Elena's POV
The lights went out.
The glass-walled hallway of the executive floor instantly plunged into pitch blackness. The hum of the air conditioning died, leaving behind an ominous, suffocating silence.
For three terrifying seconds, nobody moved.
My heart slammed against my ribs, the sudden darkness blinding and disorienting. I froze, my hand still resting on the cool surface of the wooden desk beside me.
Then—
"Stay behind me."
Mr. Knight's voice.
Calm.
Cold.
Commanding.
I couldn't see his face, but I could feel him standing directly in front of me. The shift was instantaneous—one second he was standing by his office door, and the next, his broad shoulders were blocking me completely, acting as a human shield between me and the pitch-black corridor. I could smell the faint
