OFFICE ROMANCE

CHAPTER ONE

“Fire”

“i think there ar people inside the building”

A young girl stood there holding a shopping bag, she went for errands came back to this, the building she loved, the one place that felt like home, laughter, Mama’s caramel burning sugar smell, smoke filling her throat, suffocating, like Mama forgot the pot and just laughed instead of cursing, she knew that taste meant run, but her legs, no, they wouldn’t move, numb, tried to reach for the view but it was foggy, dirty glass, couldn’t see nothing, fire stopped, clothes burnt to ashes, all she could save was a family portrait, creased, last thing that ever belonged to her family, someone shouting her name but fire was louder, foggy, ELENA, ELENA

She woke up choking, not on smoke just another blast from the past, 6,03 AM, red numbers bleeding on the wall of her studio apartment, same time her life became Before and After, alarm screaming, same alarm she set every night for fourteen years cos her body didn’t know how to sleep past 6,03 AM, fourteen years and counting, still waking up at 6,03 AM like her body was stuck there, stuck outside that foggy building, she didn’t cry, crying was for people who still had someone to hear them, she just pressed her forehead to her knees till the shaking stopped, till her fingers unclenched from the mattress, till the taste of smoke faded from her throat, fire took her family when she was nine, world taught her be quiet and independent after that, never trust people too much, don’t fall in love cos love makes you weak, littled did she know that was the least of her problems, she got up, apartment was small, studio, one room, one hot plate, one window looking at brick wall, rent was $900, last paycheck from Hartwell covered three months, after that she didn’t know, didn’t let herself think about it, thinking made panic come back

Coffee pot hissed, Black, Bitter, what you know that’s nature, Elena wrapped both hands around the mug and stared at the wall, wall was bare, nothing reallywas fun, life was just survive, only thing she kept was law degree in cheap frame and scar on left wrist she told people was kitchen accident, wasn’t, was windowsill at age nine, climbing out while smoke filled her lungs

She was Elena Hart, Associate at Hartwell, three years of eighty hour weeks, three years of “You’re so young Elena you’ll make partner”, three years believing if she worked hard enough fire wouldn’t define her, she was wrong, God she was so wrong, phone buzzed, 6,15 AM, email notification, she didn’t check it, not yet, emails before coffee were bad luck, emails before 7 AM were death sentences, and Elena had enough death already, showered with hot water, scrubbing skin like she could wash dream off, like she could wash smoke smell off, never worked, fourteen years and her body still thought she was nine years old standing by foggy window, skin red and raw after but she still did it every morning

Dressed in uniform, black suit white blouse, hair pulled back so tight it hurt, pain kept her awake, pain kept her sharp, Elena didn’t do messy, messy got people killed, messy got people left behind by foggy window, messy got you forgotten, she was at desk by 7,30 AM, Hartwell took whole 23rd floor of glass building downtown, everything glass steel light, nothing to burn, she picked firm for that reason, glass, light, nothing hiding in corners, her desk was blank, nothing like last night, no photos, no mugs, no evidence human owned it, just files, neat stacks, color coded, tabs in her perfect handwriting

“Morning Elena” Marcus dropped file on her desk, always dropped never handed, like he thought she wouldn’t catch it, “Urgent brief for Kensington case, partner needs it by noon”

She nodded, didn’t look up, “Got it”, “Rough henight”

“Always”

He laughed, she didn’t, Marcus never understood some people didn’t sleep, some people just closed eyes and waited for smoke, by 9 AM she read two hundred pages case law, by 10 AM eyes burned, by 11 AM phone buzzed again

Notification, email, subject: HR - Immediate Attention Required, stomach dropped, HR emails never good, HR at 11 AM worse, HR with “Immediate Attention” meant someone already decided about you, she didn’t open it, not yet, finished brief, one paragraph at a time, one citation at a time, if she gonna fall she’d fall with work done, that’s what Dad always said, “You finish what you start Elena, even if it burns”, she didn’t know he meant it literally

Noon came and went, sent brief, Mr Hartwell replied in two minutes: Good work Elena, See me in my office at 3, “See me in my office” she raised eyebrows, those words end you or make you, tried to eat lunch, couldn’t, dreams hunted her everyday, eating felt like waste of time, 2,45 PM walked to Mr Hartwell’s office, carpet thick, walls fancy as always, everything screamed money, money never saved her family, money wouldn’t save her now

