My sleep was cut short by a sharp, sudden slam. It seemed the front door had closed.
Theron. He left the same way he came — without words. No note, no glance. Though, I shouldn't have expected anything else.
But it was time for me to get ready as well. Since no one had killed me, apparently my work hadn't been canceled either.
My body rolled lazily in bed, trying to force itself to rise. It felt as though Theron had gotten so carried away last night that sleep hadn't even crossed his mind. Only by dawn did we finally calm down. Apparently, each of us had simply thrown out everything stored inside — desire, lust, irritation.
My ego felt like a queen this morning. It had gotten everything it wanted — from a handsome, sexy man other women were chasing. Yet my head already understood: nothing good would come of this. I hoped we would both just pretend nothing had happened — no scenes, no drama. Especially from his ex. And yes… Dave, too…
I shook my head wearily. Even thinking about all of this made me feel tired.
As soon as my feet touched the floor, my gaze fell on the nightstand. There was a note. And a bullet.
I picked up the bullet and read:
"Your life is mine now. Don't forget that.
And lock the door when you're home."
My life?
I turned the bullet between my fingers, trying to understand if it was real. By touch, by weight, by metal — yes, a live round. A real one.
I looked around the room. No jacket, no sign of his presence. As if he had never been here. No scent, not a single strand of hair. Only this bullet.
I took an envelope from my bag, placed the find inside, and hid it deeper, in the drawer with clothes I rarely wore. Even this small detail already made me tense.
Why did he leave it? As a symbol? As a warning? Or simply… so I wouldn't forget what happened last night?
Or was it a hint that I now belonged to him?
I doubted he was possessive in the usual sense. He was more of a dictator than a jealous type. Although… I remembered how, at the very beginning, he commented on his collection. Could it be that I was now part of that collection?
The alarm on my phone tore me away from these useless thoughts.
Either way, if he had already made some decision, I doubted I would have a chance to change anything. So we simply go with the flow and do our job.
The day started at its usual pace. But on the way to work, the paranoia wouldn't let go.
Why me? Theron was one of those who never did anything "just because." Was it lust? Or did he have another kind of interest in me? And why, for God's sake, the bullet?
I had already been through this.
My exes stayed the night only for one thing — to rummage through my life while I slept. They dug up accounts, pulled out information. Some even did it with love speeches. And then left, finishing me off with words that couldn't be forgotten.
Since then, I had suspicion toward everyone and everything. By default. Even if someone seemed different.
But with Theron the question was more complicated. He needed neither money nor connections. What did he want from me, besides desire?
I understood that all these guesses were just me winding myself up. They would give me nothing but a headache. But until I dove into work, my mind kept spinning these thoughts like a broken tape on repeat.
As soon as I saw the pile of papers on my desk, Theron instantly vanished from my thoughts. And it was even good.
Work always saved me. It muted everything unnecessary, pushed me into rhythm, returned me to a state where everything was clear, understandable, and under control. I could breathe evenly again.
But the peace didn't last long.
An hour later, one of the employees appeared at the door. Though he looked more like security.
"Mr. Vescari is calling for you," his voice was even and nearly emotionless, but serious enough.
I only nodded. Stood up, took my laptop and my small pencil case.
I hoped very much that this was just a work matter. And nothing concerning last night.
As soon as I opened the office door, I immediately ran into Liana's irritated face. She sat next to Theron. He, as usual, was silent, his arms crossed on the table, his gaze focused.
"Here, look," Liana threw a folder at me. "I'm sure Travis will sue us. I knew you couldn't be trusted with this."
I didn't rush to open the folder. I just held it in my hands and looked at Theron. He was silent and looking at me. Not a single word.
"Are you deaf? Look what you've done," Liana didn't stop and kept jabbing her finger at the documents.
But her hysteria sounded strange. Annoying, theatrical, as if someone had been rehearsing a scandal.
Interesting. What had she made up this time?
"Read the contract. Specifically the clauses that were supposed to be changed," Theron finally broke the silence.
I quickly found the needed page and understood immediately. The contract was the old version. All the disputed terms remained unchanged. The very ones everything had started over.
It was precisely those clauses we had revised. Precisely why Travis had been negotiating.
