The Billionaire Reckoning

THE BEGINNING

“Wow, this office is huge!” I said, my voice echoing slightly as I glanced around the sleek, modern space. Mr Alastor's office was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The polished, dark wood floors reflected the soft, ambient light from the overhead fixtures. The room felt spacious, yet strangely impersonal. It was a mixture of elegant minimalism and cold corporate perfection, with tall windows offering a panoramic view of the city. A large, dark mahogany desk sat at the centre of the room, surrounded by pristine chairs and well-organized shelves filled with neatly stacked documents. There was no clutter, no warmth – it was the kind of office you'd expect someone with power to own. I felt a sense of awe mixed with discomfort.

As I took another step forward, my foot caught on something soft beneath me. My body pitched forward, and before I could stop it, I stumbled, landing squarely against Mr Alastor’s chest.

“Ah!” I gasped, my face flushing crimson with embarrassment.

I scrambled to get up, my palms pressing against his chest as I quickly pushed myself off him. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to—”

“No harm done,” Mr. Alastor replied smoothly, his voice calm and unbothered, as though this were a daily occurrence. His gaze never wavered from the papers in front of him.

“Still, I—” I started, but he cut me off with a hand gesture.

“Here,” he said, sliding a folder across the desk toward me. “The document of our agreement. Sign it, and it's official.”

I blinked. He was certainly efficient, I had to give him that. But man, he didn’t waste any time. There was no introductory handshake, no small talk, nothing. Just business.

"Mr. Alastor, you sure don’t play around," I said, a small laugh escaping my lips, expecting at least a quirked eyebrow or some sort of response. Anything. But he remained stone-faced, like a statue.

Not a word.

“Okay,” I muttered to myself, shaking my head. “No small talk, I guess.”

I took the pen from the holder and quickly skimmed through the document. It was mostly standard legal jargon, all of which I had seen before in contracts I’d worked with. Satisfied that there was nothing too unusual, I scrawled my signature on the dotted line. Phase one complete.

Mr. Alastor didn’t acknowledge the action. He simply continued speaking in that flat, emotionless tone of his.

“I want you to look over all our stock market data, as well as future business plans. I’ll need a full report on T-Brand as well,” he said, his eyes never leaving the screen of his computer.

His words hit me like a slap in the face. “T-Brand?” I echoed, raising an eyebrow. That name… it made my stomach turn.

“Why does that name matter to you?” I asked, trying to mask the sudden unease bubbling up in me.

“Does it?” Mr. Alastor replied, almost as if he were testing me. His expression remained unreadable. “I suggest you get to work.”

I swallowed hard, mentally pushing aside the thoughts that were beginning to creep into my mind. “Right, right. T-Brand,” I muttered under my breath. “No big deal.”

I tried to lighten the mood. “No celebratory event? No formal introduction?” I said, placing a hand dramatically over my chest. “That’s sad. I feel hurt.”

Mr. Alastor didn’t react. Not even a flicker of amusement passed across his face.

“You are the one who requested that no one knows of your existence,” he said, his tone blunt and matter-of-fact.

I stared at him, dumbfounded. There it was again—his complete lack of personality. How could anyone be this boring? I wondered. But then I remembered why I was here. He was useful. He had resources. And I had a job to do. So, I could deal with the emotional void of his presence for now.

Without another word, Mr. Alastor left, the door clicking shut behind him.

“Bye, partner,” I called out sarcastically, though I didn’t expect him to respond.

I glanced back at the desk, the piles of documents now feeling heavier than before. My mind wandered. My thoughts shifted to Wyatt—the i***t who had dropped me without a second thought after all the hours I’d put into his business. The websites, the apps, the robots—all of it had been my creation, my blood, sweat, and tears. But it wasn’t enough. He tossed me aside like some kind of tool once he got what he wanted.

I shook my head, pushing him out of my thoughts. “Right now, he isn’t relevant,” I whispered to myself as I turned back to the papers before me.

The hours passed, the steady hum of the office filling the silence as I worked through every document. The sharp tick of the clock on the wall became a constant companion, reminding me of how much time I had lost. By the time I finally glanced up again, it was six o'clock.

“Six!” I gasped, panic setting in. Zayne would be home any minute, and he couldn’t find out about my new job. If he knew, if he figured out what I was doing, it would only cause trouble. Trouble I didn’t need.

I grabbed my backpack and rushed to the door. As I turned to leave, I collided with something—or rather, someone—solid. I let out a yelp and stumbled back, my things scattering on the floor.

“Ouch! Watch where you’re going,” I muttered, hastily gathering my stuff. I looked up, ready to snap at the person who had interrupted my escape, but my words caught in my throat.

It was Mr Alastor again.

“You again?” I groaned, irritation flaring up. “Really? Are you following me or something?”

He didn’t answer. He simply stood there, looking at me with that same unreadable expression.

I didn’t have time to waste. Without another word, I pushed past him and hurried to the secret elevator, my heart racing in my chest. The elevator doors closed behind me with a soft ding, and I slumped against the wall, trying to calm my racing thoughts. I had to get out of here before Zayne noticed anything.

The elevator ride down was painfully slow, the silence between us stretching on endlessly. The air was thick with discomfort. I could feel Mr Alastor's presence next to me, but I didn’t dare speak to him. The awkwardness was unbearable.

As soon as the elevator doors opened and I stepped into the private parking lot, it hit me.

I had no idea how to get home.

The building was in some private area, cut off from the city. I had taken a private car here this morning, but now I was stranded. Great. Just great.

“Get in,” came Mr. Alastor’s voice, interrupting my panic. I looked up to find him standing beside a sleek black car, the passenger door open, inviting me in.

I stared at him, hesitant, but I was running out of options. So, I climbed in.

The car sped off, much faster than I was comfortable with. My stomach lurched as the engine roared, and the city lights blurred past us in a dizzying streak of color.

“Slow down, Mister!” I screamed, gripping the seat with white-knuckled hands. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, my breath coming in short, panicked bursts. He was driving like a maniac.

But Mr. Alastor didn’t seem to care. He didn’t acknowledge me or slow down. He just kept driving, the speedometer climbing higher and higher.

When we finally arrived at my building, my knees buckled, and I nearly collapsed onto the sidewalk. My legs were like jelly from the adrenaline, my head spinning.

“Thanks for the ride,” I muttered, trying to regain my composure, but Mr. Alastor didn’t wait for a response. He just sped off, leaving me standing there in the cold night air, feeling more alone than ever.

I pushed open the front door to my apartment, and that’s when I heard it.

“Harley!!!”

My blood ran cold.

Zayne.

I froze, my body going stiff. I gulped, trying to steady myself. The last thing I needed right now was a confrontation with him.

“Zayne, hi,” I said, forcing a smile as I tried to slip past him. “I missed you.”

He didn’t let me go that easily. His grip on my arm tightened, and I felt a chill run through me. “Why didn’t you eat your food or take your meds?” His voice was icy, his eyes narrowing.

“I was late,” I muttered, trying to avoid his gaze. But I could feel his eyes boring into me, his suspicion growing.

“Harley, don’t lie to me,” he growled, his grip loosening for a second. That was all I needed.

I bolted for the door, rushing inside and slamming it shut behind me. I locked it with a frantic snap of the bolt, just as I heard his voice rise from the other side.

“Sorry, Zayne! Love you! Bye!” I shouted, my heart pounding in my chest.

I collapsed onto my bed, my body shaking with exhaustion, my mind reeling from everything that had just happened. This was my life now—a tightrope walk between secrets and lies. And somehow, it felt like I was losing control.