This trip would be her first true vacation since starting this job, and it was testing the limits of the party’s technically unlimited time-off policy. She always told her employees that vacation was important—and in an objective sense, she knew it was—but until now, she hadn’t had what she considered a good enough reason to disconnect for more than a few days. Now that everything was finally in motion, she was no longer hesitant to disconnect from work: she only wanted to pull the plug as soon as possible.

Without realizing it, her shoulders had begun to relax in the quiet of the empty space. She leaned back in the chair, stretching her neck in each direction before reaching for her old WHP mug of now-lukewarm coffee. Through the glass wall of the conference room, she could see Nate and Clara talking by the microwave, probably discussing the absurdly lavish boat she had seen on Alex’s computer screen. She took a sip, finding the temperature of the liquid slightly less unpleasant than the prospect of joining them in the kitchen to heat it up.

She flicked open her video app once more, adjusting the stack of notecards under the screen. Her eyes fixed on her own image and a heavy sigh escaped her, looking even more tired than before her analytics tutorial. It didn’t matter: she had to get through this, or the rest of her prep would be totally derailed.

“This housing crisis won’t be solved by a couple—”

The phone began to buzz in its tripod, the video interrupted by an incoming FaceTime call from ELENA ONASSIS. She let out another great exhale before swiping to open the call.

“Hi, baby!” Elena smiled from her messy home office. Round-faced and only slightly wrinkled for her age, she felt as warm as the sun, even through the phone.

“Hi, Mom.” Alex smiled back, sitting up a little straighter to avoid any possible lectures about the effects of bad posture. “Lunch break?”

“Yes,” Elena replied, holding up the plate of protein-rich snacks she always assembled for herself at exactly 1 PM.

Alex held up her coffee in return. “Me, too.”

“That’d better be a joke.” Elena frowned. “You need to eat, baby.”

“I know, I will. I just have to record a bunch of videos before I leave, and I don’t want food in my teeth.”

“Lex, you know how I feel about your Columbia Club diet.”

Alex winced. “Please don’t call it that.”

Her mother shook her head, undeterred. “This happens every time you see them, and I’m sorry, but anyone you need to lose ten pounds for—”

From off screen, Alex heard the unmistakable sound of one of the daycare toddlers barging into her mother’s office, followed by her harried, apologetic assistant, who quickly grabbed the child and closed the door.