Chapter 228 Chapter 228

Chapter 228 Chapter 228
Violet

The space was full of activity. Construction equipment was scattered across the massive apace and workers wearing hard hats and high-visibility vests were bustling around. 

The sound of power tools echoed off the concrete walls.

I parked in a spot farther from the elevator bank than usual, blocked by equipment and supplies, and walked toward the building entrance with growing confusion.

The lobby was even more chaotic. The elevator banks that had been there yesterday were gone, replaced by gaping holes covered with temporary barriers. More workers swarmed the area, calling to each other over the noise of construction.

I approached the reception desk, where the receptionist was answering calls.

"Excuse me," I said when she hung up. "What's going on? What happened to the elevators?"

She looked up, recognition flashing across her face. "Oh, Miss Violet! Mr. Lockwood ordered them demolished completely. We're installing new glass elevators instead that are completely transparent, and state of the art. Everything should be finished by this evening."

I blinked, trying to process that information. "By this evening? But it's already ten in the morning. How can you install completely new elevators in a few hours?"

"Oh, they didn't start this morning," she said cheerfully. "They've been working since last night. Mr. Lockwood called the CEO of the elevator company personally at midnight and had the entire crew here and working by twelve-thirty AM. Apparently there were some very generous incentives offered for expedited completion."

My stomach dropped. Elijah had made the calls at midnight barely minutes after I'd left the building. I had gotten a panic attack in the elevator and he simply demolished the elevators.

All of them.

Not just that, he ordered transparent replacements so I'd never have to be trapped in an enclosed metal box again. 

"Miss Violet?"

I realized the receptionist was still talking, looking at me expectantly.

"Sorry, what?"

"I said your office has been relocated. Your secretary is waiting to show you."

"Relocated?" Nothing was making sense. "Why would my office be relocated?"

"For the duration of the elevator maintenance. Mr. Lockwood wanted to make sure you had a workspace away from all the construction noise. So the admin staff worked overnight as well."

My mind was reeling. Had he ordered the entire office to work late at night while I slept peacefully in my bed? 

I turned and saw my secretary, Anya, hurrying toward me. She was slightly out of breath, her usually immaculate hair a bit disheveled.

"Miss Violet!" She reached me and had to pause to catch her breath. "I just got word that you'd arrived. I'm so sorry I wasn't here to greet you at the entrance. Come on, I'll show you to your new space."

"Anya, what is going on?"

But she was already walking, gesturing for me to follow. "This way. We're going around the construction area to the quieter side of the building."

I followed her through the lobby, weaving between workers and equipment. We passed through doors I'd never noticed before, down corridors that seemed to belong to a different section of the building entirely.

The noise of construction faded as we walked, the chaos of the lobby giving way to quieter, and more refined spaces. The carpet here was plush, the lighting softer. Artwork hung on the walls, and expensive pieces decorated this area giving me a feeling this was where Elijah held meetings with important clients.

Anya stopped in front of a door at the end of a hallway with her hand on the handle.

"Here we are," she said, pushing it open.

I stepped inside and stopped dead.

It was my office. Or rather, an exact replica of my office. The same furniture, the same desk arrangement, even my personal items from upstairs were carefully placed in identical positions.

The flowers Elijah had brought yesterday were replaced with lilacs in the same vase but at the spot he had placed them in, behind my desk. My sketches were pinned to the same bulletin board. My coffee mug was on the same corner of the desk where I always kept it.

Everything was identical down to the smallest detail. Even I wouldn’t be able to remember all of it.

"How..." I couldn't finish the question.

"Mr. Lockwood's instructions," Anya said, consulting her tablet. "He wanted your workspace duplicated exactly so you wouldn't have to adjust to a new environment. He had staff work through the night to move everything and set it up precisely as it was upstairs."

“Did he…go home?” I asked and she shrugged. “No, he stayed until all the work was completed. In fact, he rushed everybody in the past thirty minutes. Your office was setup just minutes ago.”

Unease gnawed at me.

Had I somehow forced him and all others to hastily set up everything by arriving sooner?

But then I hadn’t asked him to do any of this.

"This area is much quieter," Anya continued. "Away from the construction noise so you can work in peace. Mr. Lockwood was very specific that you shouldn't be disturbed or stressed by the noise and chaos."

The more she talked, the heavier my heart felt.

“Did he specify the reason for the sudden need for renovation?” I asked her, dreading her answer.

If everybody knew the new Director was not only late to office occasionally but also having panic attacks, they would think I was nuts.

“Just that a few clients complained that the elevator space made them claustrophobic”

My shoulders relaxed in relief.

"He also had the maintenance team check all the electrical systems in this section," Anya added, still consulting her tablet. "To make sure there wouldn't be any flickering lights or power issues. And he upgraded the climate control so the temperature would stay consistent."

Each detail she listed was another piece of evidence showing exactly how much thought had gone into this. How Elijah had anticipated every possible trigger, every potential source of stress or discomfort.

He'd stayed up all night making calls, coordinating workers, and overseeing the move. 

I recalled the claw marks on his arms and chest. Had he seen a doctor at least?

"Is there anything else you need?" Anya asked, dragging me out of my thoughts. 

"Mr. Lockwood left instructions that I should make sure you have everything required for a productive work day."

"No," I managed to say. "This is... this is perfect. Thank you, Anya."