The CEO's Intern

Footsteps

Nobody moved.

The footsteps continued.

Slow.

Measured.

Coming from the hallway that led deeper into Luca's penthouse.

My heart was pounding so loudly I was sure everyone could hear it.

Luca stood directly in front of me.

One hand was slightly raised, silently signaling me to stay where I was.

The two security officers exchanged a quick glance.

One of them reached for the radio attached to his shoulder.

Luca shook his head.

No sound.

No unnecessary movement.

The footsteps stopped.

Silence filled the penthouse.

I swallowed.

"Maybe it's one of the guards," I whispered.

Luca didn't look back.

"They were all accounted for."

My stomach tightened.

Then came another sound.

A faint creak.

Like someone had stepped onto the wooden floor.

The security officers moved forward.

One stayed near Luca while the other disappeared slowly around the corner.

I watched.

Five seconds passed.

Then ten.

Nothing.

Suddenly, the officer returned.

"Sir."

"What did you find?"

"Nothing."

Luca's expression hardened.

"Check again."

"We did. Every room is clear."

"Then someone was here."

The officer nodded.

"There's no sign of entry."

I looked toward the black envelope lying near the entrance.

"Except for that."

Luca's eyes followed mine.

The envelope was still untouched.

"Bring it to me."

The security officer carefully picked it up using gloves.

He examined it before handing it to Luca.

Luca turned the envelope over.

There was no return address.

No company name.

Nothing except my name.

I stared at it.

"Open it."

Luca looked at me.

"You don't have to see what's inside."

"It's addressed to me."

"Exactly."

"I need to know."

For several seconds, Luca said nothing.

Then he opened the envelope.

Inside was a single sheet of paper.

He pulled it out.

His eyes moved across the page.

His expression changed.

I noticed immediately.

"What does it say?"

Luca didn't answer.

"Luca."

He finally handed me the paper.

There were only seven words.

YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED OUT OF IT.

I stared at the message.

"I don't understand."

Luca took the paper back.

"Neither do I."

I looked at him sharply.

"You're lying."

His eyes met mine.

"I've told you everything I can."

"No. You haven't."

The room became quiet.

I stepped closer.

"You knew my father's name before I ever told you about him."

Luca's jaw tightened.

"You found his name in my files."

"Because you had a file about my family."

"Yes."

"Why?"

He looked away.

"Because your father worked for my family."

"You keep saying that like it explains everything."

"It doesn't."

"Then tell me the rest."

Luca's expression remained unreadable.

"Not tonight."

I let out a frustrated breath.

"That's always your answer."

"Because some answers are dangerous before you understand the question."

I stared at him.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Before Luca could respond, his phone rang.

He glanced at the screen.

His expression changed.

"Who is it?" I asked.

He didn't answer.

He walked several steps away before accepting the call.

"Yes?"

I couldn't hear the person on the other end.

But I could see Luca listening.

His face became increasingly serious.

"No."

A pause.

"Don't do anything yet."

Another pause.

"I said don't."

He ended the call.

I watched him carefully.

"Who was that?"

"Security."

"What did they want?"

"They found something."

"Where?"

Luca looked toward the windows.

"Outside."

---

They moved to the security room, and I followed.

The penthouse had a private monitoring system connected to cameras throughout the building and surrounding areas.

One of the security officers pulled up the footage from the previous hour.

I stood behind Luca.

The screen showed the entrance.

Then the elevator.

Then the private hallway.

Everything appeared normal.

Until the screen suddenly went black.

"That's when the cameras were disabled," the officer said.

"Show me the footage before that," Luca ordered.

The recording rewound.

The screen played again.

A few minutes before the cameras went down, a man appeared near the elevator.

I leaned closer.

"That's him."

The same man from across the street.

The same dark clothing.

The same controlled movements.

He walked into the building.

My pulse increased.

"How did he get inside?"

The officer shook his head.

"We're checking that."

The footage continued.

The man disappeared from the camera's view.

Then the cameras went black.

I looked at Luca.

"So he was here."

"We don't know that yet."

I pointed at the screen.

"He entered the building."

"Yes."

"And then the cameras went down."

"Yes."

"Then someone was inside this floor."

Luca didn't answer.

The security officer zoomed in on the footage.

The man's face remained partially hidden beneath the shadow of his cap.

But just before he disappeared from view, he turned.

The camera caught one side of his face.

I stared at the screen.

Something about him felt familiar.

Not because I had seen him before.

Because his face reminded me of someone.

"Wait."

The officer paused the footage.

I stepped closer.

"I know that face."

Luca turned toward me.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm not sure."

I stared at the screen.

"It's just..."

"What?"

"I've seen someone who looks like him."

"Where?"

I thought.

Then I shook my head.

"I don't remember."

Luca watched me for a moment.

"Don't force it."

"But what if it's important?"

"It might be."

He turned toward the security officer.

"Make a copy of everything from tonight."

"Yes, sir."

"And don't send it through the company's system."

The officer looked surprised.

"Understood."

I caught the exchange.

"Why not?"

Luca looked at me.

"Because I don't know who inside Romano Enterprises I can trust."

That sentence unsettled me more than anything else.

"You think someone in your company is involved?"

"I think someone has access to information they shouldn't have."

"That's different."

"Not by much."

I looked back at the screen.

The frozen image of the stranger remained there.

I couldn't explain why.

But I had the feeling that this man wasn't the beginning of the problem.

He was only the person they could see.

---

Later that night, I stood near the windows of Luca's penthouse.

Manhattan stretched beneath me.

Thousands of lights.

Thousands of people.

Yet I had never felt more alone.

Luca approached quietly.

"You should sleep."

I didn't turn.

"I don't think I can."

"Try."

I finally looked at him.

"Do you ever get scared?"

The question caught him off guard.

"Of course."

"You never look scared."

"That's because fear doesn't solve anything."

I looked back at the city.

"My whole life was normal until I started working for you."

"I know."

"And now someone is following me."

"I know."

"Someone knows where I live."

"I know."

"Someone entered your penthouse."

"I know."

I turned toward him.

"And you still won't tell me what this is about."

Luca was silent.

I waited.

Finally, he said, "I'm trying to make sure you survive long enough to get the answers."

My expression changed.

"Survive?"

Luca immediately realized what he had said.

I stared at him.

"What exactly am I supposed to be surviving?"

He didn't answer.

And that frightened me more than the footsteps had.

Before I could ask another question, my phone vibrated.

A new message.

I looked down.

My heart stopped.

There was no text.

Only a photograph.

I opened it.

It was a picture of me standing beside Luca in the penthouse.

Taken only moments earlier.

My eyes widened.

"Luca..."

He looked at the screen.

His face went completely still.

The photograph had been taken from inside the building.

From somewhere close.

Very close.

And beneath the photograph was a single sentence.

YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE KEEPING SECRETS.

I slowly looked around the penthouse.

For the first time, I wondered if the person watching us had ever really left.