CHAPTER 4: THE UNEXPECTED VISITOR
1586 Words
Fourteen days.
It had been fourteen days since Elena had left her CV with the receptionist at Lang Enterprise.
At first, she had been hopeful.
Daniel had told her that he would get back to her, and for the first three days, Elena had checked her phone more times than she cared to admit.
Three days became a week.
A week became nine days.
Nine days became twelve.
And now, fourteen days had passed.
Nothing.
No phone call.
No message.
Not even a familiar face coming to tell her that the position was no longer available.
Elena had considered asking Daniel about it several times, but each time, she stopped herself.
She didn't want to appear desperate.
Besides, Daniel had never actually promised her the job. He had only told her to submit her CV.
So she waited.
And waited.
That afternoon, Elena pushed her cleaning cart down one of the hallways of Lang Enterprise, quietly doing her job as she had done every other day.
She had gotten used to the routine.
Wake up early.
Take care of her siblings.
Go to work.
Clean.
Return home.
Repeat.
It wasn't the life she had imagined for herself after university, but it was what she had.
And she was grateful for it.
At least for now.
She had just finished cleaning one of the offices when she heard raised voices coming from the hallway.
Elena paused.
She could hear several people talking at once.
Curiosity got the better of her.
She wheeled her cart toward the noise.
When she reached the group, she noticed two female employees standing near the reception area.
One of them looked furious.
The other looked equally frustrated.
A few employees had already gathered around them, watching.
“What is going on?” Elena asked cautiously.
One of the women immediately turned toward her.
“And you are ?”
Elena blinked.
“I’m sorry. I just wanted to know what happened.”
“Is this your business?”
“No, I—”
“Then please leave.”
The woman looked her up and down before scoffing.
“Do you think this is a place where people like you should be getting involved?”
Elena felt the sting of the words, but she swallowed it.
She wasn't going to argue.
“I'm sorry,” she said quietly. “I only heard the noise and wanted to help.”
The two women exchanged looks.
“Just ignore her,” one of them muttered.
They returned to their argument.
Elena was about to walk away when she heard the words that made her stop.
“The file is missing!”
“What do you mean it's missing? You were the last person who had it!”
“I gave it back!”
“You didn't!”
“It was on your desk!”
“It wasn't!”
Elena turned around.
“What file?”
Neither woman answered immediately.
“It’s an important client file,” one of them finally said. “And we can't find it.”
Elena looked between them.
“Okay. Let's start from the beginning.”
The women stared at her.
“Why?”
“Because you're both telling different stories.”
Neither seemed pleased, but after a moment, they began explaining.
Elena listened.
She didn't interrupt.
One woman said she had left the green folder on her desk before stepping away.
The other insisted she had returned the folder after using it.
Elena asked a few more questions.
“What time did you last see it?”
“About twenty minutes ago.”
“Who was around?”
“Most of us.”
“Did anyone move anything from the reception desk?”
The women shook their heads.
Elena thought for a moment.
Then she remembered something.
She had been cleaning the reception area earlier.
She remembered seeing one of the women place several papers on the desk.
“You,” Elena said, pointing to one of the women arguing.
The woman looked offended.
“Me?”
“Yes. When I was cleaning earlier, I saw you come over to the reception desk.”
“So?”
“You had some documents with you.”
“I always have documents.”
“I know. But I remember you placing them on top of a folder before leaving.”
The woman's expression changed.
“I didn't take the file,”she said defensively.
“I didn't say you did.”
Elena walked toward the reception desk.
“Maybe you moved it without realizing.”
The woman followed her.
“No, I would remember.”
Elena began looking through the documents.
One paper.
Then another.
Then she stopped.
A corner of green showed beneath a stack of papers.
She pulled it out.
The missing folder.
Everyone went silent.
Elena handed it to the woman who had been searching for it.
“Is this it?”
The woman stared at the folder.
“Yes.”
The other woman looked embarrassed.
