Clara looked at Sebastian, then at Alaric, then at Elara It was too much.
The questions. The corridor. Sebastian's face. Alaric standing between her and the elevator. The realisation that she had walked into a place she should never have come to.
Her breathing had become shallow without her noticing "I think..." Clara started.
Her voice sounded distant even to herself "I think I should just go."
She turned toward the elevators.
Elara watched her take one step, then another. Something about the way Clara walked was wrong. Not hurried anymore. Unsteady.
Her hand reached for the wall; she didn't make it, Clara's knees folded beneath her.
Sebastian moved first "Clara."
His hand caught her arm just as Alaric reached her from the other side for one strange second, Clara was suspended between them.
Then her head fell forward.
"Shit."
Sebastian's voice was low. He looked down at her "Clara?" Nothing.
He shook her shoulder once, not gently enough to be comforting, but not roughly enough to hurt her.
"Clara."
Alaric caught her properly before her weight dragged Sebastian's arm down.
"Stop shaking her."
Sebastian looked at him "She's unconscious."
"I noticed."
Alaric shifted his grip, checking whether she was breathing normally.
His face gave away almost nothing, but something in his eyes sharpened "How far along is she?"
Sebastian's attention snapped toward him "What?"
Alaric looked at Clara's stomach, then back at him "She's pregnant."
"I know."
"She's seven months pregnant."
"I can see that."
Sebastian looked at him sharply "Then stop standing there."
That was enough.
Sebastian bent and lifted Clara into his arms; her head fell against his shoulder.
Elara watched him adjust her carefully, one hand supporting her back.
The sight hit somewhere unpleasant, not because Sebastian looked tender he didn't; he looked frightened, and that was worse.
"Where are you going?" Alaric asked.
"Hospital."
"Good."
Sebastian started toward the elevators. Alaric followed.
Sebastian glanced back "No."
Alaric kept walking "I wasn't asking."
"Then you're not coming."
"I'm not leaving a seven month pregnant woman who just lost consciousness in your arms."
"She isn't your responsibility."
"Neither is she yours, apparently."
Sebastian stopped. The look he gave Alaric was immediate and vicious.
Elara saw it from behind them.
Then Sebastian looked down at Clara again; whatever he wanted to say disappeared.
He continued toward the elevator Alaric followed.
Elara stayed where she was for a moment; she didn't know why.
Maybe because nobody had asked her to come.
Maybe because she was still trying to understand what she'd just watched.
Sebastian knew Clara.
He'd denied it. Then he'd known her name he knew she was seven months pregnant.
And Alaric
Elara's eyes followed him.
He hadn't looked at Clara like a man interested in her.
That wasn't what bothered her. It was the way he'd looked at her.
Like he couldn't leave the question alone, like Clara had become something he needed to know or understand.
The elevator doors opened. Sebastian stepped inside.
Alaric followed. Then he looked back his eyes found Elara for one second, neither of them moved.
Elara's face gave away nothing.
Alaric's didn't either, but his eyes dropped briefly to her hands; they were clenched at her sides.
He looked back at her face. Something flickered there- concern, or maybe she imagined it.
The doors began closing.
Elara looked away.
The elevator disappeared behind the metal doors, and finally, she was alone.
The corridor went strangely quiet.
Elara stood there, staring at the closed elevator, then her mind gave her something she hadn't asked for.
A room. A different room. Smaller. Warmer sunlight across the floor.
Alera was there, eight years old or maybe nine.
Elara couldn't tell. Someone was shouting. She couldn't see their faces until she could.
Two young boys, one boy with blonde hair and tall height, Sebastian; one boy with darker hair and eyes as blue as deep midnight, Alaric.
Younger. Much younger.
Sebastian was angry.
Alaric was angrier.
And Alera was standing between them "Stop."
Her sister's voice was small and frustrated, scared.
Elara's breath caught.
The memory shifted. A hand grabbed Sebastian's shoulder, Alaric.
Sebastian shoved him away.
Alera screamed.
Elara remembered the sound. She remembered hiding. She remembered being told to stay where she was, but then Nothing.
The memory broke Elara blinked hard. The hallway returned her breathing had changed.
She pressed one hand against her forehead "No."
Another fragment came: Alara crying sebastian saying something she couldn't hear, Alaric standing across from him.
Then Alara's name Again And again. "Alera.... Alera" two boys are repeating again and again, always between them
Elara's eyes closed. Why had she forgotten this?
She knew she'd been traumatised; she knew there were pieces of her childhood that refused to stay whole.
But this wasn't random.
She had seen those two fighting. She had seen them fighting over Alera, and somehow, watching Sebastian and Alaric stand on opposite sides of Clara had pulled it back.
Elara opened her eyes.
The elevator was still gone so were they: Sebastian, Alaric, Clara, all out of sight.
She looked down the empty corridor and the question that came to her wasn't about Clara.
It was about Alera. What had Sebastian and Alaric been fighting over that day?
Nazli knocked once before opening the door.
Julian was on a call, he glanced at her, frowned, then looked back at the screen.
She stopped just inside "One second."
He held up a finger.
Nazli waited.
His eyes returned to his laptop.
She waited another ten seconds.
Then twenty.
The folder under her arm was beginning to feel heavier than it actually was.
Finally, Julian ended the call; he looked at her properly. There was a pause "You."
Nazli's eyebrows lifted slightly "Yeah."
"What are you doing here?"
She held up the folder "Mr Davis sent me."
Julian looked at the folder, then at her "Why?"
Nazli's expression changed "You're supposed to know."
