Chapter 8: Monday morning
664 Words
Monday morning arrived too quickly.
Amara walked into Blackwood Holdings with a cup of coffee in one hand and her handbag in the other.
She was determined to have a normal day.
No mysterious messages.
No questions about her father.
No strange conversations with Kian.
Just work.
“Morning.”
She nearly jumped.
Noah was standing beside her desk.
“You scared me.”
“Good morning to you too.”
She placed her bag down.
“Did you sleep at all this weekend?”
“Of course.”
He looked at her suspiciously.
“You're lying.”
“Maybe.”
Noah laughed.
“Come on. Mrs. Carter wants us in the conference room.”
“Us?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Apparently, Mr. Blackwood has decided our lives are too peaceful.”
Amara followed him.
The meeting was about a new company project.
Nothing unusual.
Kian sat at the head of the table, listening while the department managers discussed the project.
Amara took notes quietly.
She wasn't expecting to speak.
Then Kian looked directly at her.
“Amara.”
She looked up.
“Yes?”
“What did you think of the proposal?”
Everyone at the table turned toward her.
She froze for half a second.
“I think it's good.”
Kian waited.
“But?”
She glanced at the documents.
“The timeline is too short.”
One of the managers frowned.
“We can meet it.”
“I know,” Amara said quickly. “But if we're rushing the first stage, the team might make mistakes that cost more to fix later.”
Silence.
Kian leaned back.
“And your solution?”
“Extend the first stage by a week.”
The manager immediately objected.
“That isn't necessary.”
Amara looked at him.
“I could be wrong.”
Kian interrupted.
“She isn't.”
Everyone went quiet.
He looked at the project manager.
“Move the deadline.”
The man nodded reluctantly.
“Understood.”
The meeting continued.
When it ended, Amara gathered her things.
She was almost at the door when Kian spoke.
“Good observation.”
She turned.
“Thank you.”
“You weren't trying to impress me.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
She smiled slightly.
“Because I was trying to do my job.”
Kian watched her for a moment.
“Keep doing that.”
She nodded and left.
Outside, Noah was waiting.
“You just disagreed with Mr. Blackwood in front of everyone.”
“I wasn't disagreeing with him.”
“You basically told him his plan was bad.”
“I did not.”
“You did.”
Amara laughed.
“And he agreed.”
Noah stared at her.
“That's even more impressive.”
The rest of the morning passed quickly.
At lunch, Amara sat with Noah in the staff cafeteria.
“You know,” he said, “you're getting comfortable.”
She looked around.
“Maybe.”
“That's dangerous.”
“Why?”
“Because once you get comfortable here, you'll start realizing everyone has secrets.”
Amara stopped eating.
Noah immediately noticed.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
She forced a smile.
“Just tired.”
He didn't push.
After lunch, Amara returned to her desk.
A few minutes later, she noticed a document sitting on her chair.
There was no name on it.
She opened it.
Inside was an old newspaper clipping.
The headline made her heart stop.
LOCAL BUSINESSMAN DIES IN LATE-NIGHT ACCIDENT.
Below it was a photograph.
Her father.
Amara's fingers trembled.
She looked around the office.
Nobody seemed to be watching.
Then she noticed something handwritten at the bottom of the clipping.
Four words.
Ask about the missing file.
Amara looked toward Kian's office.
The blinds were closed.
For the first time since starting at Blackwood Holdings, she wondered whether someone inside the company had deliberately brought her here.
And if they had...
Why?
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