Chapter 5: The Woman Before Her
1403 Words
Lena didn't sleep.
She closed her eyes.
Opened them.
Turned to one side.
Then the other.
Every time she drifted off, she heard the same words.
"There are people in this building... who smile while they're deciding how to destroy you."
Victoria's voice refused to leave her mind.
At five-thirty in the morning, she gave up.
The apartment was silent.
She padded into the tiny kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and stared.
A half carton of milk.
Two eggs.
A bottle of water.
Nothing else.
She sighed and closed the door.
Her gaze drifted to the folded eviction notice on the table.
Forty-eight hours.
That was all she had.
She reached for her laptop.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard before she began typing.
Subject: Letter of Resignation
She stared at the words.
"I appreciate the opportunity..."
Delete.
"...Unfortunately, I can no longer..."
Delete.
She rested her forehead against her hands.
Quitting would keep her safe.
Staying might get her killed.
But quitting meant losing the only job capable of saving her home.
Her phone buzzed.
It wasn't an unknown number this time.
It was her bank.
Salary Received.
She blinked.
Adrian hadn't been exaggerating.
The amount sitting in her account was more money than she'd earned in the last four months combined.
For the first time in weeks...
She cried.
Not because she was happy.
Because she finally had room to breathe.
Just a little.
---
Wolfe Empire was already alive when she arrived.
Employees greeted one another.
Coffee machines hissed.
Printers hummed.
It almost looked...
Normal.
Lena wondered how many of these people had secrets.
How many knew about Daniel Cross.
How many smiled while hiding something dangerous.
"Morning."
She looked up.
Ethan stood beside the coffee machine with two cups in hand.
"I guessed you'd skip breakfast again."
She laughed softly.
"Am I that predictable?"
"No."
He handed her a sandwich wrapped in paper.
"You're that hungry."
Lena looked at him, surprised.
"I can't take this."
"You can."
"I didn't bring money."
"I wasn't selling it."
For a second, she simply stared.
Kindness felt strangely unfamiliar.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
Ethan shrugged.
"My wife says feeding stressed people prevents unnecessary murders in the office."
Lena burst into laughter.
Several employees turned to look.
Even Ethan grinned.
"See?" he said.
"You look human now."
For the first time since joining Wolfe Empire...
She forgot to be afraid.
---
From the second-floor balcony...
Adrian watched the exchange.
His assistant stepped beside him.
"You've been standing here for five minutes."
"I know."
"You could simply tell her to report to your office."
Adrian's eyes remained on Lena.
"Not yet."
His assistant frowned.
"You're observing her."
"I'm observing everyone around her."
The assistant followed Adrian's gaze to Ethan.
"You don't trust him?"
"I trust no one until I know their reasons."
"And Miss Hart?"
Adrian was silent for a long moment.
Finally, he answered.
"She doesn't know she's being tested."
---
By nine o'clock, Lena was seated at her desk.
The black folder she'd hidden in her thoughts all night still occupied the corner of her mind.
She tried focusing on her schedule instead.
At exactly nine-fifteen...
Adrian emerged from his office.
"You'll accompany me today."
She looked up.
"To where?"
"A board meeting."
"I've only been here a few days."
"Correct."
"I'm not qualified."
"I disagree."
His answer came so naturally that it caught her off guard.
Before she could respond, he added,
"Bring your notebook."
---
The executive elevator climbed in complete silence.
Lena stole a glance at Adrian.
He looked exactly as he always did.
Calm.
Composed.
Untouchable.
She wondered if anything ever unsettled him.
As though sensing her thoughts, Adrian spoke without looking at her.
"You've been watching me."
Lena nearly dropped her notebook.
"I wasn't."
"Lying again."
She looked away, embarrassed.
"I was just..."
"Curious?"
She hesitated.
"...Yes."
For the first time...
A faint smile touched Adrian's face.
It disappeared almost instantly.
But Lena saw it.
So did the elevator's mirrored wall.
And somehow...
