Chapter 188 Setting a Trap Within a Trap - Part 2
Bernard was in his office when his monitoring device picked up Elorm's conversation. He recorded everything.
The day went by normally, with everyone in the office going about their duties. Elorm appeared to be showing how committed he was to his new job, which left Zora confused about who he was and his intentions. She knew there was no evidence that Elorm indeed poisoned Angela, but one thing was clear: He lied about his health condition.
"Was it to get my attention and get back with me?" Zora thought while sitting behind her desk in her office.
She recalled things that had happened since the day Elorm showed her his medical report, and she thought he was dying. He had kissed her that day. He unexpectedly kissed her again during the company launch, and at the hospital, he almost took things beyond a mere kiss, had she not had the will to stop him. He was going to take her right there on the couch, with Angela lying on a bed in a coma in the same room with them.
"He just wanted to win me back into his life using sympathy," Zora concluded and shook her head in disbelief.
A knock on the door snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Yes, come in," Zora invited. The door slowly opened, and Zora stared at it to see who would enter.
"Elorm," Zora called out as soon as the door fully opened, revealing the person who had knocked earlier.
"Yes," Elorm answered with a smile plastered on his face. "It's noon, how about lunch?" he said.
"That is alright. You can go have your lunch," Zora replied.
"I mean, I want to take you out for lunch," Elorm said with a smile, and Zora widened her eyes like he had said the strangest thing ever.
"What!" Zora exclaimed.
"It's a way of saying thank you. I know it wasn't easy getting me a job in this prestigious company," Elorm explained, resting both hands on the back of the chair sitting in front of Zora's desk.
"If you want to thank anyone, it should be Mr Moore. If he had rejected my request, there was no way I could have convinced him otherwise," Zora pointed out.
"I understand, but give yourself some credit. If you had not said anything to him and been persuasive enough, I believe Mr Moore would have rejected your request. So you deserve appreciation," Elorm insisted. "Come on, don't say no to me, please," he begged like a little boy begging for candy, and Zora giggled.
"You have not changed your attitude, have you?" Zora said and giggled. "Elorm, let me explain it this way. Here, I am your boss. If I go with you for lunch, I may have to invite a second or a third person; if not, people will conclude we are a couple," she explained.
"And will that be a bad thing?" Elorm asked, and Zora tilted her head back, staring at him in astonishment. "This company allow employees to date each other, doesn't it?" he added with a smile.
"Yes, the company allows that," Zora began, but Elorm interrupted.
"But what? It's just lunch. Why are you making it sound like I am inviting you out on a date?" Elorm said.
"Elorm, I am just not comfortable," Zora replied.
"I see what the problem is. You are my boss, so you don't want anyone to see you with me because I am beneath you now," Elorm said and furrowed his brow.
"No," Zora said, but didn't know the best explanation that would not hurt Elorm's feelings.
She knew he was lying about his health, but this conversation confirms her thought. He wants them to get back together. Zora sighed and lowered her head briefly before lifting it to meet Elorm's gaze.
"Elorm, I am in love with someone else. He is a good man, and even if it seems like he has anger management issues, I still love him. You and I are over. I have no intention of getting back to you. I moved on. So please do the same," Zora said with all sincerity. "Here, I am your boss. Act like you don't know me and do your thing accordingly. I don't think you will ask your boss out for lunch on your first day of work," she added.
"Zora, it's just lunch. Why are you making a big deal about it?" Elorm asked, pulling a sad face. "I just want to spend my last days as a happy person. Who knows, this might even be my last lunch," he said sadly in an attempt to buy her sympathy.
Zora was about to turn him down, but she remembered what Bryce had said to her about acting normal. If she didn't know he didn't have cancer, she would have given up and gone with him for the lunch he was requesting.
"If I act differently from how he knows I will act, he might suspect something," Zora thought, staring at Elorm, who gave him puppy eyes.
"Okay," Zora agreed, and Elorm smiled.
"Thank you," Elorm appreciated sounding like he just won a trophy.
"Let me complete the work on this document, and we can go," Zora said, and Elorm made himself comfortable on the chair in front of Zora's desk, but Zora's eyes caught something walking past her slightly open door.
"What!" Elorm asked, seeing Zora staring at the door.
He turned and looked back.
"Oh, I didn't close the door well," Elorm said, stood up and went to close the door after he returned to his seat.
Zora and Elorm went for lunch outside the office. They talked about many things, and soon Zora forgot Elorm was there with an intention.
"You are the HR, let me ask you something," Elorm began, and Zora stared at him, waiting to hear what he wanted to ask her. "Who does the company really belong to? Because I had always thought it belonged to Mr Bryce Moore until the recent scandals on the news that led to Mr Devon Moore taking over. I read Bryce went to join a mafia group as their new Don," he asked, and Zora frowned.
"The company belongs to Mr Bryce Moore," Zora replied.
"How do you figure? Because I am seriously curious. What if one day, Mr Devon gets out of prison and drives Mr Bryce away, claiming to be the owner?" Elorm said.
"Why are you asking me this question?" Zora asked.
"Safety," Elorm said and sipped his drink. "Job security," he added. "In every business, you need to have in-depth knowledge about who is what, and what goes on. This will help you secure yourself in the business," he explained.
"If something is about to happen, with the knowledge you have, you can make good decisions," Elorm added, and Zora gave it a thought.
"Well, all I know is the company belongs to Mr Bryce Moore," Zora replied after thinking about Elorm's explanation.
"You need to confirm. I am concerned about you. I may be dead tomorrow, you have more life ahead of you, and you need to ensure you are well aware of what happens around you, especially as far as your new position is concerned," Elorm said, and Zora gave his statement a thought.
Zora recalled that she was never interviewed; Bryce just asked for her documents and handed the position to her like a trophy she didn't deserve.
"So how do I do this?" Zora asked.
"If Mr Bryce Moore is the owner, you are safe, I am sure, because you are a friend of Angela. So you need to confirm Mr Bryce is the owner. This means you need to find the company's document," Elorm said, and Zora frowned.
"I don't know where Mr Bryce keeps that?" Zora replied.
"You are the HR. Search for it. Once you see it, just confirm the owner. If it's Mr Devon, you know if he comes out of prison, you lose your job. This will help you prepare in advance," Elorm explained, and Zora nodded because it made sense to her.
When they returned to the office, Zora completed working on some files and carried them off to Bryce's office. The conversation she had with Elorm was still on her mind. When she walked into Bryce's empty office, she dropped the files on his desk and started searching for the company's documents.
Elorm, knowing Zora very well, was sure Zora was looking for the company documents. He quickly sent a message to Ivan.
She will get us the documents. I know very soon, if the document is in the office or at home, in his apartment, we will know. I make a copy and bring you the original once she finds it.
Elorm read through what he had typed on his phone and quickly sent it to Ivan, who acknowledged and urged Elorm to proceed with his idea.
Back at Bernard's office, Martin was with Bernard, both working on the security system.
"Take the device off Zora's phone once this is over. I will be right back," Martin said to Bernard and exited the office after Bernard had acknowledged.