"I don't."
That was reassuring.
She stepped closer and placed the folder on his desk "He said I'm taking over as your secretary."
Julian didn't touch it for several seconds; he simply stared at her.
Nazli stood there, suddenly aware of her basic shirt and jeans she hadn't even had time to change.
Julian looked at the folder again "You're the new waiter."
"Yes."
"From downstairs."
"Yes."
He leaned back in his chair.
Nazli waited.
"How long have you been working here?"
"Eleven days."
Julian stared at her.
Nazli looked down at herself "I know how it looks."
"Do you?"
"Pretty much."
He picked up the folder and opened it. His eyes moved across the page, then stopped "Executive secretary."
"Apparently."
He looked up "Have you ever been an executive secretary?"
"No."
"Assistant?"
"No."
"Worked in an office?"
Nazli hesitated "Not like this."
Julian closed the folder "Then why are you here?"
Nazli didn't answer immediately because she knew exactly why. The salary.
She hadn't told Mr Davis she was desperate for it, but she didn't need to. He'd seen the way she'd looked at the number.
She shifted the folder beneath her arm "Because they offered me the job."
"That's not what I asked."
Nazli looked at him "Then kindly ask Mr Davis."
Julian's eyes narrowed.
She immediately wished she'd phrased that differently.
But he only leaned back again "Fine."
He reached for his phone.
Nazli waited.
Julian called his manager; the call went to voicemail. He tried again. His jaw tightened.
Nazli watched him put the phone down "He's avoiding me."
She didn't know whether he was speaking to her or himself "Probably."
Julian looked up.
Nazli's mouth tightened "Sorry."
"No, you're probably right."
That surprised her.
He picked up the folder again "Did he explain what this involves?"
"Not really."
"Great." He tossed the folder back onto the desk.
Nazli looked at it "So..."
Julian looked at her.
She waited for him to say something. He didn't, "Where do I sit?"
He pointed toward the desk outside his office without looking.
Nazli followed his hand.
There was a small workstation outside the glass doors. A big iMac, an iPad, an office phone, and a landline phone nothing else.
She looked back at him "That's mine?"
"Apparently."
Nazli nodded She took a step toward the door
"Wait." She turned.
Julian looked at her for a moment "Did you even finish school?"
The question caught her off guard "Yes."
"College?"
"No."
He nodded once.
Nazli waited for the judgment It didn't come Instead, he asked, "Do you know how to use Outlook?"
"Yes."
"Excel?"
"Enough."
"Calendar management?"
"No."
"Scheduling?"
"No."
"Travel arrangements?"
"No."
Nazli's expression flattened "Anything else?"
Julian ignored that "Can you take notes quickly?"
"Yes."
"Can you keep things confidential?"
"Yes."
"Can you deal with people who are difficult?"
She looked at him the silence lasted just long enough.
Julian's mouth twitched.
Nazli noticed "Is that a test?"
"No."
"Good."
She reached the door "One more thing." She turned again.
Julian pointed toward her uniform "You're going to need to change."
Nazli looked down "I know."
"And you'll need something more appropriate for the executive floor."
She looked toward the expensive suits moving through the glass corridor.
Then back at him "I can't afford a new wardrobe today."
Julian went quiet.
Nazli immediately regretted saying it she expected another question.
Instead, he picked up his phone "Give me your size."
She frowned "Why?"
"I'll have HR arrange it."
Nazli stared at him "No."
Julian looked up "No?"
"I can manage."
"Then manage." His tone had returned to its usual sharpness.
Nazli nodded "Okay."
She opened the door "Nazli."
She looked back.
Julian pointed toward the desk outside "Your first job is to find out what I have scheduled today."
"Do you know what's scheduled today?"
"No."
She stared at him.
Julian stared back.
Nazli gave a small nod "Right."
She stepped outside.
"One more thing," he called.
She turned "Don't let anyone transfer my calls without checking with me."
"Fine."
"And don't touch anything on my desk."
"Fine."
"And if Mr davis calls—"
"Tell him you hate this."
Julian stopped then Julian looked at her "I was going to say tell him I need to speak to him." "Right."
She nodded "That too."
She walked out the door closed behind her Nazli sat at the new desk and stared at the computer.
Through the glass, Julian was already back on his laptop.
She looked down at her hands Eleven days ago, she'd started here carrying breakfast trays Now she was apparently responsible for the schedule of a man who didn't even know what was on it.
She turned on the computer "Okay."
She opened the calendar.
Three meetings, Two calls, One lunch.
A board meeting she'd never heard of and a note from someone named Mira asking Julian to confirm something by noon.
Nazli stared at the screen then looked through the glass at him.
Julian glanced up, their eyes met.
He pointed at the phone.
Nazli picked it up "Yes?"
"Coffee."
Her shoulders dropped "What type of do you want?"
"Black."
She wrote it down "Anything else?"
"No."
She hung up two seconds later, the phone rang again nazli stared at it.
Julian was watching her through the glass.
She picked it up "What?"
"I changed my mind."
Nazli closed her eyes "Of course you did."
"Tea."
She looked through the glass julian's face was perfectly straight.
Nazli couldn't tell if he was serious "Which one?"
"Surprise me." The line went dead.
Nazli stared at the phone then at him.
Julian was already working again.
She slowly put the receiver down "You're going to regret hiring me," she muttered.
From inside the office, without even looking up, Julian said, "I didn't, you gonna be the one to regret being my secretary. I'll make sure that."
Nazli stared at him through the glass that was going to be a long day.