Chapter 32 Unkwown

Chapter 32 Unkwown
Zoey

The next morning, I walked into the office earlier than I probably should have. Too early, even for me. The halls were still dim, the cleaning crew were rounding up, from the shiny floors and windows, I could tell they did their jobs well. As I walked past them, my head felt heavy. That sharp ache behind my eyes? Yeah, I’d barely slept.

But the reports were done. Every page, checked and tidy, stapled together like I actually had my life together. I set the folder right on Leo’s desk, exactly where he’d spot it. Couldn’t help myself, I straightened the corners, like it mattered. Honestly, it was stupid how much I still wanted to look capable in front of him after everything he’d done.

By the time the rest of the team wandered in, the place had already shifted back to its usual low-key chaos, shuffling feet, phones ringing, and of course, the voices of those loudmouths, Mary and her friends.

Ethan showed up a little before eight, looking quite unusual. His sleeves were rolled up, his hair a bit messy, with wild strands flying across his face, and there were dark circles under his eyes. I wondered if he had followed Leo to his party last night and had just returned this morning. If I didn’t know better, I would have concluded he didn’t shower before coming to the office. But the woody and minty scents told me otherwise.

Guess I wasn’t the only one running on empty. He caught my eye and managed a quick nod, just enough to acknowledge me, but not enough to actually talk.
I nodded back. Polite, professional, nothing extra.
That was all it needed to be. Then I ducked into my office before the awkward silence could stretch any further.

The so-called “design competition” had turned coworkers into rivals. You could feel it, the tension, the sideways looks, the long hours of frantic typing that kept going late into the night. Leo’s little stunt had everyone wound tight. But Leo himself barely showed up in the office.

I’d been sketching for hours. My hand ached from gripping the pencil, but I kept going, outlining another idea. Pencil shavings piled up in the corner, and my desk looked like a disaster zone, except I knew exactly where everything was.

I had just put down my laptop, opting to take a break, when my phone buzzed with a message from Ethan.

Ethan: Need to talk. Urgent.

I just stared at the screen. Every instinct told me to text back right away, he was my boss, and ignoring him never wasn’t professional. But I already got my feelings in the mix, and this was the best way to deal with it.

If this was about Leo, Ethan would handle it. There was no need for me to do anything. I decided to continue with my work, picking my pencil up and sketching new ideas I had. However, a soft soon knock made me jump.

“Miss Lawson?”

Ethan’s voice. Of course.

How can I ever avoid him, if he has access to my office?

I tried to play it cool. “Mr. Thorne.”

He stepped inside, leaning on the doorframe. “You got a minute?”

My first reaction was to say yes, I mean, he’s my boss. But my answer came out flat, not exactly eager.
“I’m sort of in the middle of something, sir.”

He let out a quiet breath. “Is that so?”

“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper as I slumped back in my chair. “It’s just been a long week. I’m still trying to catch up.” 

But he was gone before I even finished my sentence. So much for being Mr. Nonchalant.

The rest of the day dragged by in silence. And I spent the most of it avoiding Ethan. I even opted to eat my lunch in my office, just to avoid bumping into him. I wondered if he even noticed. Or it was just another normal day for him. What effects will the actions of one employee cost him anyway?

Leo hadn’t shown up since the morning, which honestly felt like a small mercy. Or so I figured. I was curious to hear about his endeavors last night, but I still had problems with the source.

At lunch, the office emptied out, one person at a time, until it was just me and the never-ending pile of paperwork. The only sound left was the clock on the wall, ticking away minutes I’d never get back.

Eventually, I grabbed my phone and texted Ethan, honestly, only because I had to. During my never-ending tasks, I had discovered something far too crucial to ignore.

Zoey: Just an update. Based on my analysis of the company’s recent earnings from our Westshore branch, I noticed some funds being constantly transferred to a particular account, I have a feeling it’s Gabriel.

I hovered over the send button for a second. The message felt weirdly personal, like I was paying too much attention. But he needed to know, right? I hit send. Then I sat there, watching my phone, waiting for that little typing bubble.

Nothing.

I flipped my phone over and tried to focus on my work. I was in the process of taking a break when Ethan showed up at my door again, looking even more exhausted than before.

I didn’t expect the text would get his attention so bad he would wind up in my office, but now that he was already here, I needed to play it cool.

“Zoey—”

“Mr. Thorne, I’m busy right now,” I cut in, staring hard at my screen.

“Zoey…” His voice softened, but I still didn’t look up.

We sat in this heavy, awkward silence. Nobody moved. The air felt strong, charged with everything neither of us would say.

He finally let out a sigh. “Alright. We’ll talk later.”

“Yes, sir.”

He left. Didn’t bother saying anything else. The door clicked shut behind him. I let out a breath I’d been holding. Pressed my fingertips to my temples. I didn’t even know what I felt, maybe guilt, maybe frustration. Relief, too. Honestly, probably all of it tangled together.

But it didn’t matter. The deadline was close. And I had more important things to focus on. Telling myself work was all that mattered felt like the safest lie I had.

Much later, after the office went quiet and empty, my phone buzzed.

Unknown number: You shouldn’t have told Ethan.

Ice shot through my veins.

Another message popped up.

Unknown: Leo doesn’t like loose ends.

And then—

Unknown: Check your desk drawer.

The drawer sat there, untouched all day, suddenly feeling like it was humming with electricity. Every part of me screamed no, but curiosity always wins. reached over anyway.

The metal handle felt cold. I pulled. Right on top of the old files, dead center, sat a single red envelope. Just like the one Leo gave me before. But this time, no name scrawled across it.

Except…wait. There it was. Ethan’s name.

My heart pounded so hard it hurt.

The first envelope was a message.
This one was a threat.