The woman, having been at the center for years and quite experienced, carried herself with arrogance.

She had never liked Camila.

As Camila stepped outside, lost in thought, she accidentally stepped on this woman's foot. The woman, refusing to let the incident slide, confronted Camila.

Apologies were offered but not accepted.

"Are you blind? I'm right here! This was no accident. You did it on purpose!" the woman accused.

Camila, quiet and apologetic, found herself at a loss. The woman was relentless.

She had no choice.

The director's office was nearby, so he heard everything right away.

He stepped in for Camila, saying, “She's already said sorry.”

“But she doesn't mean it," the woman argued. “Look at my shoe covers, they're dirty now. How can I go into the lab like this?"

Her name was Hilaria Rayne.

She was over forty and always keen to flaunt her status at the research center.

She took great pride in her skills.

"Just put on a new pair," the director suggested, pulling her aside.

“Why stir up trouble with the new director? How does that help you?

Don't you worry it'll make your job harder later on?"

Hilaria paused, then said, "At least tell me who's backing her. She looks as young as a college grad, yet she's becoming a director.

Forget skills, how can we respect her with so Little experience? I've been here over ten years, started in my twenties. Now I'm forty-one.

And I'm supposed to take orders from her? I can't."

If the new director had outshone her, she wouldn't have objected.