I almost laughed, but held back. I had seen all this before. Too much like the old trick. Under exactly such circumstances Theron and I first met.
"This isn't my version. Someone swapped the papers at the signing stage. I can fix everything," I said, already going through possible ways to reach Travis and resolve the issue.
"Are you kidding?" Liana kept going. "You were entrusted with a task, and you couldn't do it properly. This is no longer a question of fixing it — it's a question of your professionalism."
She kept jabbing her finger at the folder, hoping to push me off balance.
But she wasn't doing a great job. Even if she was taller, physically I stood steady. And calmer.
"Can you prove this isn't your version?" Theron asked calmly, interrupting her next outburst.
"Yes," I answered just as calmly. "If I start acting right now, by the end of the day everything will be resolved."
"How?" he asked with the same even tone.
Liana stood silent, perplexed.
"I can meet Travis in person and—"
I didn't finish. Theron cut me off:
"How will you prove this isn't your version?" he had already risen from the table.
It was the first time he wasn't simply demanding a solution. Now he wanted explanations. Why?
"I don't think she can prove anything," Liana added sarcastically. "She just wants to smooth it over so no one notices her mistake. Pretend she managed to wriggle out."
"I can. But not in her presence. And then you will make your own conclusions," I answered sharply in her direction for the first time.
"Leave," Theron said without pause.
"Theron, don't fall for this. She'll start making excuses and blaming everyone around. You know people like that…"
He cast her a glance. And she fell silent. Left, lowering her head. The door slammed.
I wondered again how this woman had become the head marketer. Their relationship — yet another big question without an answer.
Theron came closer.
"Speak," his tone softened. He didn't take his eyes off me, and that made me uneasy.
We used to play a game of "who will look away first," but now I was definitely losing.
I approached the table, took out a flashlight, and scanned the pages. Two pages in the middle had no seals. The very seals I had placed after final approval. The paper also differed — if you looked closely, the shade was slightly off.
Theron stood beside me, watching silently.
"My stamp aren't on these two pages. And the paper is different. The tone is off," I laid out the old and new versions on the table.
"Your stamp?" he clarified.
"Yes."
I scanned the pages again with the flashlight, covering the window with my hand. A barely visible imprint appeared on the original. He leaned closer and looked at it himself.
"And on the swapped version there are none," I concluded. "Just like with Vel, remember?"
I turned. His face was closer than I expected. The half-smile vanished from mine. I had given myself away.
He leaned in even closer. Looked straight, studying me. I didn't understand why, but I didn't pull away.
"Fix it. But you'll go to the meeting with a guard from me," he said calmly and returned to his place.
"May I go?" I asked, trying to hold down the mixed feelings inside.
"Yes."
I immediately left the office and headed to Ostin.
Ostin, as always, sat at his desk, but the moment I walked in, a barely noticeable exhaustion slipped through his posture.
"Hi," I tried to force out a polite smile, pretending I genuinely regretted bothering him again.
He sighed heavily and replied without looking up from the papers:
"Same restaurant. In an hour. Surprisingly, Travis is actually happy to see you again."
He slowly adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, still without lifting his eyes.
"There will be a car in ten minutes in the parking lot. You won't go alone."
"Thank you. You're the best," I gave him a thumbs-up in a gesture of gratitude and hurried to my office to prepare the correct version of the contract.
This time the girl at the reception forced out a greeting with noticeable uncertainty. She seemed wary, glancing at the guy walking beside me — the same security guard who had summoned me to Theron that morning.
Travis greeted me with an overly cheerful expression, but I didn't cool his enthusiasm. I needed his help now, and personal emotions had to be pushed aside.
"I'm really sorry we didn't get to talk properly yesterday," he began, sounding apologetic.
"It's fine. I got drunk quickly and left the event," I stopped him, not letting the conversation slide into unnecessary sentimentality.
"Drunk?" he repeated with clear surprise.
"Yes. Events like that seem boring to me, so I simply drink," I replied calmly.
He frowned a little but said nothing. I decided not to waste time.
"Sorry, but I'd like to discuss the contract."
"Of course. I brought my copy," he handed me the folder.
I immediately began examining the document, using the flashlight. His copy was fine.
Everything matched the latest revision. Most likely because the original had stayed with his manager the entire time. But our side…
I lowered my eyes. Swapping the document on our end had indeed been much easier.