“I must have put it there without realizing.”
The tension in the room disappeared almost instantly.
Elena smiled faintly.
“It's fine. At least it's been found.”
She turned to leave.
But no one noticed the man standing several feet away.
He had been watching the entire situation.
Adrian Lang had arrived at the company less than ten minutes earlier.
He had returned from overseas without informing most of the staff.
He had expected to walk into an organized workplace.
Instead, he had walked into an argument.
His expression had hardened immediately.
Nobody had noticed him.
Nobody had even looked in his direction.
And that bothered him more than the argument itself.
If he could walk into his own company without anyone noticing, what else was happening when he wasn't around?
But then he noticed Elena.
He watched as she stepped into the argument without shouting.
She listened.
She asked questions.
And she solved the problem.
Adrian's eyes followed her as she pushed her cleaning cart away.
Interesting.
He said nothing.
A few seconds later, Daniel hurried out of his office after hearing the commotion.
“What's going on here?”
Then he stopped.
His face changed the moment he saw Adrian.
“Mr. Lang—”
Adrian raised one hand.
Stop.
Daniel immediately understood.
Adrian's expression made the message clear.
Don't tell them I'm here.
Daniel swallowed.
“Good afternoon, sir.”
Adrian said nothing.
The employees quickly realized that Daniel was there.
“Good afternoon, sir.”
“Good afternoon.”
“Sorry about the noise, sir.”
Daniel looked around.
“Everyone, get back to work.”
The employees scattered.
Elena was already walking away with her cart, completely unaware of who had just entered the building.
Adrian watched her disappear around the corner.
Then he turned to Daniel.
“My office.”
Daniel followed.
Once the door closed, Adrian's calm expression disappeared.
“I leave for two weeks,” he said, “and this is what I return to?”
Daniel immediately became nervous.
“Sir, it wasn't—”
“I walk into my own company and nobody notices.”
“I’m sorry, sir.”
“And my employees are arguing in the middle of the office over a file.” He said, raising his voice.
Daniel lowered his head.
“It won't happen again.”
Adrian stared at him for a moment.
Then his expression changed slightly.
“Who was that girl?”
Daniel looked confused.
“Who?”
“The one who solved the problem.”
“Oh. Elena.”
“Who is she?”
Daniel hesitated.
“She works here.”
“I know she works here. What does she do?”
“She’s one of the cleaners.”
Adrian raised an eyebrow.
“A cleaner?”
“Yes, sir.”
He looked toward the door.
“She didn't behave like one.”
Daniel smiled slightly.
“She isn't really what you'd expect.”
Adrian looked at him.
“Explain.”
Daniel took a breath.
“Elena has a degree in Business Administration.”
Adrian's expression remained unreadable.
“She graduated with excellent results. She's observant, intelligent, and honestly, sir, I think she's capable of much more than cleaning.”
“Then why is she cleaning?”
Daniel didn't answer immediately.
“Circumstances.”
Adrian studied him.
“You seem interested in her.”
“I'm interested in helping her,” Daniel defended quickly. “She actually spoke to me about a position recently.”
“The position she isn't qualified for?”
Daniel nodded.
“I checked her CV.”
Adrian extended his hand.
“Her CV.”
Daniel paused.
“I have it.”
“Send it to my office.”
“Yes, sir.”
Adrian gestured for him to leave.
Daniel turned toward the door.
Then Adrian spoke.
“And Daniel?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Not a word to anyone that I'm here.”
Daniel nodded immediately.
“Of course.”
Then Daniel walked out.
Daniel stood in front of the office for a moment.
He couldn't help smiling.
Somehow, Elena had managed to impress the one person in the company who was almost impossible to impress.
And she didn't even know it.
Outside, Elena continued pushing her cleaning cart down the hallway, completely unaware that the day had just changed something in her life.
She was still waiting for a phone call.
She just didn't know that someone much more important had already started paying attention.
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