Playing With Fire

The elevator doors opened on the fifty-fourth floor, and Riley Chen walked into what felt like enemy territory. Her heels clicked on the shiny marble floor as she walked along the glass walls looking out over the Manhattan’s skyline. Ashford Industries’ executive space felt cold, sleek and intimidating just like its owner. She adjusted the ID card strap hanging from her neck. The fake ID suddenly felt heavier. In her bag, she’d hidden under every stuff a flash drive that could bring down Ashford’s empire. Six months of work had led to this moment. She had prepared thoroughly for this. Well drilled. She’d take on every moment, every bit of the situation as it comes. She’d go all the way to bring down the billionaire mogul to the very bottom without backing off. “Ms. Parker?” A woman in a spotless suit appeared, with her polite smile refusing to give anything away. Riley was very much in contact with her forged name. Her prompt response to the woman’s call made it seem as if the name had clung to her for some time now. “Mr. Ashford will see you now. This way, please.” Riley followed, her mind racing. She’d landed this interview under a fake name, pretending to be a Forbes journalist doing a piece on successful CEOs under age forty. Marcus had said yes to the interview without a second thought. Well, men like him always did. They loved the spotlight, loved reading about themselves. They never saw it coming if someone was trying to set them up. Usually immersed in the glory of the print, but maybe not this time. It seemed one of them might have to drown in his ego. The assistant led her down a corridor with awards and photos lined along the glass walls. Marcus shaking hands with presidents, tech leaders, and celebrities. His face was everywhere, his sharp jaw, dark eyes, the confident smile of someone who believed he was in charge. The face however was not new to Riley. She had studied that face for months, looking for any weakness. She’d found one. And today, she was ready to hit it as hard as she’d wanted. It was her day. Nothing daunted. The assistant opened a door to the conference room. “He’ll be with you shortly.” Riley stepped inside. Sunlight spilled in through the tall windows, casting a golden glow over the city. She took a short walk to the glass, trying to slow her breathing. From this height, people looked like ants, cars like toys. Everything seemed small. It was the fifty-fourth floor after all. She pulled out her phone pretending to check emails while her camera secretly recorded. She needed him on video. Needed him to lie about everything. The door opened. Riley turned. Marcus Ashford was taller than she imagined. He was at least six-foot-three. He had broad shoulders, and his suit fitted very well. His dark hair was a bit messy like he had been running his hands through it. Well, nothing less should be expected of a CEO who racked his brain all time with tight schedules. But it was his eyes that pinned her. They looked sharp, focused, and reading her one single glance like he already knew her story. “Ms. Parker.” His said, with a deep voice that was a little rough on the edge. No smile. “I don’t have much time. My assistant said you wanted to talk about leadership philosophy?” Riley gave a calm, polite smile. “Yes. Thanks for making a time for this.” He gestured to the table for her to sit down. She pulled out a notebook, still keeping up the act. But Marcus remained standing for a moment, frowning at his phone. “Is everything okay?” she asked, curious. Deep down, Riley didn’t care that much. But it was a case of the predator baiting the prey. She’d do everything to wrap him around her little finger. “Just a system glitch. IT’s on it.” He finally sat across from her. “You’ve got twenty minutes.” Just twenty minutes? Well, that was enough for Riley to wreak the havoc. He just eased her in and she was glad to be on the driver’s seat. Straight to the point. No small talk. No pleasantries. She’d expected smooth confidence, but instead he looked… tired. Distracted. Like he had too much on his plate. Good. That distraction gave her the upper. It just ceded the control to her. She’s milk it. “Let’s start with your rise in the tech world,” Riley said, her pen ready. “You built Ashford Industries in less than ten years. What’s the secret?” “Hard work. Smart investments. Good people.” His answers were short and rather automatic. It was as if he had gotten familiar with the questions and the answers were just there…automatic. His eyes kept shifting to his phone. Distracted. But distraction? That’s not a problem for Riley; it was an edge. “And picking the right enemies?” she asked casually. His eyes snapped suddenly from his phone and fixed on hers. For a second, something flashed in those eyes. More like recognizing something familiar, or maybe suspicion. “What’s that supposed to mean?” “I mean you’ve taken down a lot of competitors. Made bold moves that some might call ruthless.” “Some would call it competitive business.” His jaw tightened as much as his facial expression grew suspicious. “Is this an interview or an interrogation?” Riley could feel her own anger rising, hitting at the calm she had been holding on to. Six months of digging. Sources going quiet. Families wrecked. People broken by the dark side of his company’s practices. A sharp alarm erupted suddenly and cut through the moment. Tension suspended and another was ushered in. Marcus looked up. The fire alarm blared brutally from the ceiling and across walls. “Damn it,” he muttered, standing up. “Must be part of the system glitch.” But there! Riley saw it first. Smoke. Tiny gray wisps curling from under the door. “That’s not a glitch,” she said. In a rush of impatience, Marcus lunged for the door, forcing it open. Smoke poured in. It was thick, dark and suffocating. He bent over in pain, coughing hard and reflexively turning his face away, as his eyes burned, and his lungs fought for air. Down the corridor, orange light flashed warningly. It was a clear now that there was a fire outbreak, but what remained a mystery is the magnitude of the trouble. But then, the duo must act as the fire didn’t seem like a small chaos. “We need to go,” Riley said, already moving. Marcus grabbed her arm, guiding her the opposite direction from the flames. “Emergency stairs. This way.” Riley felt a calm chill run down her spine as Marcus held her tightly. God forbid she’d entertain comfort from an enemy she’d come to fight. But honestly, his grip felt assuring, keeping her calm in the chaos. The duo must run as fire and smoke were closing in now and of course, they ran.