brody. Looks like we''ll be working together."

"Hi," Allison replied politely.

During lunch, one of the guys, egged on by Nicole, stirred the pot in the group chat, suggesting the newbies should treat everyone to dinner after work.

There were two neers. Allison, who started today, and Joy, an intern who joined a few days back.

Allison was curious about this office culture. Was this dinner thing a regr tradition for new folks? She asked her office mate about it.

He told her it wasn''t a usual "custom" around here.

Allison stared at her screen, lost in thought.