His Office, My Secret

Chapter 6 – Falling In Step

My heart leapt into my throat. I turned sharply, every nerve in my body taut and tight. Blood rush through my face and I could feel my n****e stiffen through my clothing. The sound of heels clicking against tiled floor were too calm and collected to be a cleaner’s.

“Who’s there?” My voice came out, small and trembling.

A tall shadow fell across the floor and for a moment, I thought it was Asher. But when the light hit his face, it wasn’t.

“Miss Monro?”

It was Henry Vance. I was dead.

“Sir?” I blurted out, nearly tripping over the chair as I stood up. “I-uh-I thought everyone had left.”

He frowned slightly, scanning the bright monitor behind me. “Everyone did. What are you doing here.. in my secretary’s office?”

“I… uh… I came to drop off a file,” I lied quickly, grabbing the first document within my reach.

His gaze drifted to the open browser window that showed ‘sss’ written in bold letters. The cursor blinked accusingly. He too a few steps closer until I could smell his expensive minty fragrance. I would have drank it in and basked it on a normal day. It smelt so rich and masculine.

“A file?” he repeated, and his voice low. “On her email?”

My throat went dry. “I must’ve clicked the wrong shortcut. I’m sorry.”

He gave me an expressionless gaze that I struggled to read meaning into.

That moment, his phone and he turned to answer it. “Do well to shut it down properly as soon as you’re done and please turn off that damn AC! It’s cold as the Artic in here.”

He turned and walked away, his footsteps fading down the hallway.

Only then did I realize I had been holding my breath all the whole time. I hyperventilated in relief. It was a very close call. With trembling hands, I switched off the lights. But as I closed the door behind me, a single thought wouldn’t leave my head:

How did Henry Vance know I was here?

And why did he seem almost… amused?

“Have a wonderful evening, ma.” It was one of the cleaners. I just nodded slightly and said a quite ‘thank you’ and continued thanking my stars. As I walked into the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor. As the elevator doors shut, I could the door of my cubicle open and close quickly. A figure stepped out. It was Nelissa.

***

The next morning, I walked into the office feeling raw and restless. All through the previous night and even now, my mind replayed every second of last night. I couldn’t shut out the image of Nelissa leaving my cubicle. What could have led her there? What could she possibly want?

I barely sat down before my phone pinged. It was an email from Henry. My heart skipped a bit. A bead of cold sweat formed on my brow. Was it about last night? My hands trembled slightly as opened the text. Was it fear or excitement. Put yourself together, girl!

FROM CEO OFFICE

SUBJECT: 10:00A.M. Meeting. Confidential.

The message was brief. Just one line: Bring your laptop.

I straightened my blouse, trying not to let my imaginations run wild.

At exactly ten, I stood outside his office. Nelissa looked up from her desk, her lips curving into a tight, unreadable smile.

“He’s expecting you,” she said.

Inside, Henry was already pacing by the window, sleeves rolled up, sunlight glinting off his wristwatch.

“Good Morning, sir.”

He turned, eyes meeting mine. “Naomi.”

Just hearing him say my name, did strange things to my heartbeat.

“I reviewed your analysis,”, he said, walking around his desk. “It was sharp. Bold you see things most people miss.”

“Thank you, sir.”

He stopped close enough that I could smell the faint trace of his cologne, just like the previous night. This time, I could drink it in and bask in it as much as I wanted.

“I’m adding you to another project,” he said, handing a flash drive. “Everything you need is here. Keep it confidential.”

I nodded, clutching the small device. “Yes, sir.”

His gaze lingered, softer this time. “And Naomi… relax. Youn don’t have to look like you’re about to be interrogated.”

I flushed. I felt my cheeks warm. “I wasn’t…”

He smiled faintly. “Good. Because I don’t bite.”

Forn the briefest moment, silence settled between us, thick with unspoken things. Then he cleared his throat and returned toward his desk.

“Are you free this evening?”

My heart skipped. “This evening?”

“Yes.” He looked at me again, eyes unreadable. “Dinner. I would like to discuss your projections for the expansion campaign. Somewhere quite.”

“Of course, sir.” I was going to add “I would be delighted!”, but I thought against it.

His lips twitched slightly, as if suppressing a smile. “Good. I’ll send a chauffeur to come pick you up at seven.”

Dinner with Henry Vance? I shook my head on my way back to my desk. My head screamed professional, but my heart thudded personal.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Each time my phone buzzed, I thought it might be him. It wasn’t.

By late afternoon, Asher appeared at my desk. His expression was oddly composed; too calm, too polite.

“Hey love,” he said smoothly. “Heard you have plans this evening.”

I froze. “What do you mean?”

He tilted his head. “Dinner with the boss? Word travels fast in this building.”

My chest tightened. “It’s just business, Asher.”

He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. “Business or pleasure? Because if it’s the former, fine. But if it’s the later, then we have a problem.”

“Asher, please don’t do this.”

He gave a cold smile. “Just be careful, Naomi. The higher you climb, then steeper the fall.”

He walked away before I could even respond.

My hands trembled as I gathered my things. Who had told him? Nelissa? Or had he been watching me too?

***

At exactly seven, Henry’s car pulled up outside of my apartment. It was a sleek, black Ferrari that looked like it belonged in a commercial.

The driver opened the door for me and I stepped in. I felt fly. My pulse raced.

When we arrived, Henry was already seated at a corner table in a dimly lit restaurant that overlooked the city skyline. He rose when he saw me, pulling out a chair.

“You look lovely.” He said simply.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Henry,” he corrected softly. Just Henry.”

It felt strange hearing him say it like that. Gentle, intimate, almost dangerous.

The night began with small talk. Company performance, PR goals, projections. But as the evening deepened, the conversation shifted.

He asked about my life before Vance Innovations. About my mother. About my father.

The last question caught me off guard.

“My father?”

“Yes, he said,” watching me carefully. “You’ve mentioned him once or twice. What did he do?”

“He worked in tech,” in said slowly. “He passed away a long time ago.”

Henry nodded. But something flickered in his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I knew someone once… Davi Monro. A brilliant mind. Any relation?”

My fork slipped. “That was my father.”

For a heartbeat, silence fell. The kind of silence that you could feel and touch. Henry’s expression didn’t change, but jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.

“I see,” he said at last, his voice, quite. “The world really is small.”

“Did you know him?”

He took a slow sip of wine. “We crossed paths, yes. He was visionary; one of the first to believe in what we built here. His ideas outlived him.”

I could really tell from his somberness, the emotions he was feeling at that point in time.

By the time the desert came, my head awas spinning with questions didn’t dare ask.

When we stepped into the cool night air, Henry turned to me. “You are talented, Naomi but this company can be a dangerous place for the wrong kind of ambition.”

“Meaning?” I asked quietly.

He looked down at me, the city lights reflecting in his eyes. “Meaning, trust no one who smiles too easily.”

He reached into his jacket and pressed something into my hands. “Work on this privately. And don’t show it to anyone. Not even Asher.”

It was another flash drive.

Before I could respond, a navy-blue sedan slowed across the street. I caught a glimpse of someone watching us through the window. Broad shoulders, familiar silhouette.

Asher.

Henry noticed the way stiffened, but said nothing. He simply opened the car door for me and murmured, “Goodnight, Naomi.”

“Goodnight, sir.”

Our eyes met one last time before I stepped inside.

As the car pulled away, I glanced at the flash drive in my palm; its metal edges catching the faint glow of the car’s yellow light. I didn’t know what was on it. But something told me that whatever was inside could either save me… or destroy everything I thought I knew.

***