Chapter 3 - Eyes Behind Glass
636 Words
The boardroom emptied in fragments.
Chairs slid back.
Files closed.
Muted conversations drifted toward the door and died before reaching the hallway.
Nobody lingered.
Elena noticed that immediately.
People left Henrik Falkenrath the way people left church after funerals quietly, without unnecessary movement, eager to put distance between themselves and something heavy.
Klaus Reiner avoided looking at her on his way out.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Minutes ago, the finance director had looked ready to bite through his own tongue defending the acquisition. Now he walked toward the elevator with his jaw tight and shoulders locked.
No anger.
Fear.
The door shut behind the last executive.
Silence settled over the room.
Rain tapped softly against the windows.
Henrik remained seated.
Page.
Turn.
Signature.
Another page.
No reaction.
No acknowledgment.
Nothing.
Elena stared at him.
"You usually ignore people after changing their entire work life?"
Paper shifted.
No answer.
Her eyes narrowed.
"I have deadlines."
Page.
Turn.
"I have ongoing projects."
Another signature.
Elena crossed her arms.
"Am I invisible?"
His pen stopped.
Slowly.
Gray eyes lifted toward her.
Cold eyes.
Steady eyes.
The kind that paid attention without appearing to.
"Do you always become impatient this quickly?"
Elena blinked.
"Do you always answer questions with questions?"
Silence.
The rain strengthened outside. Water rolled down the windows in crooked lines, blurring the city beneath them.
Henrik closed the folder in front of him.
Finally.
Progress.
"The person responsible for altering those reports works inside my company."
"I know."
"You found irregularities executives missed."
"I know."
His eyes held hers.
Long enough for discomfort to creep into her shoulders.
"So you're working with me."
Elena exhaled sharply.
"No."
One eyebrow lifted.
"No?"
"No."
She stepped toward the table.
"You don't get to point at people and rearrange their lives."
No visible reaction.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
Most people would argue.
Defend themselves.
Get irritated.
Henrik just watched.
Which somehow felt worse.
"You dislike being told what to do."
She stared at him.
"That's your observation?"
"It's obvious."
"I met you an hour ago."
"Long enough."
Her jaw tightened.
Arrogant man.
Dangerously arrogant.
She grabbed her tablet from the table and slid it into her bag.
"I'm leaving."
No response.
Elena took three steps.
Then her phone vibrated.
She frowned.
Unknown number.
Her thumb moved across the screen.
*DON'T STAY NEAR HIM.*
Everything inside her went still.
Her eyes narrowed.
No contact information.
No sender.
Nothing.
A second vibration came immediately.
*HE ISN'T THE DANGER YOU THINK HE IS.*
Cold pressure settled low in her stomach.
Behind her, a chair moved.
Henrik had stood.
"Problem?"
She locked the screen.
Too fast.
Too obvious.
His eyes dropped briefly toward her hand.
Then returned to her face.
Nothing escaped him.
Wonderful.
"It's nothing."
Silence.
He walked toward her.
Not fast.
Not slow.
Measured.
Every step landed with quiet certainty.
Elena hated the fact that her shoulders stiffened.
He stopped in front of her.
Close.
Again.
Too close.
"Ms. Weiss."
His voice dropped lower.
"You lie badly."
Her eyebrows pulled together.
"Excuse me?"
"You touch your thumb against your finger."
She froze.
Damn it.
Her hand opened immediately.
Heat crawled into her face.
The corner of his mouth shifted slightly.
Not a smile.
Barely movement at all.
Still enough to irritate her.
"You've been observing me?"
"No."
His eyes stayed on hers.
"I pay attention."
Another vibration.
Elena looked down immediately.
Third message.
Three words.
*LOOK OUTSIDE NOW.*
Her heartbeat stumbled.
Slowly, she turned toward the glass wall.
Rain blurred the streets below.
Headlights moved through traffic.
People crossed intersections beneath umbrellas.
Then she saw him.
Across the street.
Standing beneath a dead streetlamp.
Motionless.
Watching the building.
Watching her.
The figure lifted one hand.
And pressed something white against the glass beside his face.
A photograph.
Even through the rain
Elena recognized herself.
- Writer