Door locked as always, knocked three times before he stood to open, “Come in”

Mr Hartwell sixty, expensive suit expensive smile, kind of man who called you “kid” when he wanted something and “Ms Hart” when angry, Elena noticed he wasn’t smiling as usual, “Sit Elena”, hesitated seconds before sitting, placed hands on lap, knew how to make herself invisible and impossible to ignore same time, he slid manila envelope across desk, sound loud in quiet room, “Read this” she said, opened it, saw her name, her signature, bank transfers she never made, client funds moved offshore Cayman Islands, dates matched week she filed documents for Mr Delaney, Mr Delaney senior partner, Mr Delaney untouchable, Mr Delaney patted her head once called her good girl

Last page letter on firm letterhead, same letterhead she used to file motions to save people, protect people, believe in justice, Re: Immediate Termination & Fraud Investigation, Due to evidence of client fund misappropriation totaling 2,4 million dollars your employment with Hartwell terminated effective immediately, Law enforcement notified, We suggest you contact attorney, words sank, felt like fire again, accused of fraud, life she built crashing

Mouth dry, “I didn’t…….”

“You signed for those transfers Elena”, voice gentle, worst part, gentle meant he decided already, gentle meant no room for her side, “Mr Delaney said you volunteered to handle it, said you needed bonus money, having financial trouble”, Mr Hartwell interrupted

She remembered now, late night 2 AM, Mr Delaney leaning over desk smelling whiskey and cologne, “Just sign here kid, routine transfer, don’t ask questions you don’t have clearance for, be team player”, she signed, because partner, because partners don’t lie, because asking questions got you fired and she remembered that day she was tired and drunk too, fire took family at nine, firm took name at twenty five, “I didn’t know”, whispered, voice small, like nine year old, “I swear I didn’t know”

“I believe you”, he didn’t look like he did, “But evidence says otherwise, I’m sorry Elena, Security will escort you out, access already revoked”

Revoked, like password, like nothing

Security waiting outside, two men black suits, not smiling, hands on belts like she’d run, like criminal already, “Ms Hart, please come with us” one security said, she stood, only thing left, legs didn’t shake, not yet, not in front of them, fall apart later in dark where no one see, they walked her past desk, past Marcus wouldn’t meet eyes, past paralegals stopped typing when saw her face, past glass walls she thought safezpast conference room where won first case, past everything built, no one said goodbye

Box was small, personal items, law degree cheap frame, coffee mug stolen from break room cos only thing not secondhand, notebook full case notes, that’s it, three years reduced to cardboard box, “Leave files” Security said and she left everything

Elevator ride down silent, twenty three floors, years dropping floor by floor, watched numbers go down thinking about fire, how fast things fall when nothing left to hold them up, outside raining, Chicago rain, cold mean sideways, no umbrella, no coat, no job, no name meaning anything anymore

Two men black suits waited by door, not building security, different suits darker, government badges on belts, “Elena Hart” one stepped forward, “FBI, you need come with us”

Heart stopped, FBI, not police, “I didn’t do it”, voice cracked, “Please, I didn’t know, I didn’t………”

“Save it for station, Ms Hart”

They grabbed arm firm, way you hold someone might run, she didn’t run, where go, nowhere left

Station worse, fluorescent lights, questions over and over, “Did you sign documents”, “Did you transfer money”, “Who told you do it”, “I don’t know I don’t know I don’t know” repeated till words lost meaning, they booked her, fingerprints, number, camera flash blinded second and she saw fire instead, spent night bench listening other women cry scream beg, listening name dragged mud TV corner, thief, fraud, criminal

9 AM next morning public defender came, fifties, tired eyes handling too many cases, “No flight risk”, told judge, “Ms Hart no prior record, she’ll appear court dates”, bail set $50,000, Elena had $340 bank account, frozen anyway, closed eyes ready for cell, ready concrete bed, ready next fire, “What will grandma say” mumbled

“Someone posted bail” clerk said

Elena opened eyes, “What”

“Anonymous donor, you’re free go Ms Hart, don’t leave city”

Walked out same suit wrinkled now, smelling jail shame rain, no one waiting, no coat, no “I believe you”, just Chicago wind cutting like knives, letter crumpled pocket, termination letter saying fraud, life over

Fire took family at nine, firm took future at twenty five

And now standing courthouse steps no one coming for her, Elena realized something, fire never really stopped burning, it just changed shape, and it was coming for her again