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"I'll be leaving then," she said, but it didn't register until she was heading toward the door that she had just said she was leaving. I raised my head and watched her, confused.
"Are you alright?" I asked, and she stopped in her tracks. She turned around to meet my eyes, and at the swish of her bob, it hit me, she was completely different. I almost wanted to call out her name, certain she wouldn't answer, but that would seem crazy. I would seem crazy.
I turned and checked the time. It was just after nine pm, and working until the later hours of the night was nothing new to me, so why was I suddenly feeling so off-balance?
"What do you mean?" I heard her ask and returned my attention to her.
At the confusion on my face, she clarified the question. "Why are you asking me if I'm alright?"
I didn't respond. "Wait a bit," I told her. "I need you to send this to the Chief Financial Officer."
"Is he still here?" she asked, and I didn't miss the surprise in her tone.
Once again, my gaze shot up, and then I cocked my head. Now, it just felt like she was playing with me; otherwise, why else would she be asking me if the finance director was here?
This time, I ignored her, and she went on her way. I couldn't, however, help looking at her once more as she pulled the door open, and it was then that I noticed yet another thing that seemed off. In the space of a few hours, she seemed to have added a bit of weight.
"Sophie," I called, however, she didn't turn around. "Sophie," I called again and this time, she stopped in her tracks. It was almost as though she only realized then that I was calling out to her.
"Yes," she turned around, and yet another thing was off. Her voice and the way she addressed me. It was much coarser and much less polite. I had been so used to her calling me 'sir' that now that she wasn't, it stood out to me like a sore thumb.
And so I stared at her face properly; however, despite her different haircut, I couldn't detect anything off.
"You cut your hair?" I asked, and to my surprise, her eyebrows shot up.
Of course, she was surprised; I usually didn't engage in personal questions, but I truly needed to understand why everything suddenly felt so different.
"Yes, sir, I did," she said.
"Is that why you left work early?"
Her lips parted several times to speak, but it was as though she couldn't quite decide on what she wanted to say. Needing the brief break, I straightened and leaned against the chair to wait for her response.
"I had an appointment with my wedding planner," she said. "I… think I told you about this."
She had, however, I decided then that I wasn't interested any further.
I still had a mountain of things to handle, so I nodded and returned to work.
Chapter 3
Scarlett
Icouldn't breathe.
My heart was pounding so hard against my chest that the moment I exited the office and shut the door behind me, I needed a few minutes to recover. And so I leaned against the wall with my eyes shut, trying to catch my bearings. Until my phone, or rather Sophie's phone, finally rang again.
I was nervous, I realized, as I prayed that he wouldn't be the one calling. So, when I saw my name on the screen instead, since Sophie was using my phone, I let out a deep sigh of relief.
"How did it go?" Sophie asked as I placed the phone against my ear. I started to walk, not knowing if he was watching me through the cameras or something.
"Where are the cameras here?" I asked.
"Why are you asking that? Did something go wrong?" Her question made me laugh.
"Even if something went wrong, why would I be asking you about the cameras?"
"Who knows, to make a hidden escape or something," she replied. I rolled my eyes.
