MAYA”Do I like him?
He’s my boss, Frank.
I respect the position he holds.
That’s the beginning and the end of it,” I replied simply.
“My personal opinion doesn’t factor into it, and that’s as far as my feelings go.”
”You know what I mean.
Come on, Maya.
You’re dodging the question.” He pushed further, his eyes searching mine.
“How did you even get this job?
A position like this usually takes months of interviews.
It’s not like Mr.
Blackwood to hire someone so suddenly.”
A new thought occurred to me.
Did Silas tell him to do this, too?
Was this interrogation just like the no-phones rule?
Maybe Frank wasn’t being friendly.
He was just another layer of security I hadn’t accounted for yet.
“You seem very interested in the specifics of my hiring and my relationship with Mr.
Blackwood.” I’d had enough.
I set my chopsticks down with a sharp click and leaned in, mimicking his whisper.
“Tell me, is that part of the training module I missed, or does Mr.
Blackwood know you’re spending your lunch break interrogating his new staff?”
The mention of Silas’s name acted like a bucket of ice water.
Frank went pale, his gaze dropping instantly to his plate.
He mumbled a quick apology and didn’t say another word.
He looked like a man who had suddenly realized he’d stepped over a line he couldn’t see.
The damage was done.
He had been invasive, and I was officially on guard.
The rest of our lunch was eaten in a silence so thick it was hard and uncomfortable to swallow.
It was a shame because I had thought about using Frank to annoy Silas, but I wasn’t so sure of that plan anymore.
I might still do it, but I’d have to be much more cautious.
Just as we finished eating, Cynthia walked in, followed by a man carrying a silver case.
A smirk pulled at her lips.
“Already jumping from one bed to another, are we?” she asked.
“You should pace yourself, Maya.
This building has many floors; you wouldn’t want to run out of men to climb before the week is over.”
This bitch.
I rolled my eyes.
First Isabella, now her.
It was a shame they couldn’t find a more original way to annoy me.
It was the same script, just a different face.
Frank was an Executive Assistant and technically he outranked her, but he just choked on his water and stared at the table.
He didn’t look at her; he just started shuffling his papers nervously.
“Cynthia, let’s just…
let’s get the biometrics done,” he muttered.
His voice lacked any of the authority his title should have given him.
It was embarrassing to watch.
Since Silas wasn’t here to play judge, and I wasn’t about to be a receptionist’s punching bag.
“Is your hair okay, Cynthia?” I asked, pointing at it.
“It looks a little tight.
I’ve heard that much tension can actually cut off circulation to the brain.” I leaned in, squinting to get a better look of her hairline.
“If you pull it any tighter, you might actually start thinking straight.
We wouldn’t want to ruin your streak.”
Cynthia’s smirk vanished, her eyes narrowing into slits.
Beside her, the technician shifted uncomfortably, looking everywhere but at us.
I sat perfectly still as he worked.
First came the digital fingerprinting, the cold glass pressing against my skin, then a flash of green light as they scanned my retinas.
When the technician finally finished, he held out my ID.
Cynthia snatched it first, inspecting my photo with disgust.
“It’s a bit bright,” she noted to the tech, like she was genuinely concerned.
“Adjust the contrast.
We don’t want her looking better on paper than she does in person.”
I didn’t blink.
“Don’t worry, Cynthia.
Even with the contrast down, I’m sure I’ll still be easier on the eyes than a migraine in a pencil skirt.”
Cynthia’s mouth fell open in shock.
Even Frank made a muffled, wheezing sound that was definitely a suppressed laugh.
Cynthia’s head whipped around, glaring at both men.
They immediately stiffened, looking down at the floor as if they’d forgotten how to breathe.
She didn’t say another word.
She turned on her designer heel and marched out of the room, leaving the technician standing there awkwardly with his case.
“Let’s just finish this up,” the technician muttered, his voice still shaking with a bit of leftover amusement.
He tapped a few keys on his tablet, and the card clicked as it fully coded.
When he finally handed it back, my photo on the ID was crisp and professional.
The hours crawled by after he left.
Outside, the city lights flickered to life, turning the office windows into black mirrors.
Frank’s shift ended, but there was still no sign of Silas.
“I have to go, Maya,” Frank said quietly as he packed his bag.
He looked guilty.
“I texted him, and he said he’s on his way.
I’m really sorry to leave you here alone like this.
The night security will be doing rounds, but you should stay put.”
”It’s fine, Frank.
Go home,” I said, trying to sound braver than I felt.
I forced a small smile.
The second Frank’s footsteps faded and the door clicked shut, I was on my feet.
I didn’t have much time before Silas returned to resume his hold over me.
He had banned me from using a cell phone, but an office this size had to have something I could use to communicate.
I moved through Frank’s office, my heels clicking on the floor was the only sound in the room.
I pushed open the door through the glass partition into Silas’s office.
I reached for the handle of his massive black desk, beads of sweat forming on my forehead.
I just needed one phone call to the outside world.
Liam.
I needed to hear his voice, even for a minute.
I needed a reminder that I wasn’t losing my mind.
I needed to know that someone out there was still looking for me.
I had just wrapped my fingers around the cold metal of the drawer when the door opened.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
Shit.