That brief smile unsettled her more than his coldness ever had.
---
The boardroom doors opened.
Conversations stopped.
Every director in the room looked toward Adrian.
Then toward Lena.
One of the older directors frowned.
"Mr. Wolfe..."
"Your assistant?"
Adrian nodded once.
"Miss Lena Hart."
The man adjusted his glasses.
"I thought Ms. Evelyn attended these meetings."
Silence.
Adrian's expression hardened.
"She no longer works here."
Another director quietly muttered,
"No one has seen Evelyn in months."
Lena felt the room change.
She looked toward Adrian.
His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
The meeting continued.
But one sentence kept echoing inside her mind.
No one has seen Evelyn in months.
Was Evelyn...
The woman who held this job before her?
And if she was...
Where had she gone?
---
The words refused to leave Lena's mind.
No one has seen Evelyn in months.
She lowered her eyes to her notebook, pretending to focus on the board meeting, but her thoughts kept circling back.
Who was Evelyn?
Why had no one mentioned her until now?
And why had the room fallen silent the moment her name was spoken?
At the head of the table, Adrian continued presenting the quarterly reports as though nothing unusual had happened.
"...our Singapore expansion will begin in the third quarter," he said evenly.
No hesitation.
No sign that anything had unsettled him.
Yet Lena had noticed it.
The slight tightening of his jaw.
The brief pause before he answered.
Most people would have missed it.
She didn't.
---
The meeting ended nearly two hours later.
Directors gathered their files and drifted toward the exit in quiet conversations.
Lena was packing her notebook when an older gentleman approached her.
He smiled kindly.
"You've done well today."
She looked up.
"Thank you, sir."
"I'm Richard Hayes."
He extended his hand.
"Independent Director."
She shook it politely.
"I've only been here a few days."
"I know."
His smile lingered.
"That's why I'd like to give you one piece of advice."
Lena waited.
"Don't try to solve every mystery you find in this building."
A chill crept down her spine.
Before she could respond, he leaned in slightly.
"Some doors stay closed for a reason."
Then he walked away.
---
Back in the executive office, Adrian removed his jacket and loosened his tie.
It was the first time Lena had seen him look even slightly tired.
He placed a folder on her desk.
"I need tomorrow's schedule rearranged."
She nodded.
"I'll handle it."
As she reached for the folder, a photograph slipped from between the papers and landed face up on the floor.
Lena bent to pick it up.
It showed Adrian standing beside a woman with bright eyes and an easy smile.
Neither of them looked at the camera.
They were laughing.
Really laughing.
It was a version of Adrian she had never imagined.
"I'm sorry," Lena said, offering the photo back.
"I didn't mean to—"
"It's fine."
His voice was quiet.
She handed it over.
"Was she family?"
Adrian looked at the picture for a long moment.
"No."
"A friend?"
Another pause.
"She worked here."
Lena's heartbeat quickened.
"Evelyn?"
His eyes lifted to meet hers.
For a brief moment, the silence between them felt heavier than words.
"Yes."
Lena chose her next question carefully.
"What happened to her?"
Adrian placed the photograph back inside the folder.
"I've spent eighteen months trying to answer that."
---
Later that evening...
Most employees had already gone home.
The executive floor was almost empty.
Lena was gathering her things when she noticed a small envelope resting on her keyboard.
No name.
No stamp.
Just plain white paper.
She looked around.
No one.
Slowly, she opened it.
Inside was a single key card.
No company logo.
Only a handwritten note.
Archive Room B12
11:30 p.m.
Come alone if you want the truth about Evelyn.
Lena stared at the note.
This had to be a trap.
Every instinct told her to throw it away.
But another thought refused to leave her mind.
What if this was the first real clue?
Her phone buzzed.
It was Adrian.
Where are you?
She looked at the message.
Then at the key card in her hand.
For the first time since joining Wolfe Empire...
She was about to keep a secret from the one person who had trusted her.
And she wasn't sure which decision was more dangerous.
END OF CHAPTER 5
- Writer