"Can I be honest with you?" I handed him back his copy of the contract.
"I like that better," he said. I noticed a flicker of distrust in his gaze, but it faded quickly.
"On our side, you signed the old version of the contract.," I unfolded the document and showed the needed pages. "So I need you to re-sign the current version. And this copy — either I'll void it, or you can keep it."
"What?" His face tightened. "How did that happen?"
"We'll find out. What's important now is that we have the correct document on hand. So that neither you nor we run into unnecessary problems. We want to cooperate with you on fair terms," I carefully placed the agreed version before him and offered a pen.
Travis silently took the papers and began rereading them attentively. I felt the tension growing inside me.
"Sorry. It's partly my fault," I added quietly. I said it because that's what normal people say when they make a mistake. Perhaps someone simply wanted to spite me. Set me up — and there was only one candidate. Liana had gone on the offensive.
"I'll sign if you agree to have lunch with me. And this time you won't run away," he said with slight doubt, glancing at the guard standing at a distance.
"I think that's manageable," I replied calmly and also glanced toward the guard.
He remained standing, not interfering.
"Does that mean that at all our previous meetings you were bored if you ordered alcohol?" Travis remarked casually while flipping through the menu.
"No." I smiled slightly but added nothing else. Though in my mind I continued: for me it was always just work. Nothing more.
I also bent over the menu, pretending to study it, but to be honest, I had no appetite at all. In the end, we placed our order. This time I refused everything, choosing only a salmon steak. Nothing extra.
Travis didn't hesitate to show attention even in the presence of the guard. Sometimes he flirted openly, as if he considered it his norm. But to my relief, he was urgently called to the agency. Our goodbye was brief, without unnecessary words, and I was even grateful for that.
After he left, I felt a strange emptiness. On one hand, everything went according to plan — I'd resolved the contract situation. On the other, the sense that he wanted more interaction began to tire me. It didn't please me, and I felt myself tightening inside.
Socializing with people drained me even when it was work. I preferred reading or sleeping alone.
The guard stayed beside me the entire time, cold and quiet. Not a single question, not a single glance. Just escorting — nothing personal.
Returning to the office closer to the afternoon, I stopped in the corridor. My first thought was to go to Theron. But something inside stopped me. Instead, I headed to Ostin.
Giving him the new contract, I finally decided to say everything as it was.
"You know, the strangest thing is that his version of the contract was correct."
I watched his reaction. He only raised a brow, continuing to examine the document calmly.
"I get the impression that Liana swapped the contract. I don't know if she wanted to spite me or create problems that I would have to answer for."
"Why would she do that and then be the one to find the swap and bring it to Theron?" Ostin replied calmly. "It would've been easier to wait until it surfaced at the worst moment. I don't think it was Liana."
He put the contract into his briefcase, speaking in the same measured tone.
"Doesn't it seem to you that this all makes no sense then?" I still couldn't understand why any of this had been done. And that annoyed me most of all. "Are you saying Liana actually helped, found the mistake, and prevented a scandal?"
"She found a mistake. You fixed it. I think that's all for now."
But I remembered checking every page, every seal before handing it over. I remembered and was certain.
"Don't think poorly of Liana. She may be jealous because of Theron or seem harsh, but she is loyal to the company and has proven it before," Ostin added sternly, making it clear this topic wasn't up for discussion.
"All right." I didn't argue. Said goodbye and went to my office.
Was my paranoia going to spread to everyone now? She proved loyalty — perhaps that was exactly why Theron still kept her close. But what did that mean? Proved her loyalty…
Immersing myself in my numbers, I finally tore free from this tangle of thoughts. I didn't even notice when evening came.
Today I almost ran home. All I wanted was a hot shower and silence. My bed seemed like the only salvation.
The hot water really brought me back to life. My body relaxed, and my head cleared. All the bad things, including the stupid contract situation, seemed to fly away on their own.
I slowly ran my fingers along the books on the shelf, thinking about what to read before bed.
The silence in the apartment set the mood for calm. And suddenly — a knock at the door.
Probably Derek. He came, as usual, to check if I was alive. Without even looking through the peephole, on autopilot, I opened it.
But it wasn't him…