Too close
384 Words
Chapter Nine
Lily couldn’t stop thinking about Damian’s warning.
People around me don’t stay safe for long.
The words followed her the entire day.
By evening, most employees had already gone home, leaving the executive floor unusually quiet.
Lily sat at her desk organizing files while trying not to fall asleep.
“This man works like a machine,” she muttered under her breath.
“Careful,” Ethan said while walking past her desk. “If Damian hears that, he might take it as a compliment.”
Lily laughed softly. “Does he ever sleep?”
“Rarely.”
Before she could reply, loud voices echoed from the hallway.
Olivia.
Again.
“You’re avoiding me!” Olivia snapped as Damian walked toward his office.
“I’m busy.”
“You’ve been busy for three days.”
Damian stopped walking slowly. “What exactly do you want from me?”
Lily immediately looked down at her desk, pretending not to listen.
Unfortunately, the argument only got louder.
“I want her fired,” Olivia said coldly.
Lily froze.
Damian’s expression darkened dangerously. “Not happening.”
“She’s distracting you.”
“You’re embarrassing yourself.”
The sentence hit hard.
Even Ethan looked uncomfortable.
Olivia’s eyes filled briefly with anger and humiliation.
“You’re choosing a stranger over me?”
Damian stepped closer to her.
“I never chose you in the first place.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Painful silence.
Olivia looked shattered.
For a second, Lily almost felt bad for her.
Almost.
Then Olivia’s gaze suddenly landed on Lily again.
And this time…
It was pure hatred.
“This isn’t over,” Olivia whispered before storming away.
The second she disappeared into the elevator, Ethan sighed heavily.
“Well. That went terribly.”
Damian rubbed his temples in frustration before finally noticing Lily still sitting nearby.
Their eyes met.
And suddenly the hallway felt too quiet.
Too small.
Too intimate.
Damian walked toward her desk slowly.
“You should go home.”
Lily swallowed nervously. “It’s still early.”
“You look tired.”
His voice softened slightly.
That somehow made things worse.
Before Lily could answer, the office lights suddenly shut off.
Darkness covered the entire floor.
“What just happened?” Lily whispered.
Then somewhere in the darkness…
A gunshot echoed downstairs.
- Writer
