Chapter 111
Chapter 111
–SLOANE~~
The office has become my only place of freedom.
Peace comes with knowing that the guards can’t follow me past these walls. They hover, always hover, but not here. They’re probably across the street right now, staring through binoculars from some rented suite or whatever. Watching. Waiting. Logging my every move.
To be here–alone, unshadowed, unbothered–is the closest I’ve felt to breathing in the past few days.
Of course, I still had to compromise before Knox stopped pestering me about quitting my job. There’s a discreet camera nestled inside the ceramic cactus pot on the corner of my desk.
The mic is worse. It’s stitched into my bra strap today, but some days it’s clipped to the hem of my skirt or hidden in the tiny brooch Knox insisted I wear. It only needs to be on when I’m away from my desk, but I’ve forgotten a few times. And I paid for it with lectures.
Today is Wednesday, and I’ve almost trained myself to ignore the constant eyes on me. Almost.
It’s still hard to pretend I’m not being heard when I pee. Especially when I have to wonder if anyone’s catching the splash.
Just like a few seconds ago.
I step out of the restroom and nearly collide with Jenna, my coworker.
The smile she gives me is a little too smug for my liking. She leans one shoulder lazily against the tiled wall. “It’s always the ones who look innocent that
surprise you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask.
She tilts her head, studying me. “Rumors are flying around that you’re getting promoted. Let’s just say everyone thinks you’re banging the CEO.”
“Why in the world would they think that?”
“That you’re getting promoted or that you’re banging the CEO?”
“Both.”
“Well, the news going around says he’s fixing you an office on the top floor. Top floor, Sloane. You must have banged something, girl. Your supervisor is pissed.”
My arms fold across my chest. “Well, you all thought wrong. I didn’t sleep with anyone for this position. I earned it.”
Jenna’s eyes flick toward my folded arms, then up to my expression. She raises her hands in mock surrender. “Put your claws back in, tiger, I was just giving you a heads–up before you walk in there. The gossip just dropped. And that’s what everyone’s talking about.”
She sweeps past me into the restroom with a light toss of her hair, leaving me standing in the hallway, rooted in place.
I stand there for a beat longer, hearing her words echo inside my head. I can’t decide if she was warning me or goading me. Doesn’t matter, I’ll find out soon enough.
I head back to the office floor.
As I walk in, the air changes.
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Chapter 111
Conversations drop off in slow motion. A few heads turn downward, suddenly fascinated by their monitors. One guy coughs, awkward and fake. woman adjusts her headset like she’s in the middle of a call, but her screen shows her inbox.
I keep my face neutral and make my way to my desk. The ceramic cactus is exactly where I left it, waiting to get a clear image of me. I ease into my che slide my fingers under my blazer, and press the button on the mic tucked beneath my shirt. Off.
I rest my palms flat on the desk.
I’m just about to lose myself in the lines of code on my screen when a stack of files drops onto my desk.
It’s Harper, my supervisor. Jenna wasn’t lying when she said she’s pissed.
Her perfectly blow–dried bob is as tight and stiff as her expression. “Need these reviewed, cross–checked, and consolidated into a single report,” she says. “By 2 p.m.”
I glance at the files. There are easily four reports here, maybe more. Charts, analytics, network logs. “You want this done in four hours?”
She shrugs. “Not my timeline. Comes from above.”
I open one file, scanning the dense formatting. “Harper, this could take a full team-”
“I’m sure you’ll manage,” she says with a thin smile. “You’re moving up in the world, after all.”
She spins on her heel and strides away before I can say another word.
My jaw tightens.
And of course, now the whispers are back. Softer this time, sneakier. I don’t have to look to know the eyes are back on me too.
This ends now.
Hunter hasn’t said a word to me since the dinner. No call. No explanation. But somehow, the whole building knows about a promotion?
I push back from the desk and stand. The mic in my shirt lets out a faint static rasp as I move, reminding me it’s off. I reach under my blouse and click it on as I head for the elevators.
The doors open as soon as I press the button. I step inside alone and stab the top floor.
The ride up feels longer than usual. My reflection stares back at mé in the metallic panels–tired, but composed. I take one breath. Then another.
When the doors slide open, I step out into the plush, quieter hallway of the executive level.
Hunter’s secretary looks up from her computer as I approach.
“Is Mr. Blackwell in?” I ask.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No. Just tell him Sloane Mercer wants to see him.”
There’s a pause. She picks up the phone, keeping her voice low.
“Yes, Mr. Blackwell. Sloane Mercer is here to see you… Should I–okay.” She hangs up and points. “You can go in.”
Hunter’s office is just opposite his secretary’s cubicle. I step toward it, knock once, and push the door open.
He’s bent over his desk, pen scratching across a page.
“Sloane,” he says without looking up.“) wasn’t expecting you.”
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Chapter 111
I walk in further and stop in front of his desk. “What is your play here, Hunter?”
The pen freezes. Slowly, he lifts his head.
“I beg your pardon?”
“What are you and Mr. Torres planning to do with me? And why hide under the guise of a promotion?”
He sets the pen down and leans back, fingers threading under his chin. “I really don’t understand what your question is about, Sloane. Who’s hiding under the guise of a promotion? And please, sit down. Looking up at you is straining my eyes.”
I don’t wait for a second invitation. I sit.
“I know about Mateo Torres,” I say.
“What about him?”
“That he and Knox were buddies in the army. And they seem to have unresolved issues. I need to know if I’m a pawn in this game you’re all playing
Hunter frowns, visibly thrown. “Mateo knows Knox?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know.”
“I…don’t.”
We stare at each other. His gaze doesn’t waver.
“So he didn’t give you any reason why you should promote me?” I ask.
“Mateo had nothing to do with it. We talked about reviewing employees‘ files, and yours stood out. I made the suggestion. If Knox and Mateo have beef with each other, it has nothing to do with me.”
“So you’re just going to roll with it? You don’t find it weird that a man who has problems with Knox somehow makes you–Knox’s friend–the investment banker who helps him buy enormous shares in a company that Knox’s girlfriend works at?”
He shrugs. “Why should I find it weird? The world’s a small place.”
“It’s not that small.”
Leaning forward on the desk, he says, “Let’s work with your theory here for a second. Why go through all the trouble to acquire a company to get back at someone you hate when you could just harm them directly? I mean, you’re right within his reach. Knox is not that protected either. So why?”
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