7.

Alex

I show up at the office ten minutes early. I don't want to be early. I'd feel more comfortable arriving right on time, but I know that I need to impress Mr. Shadowvale.

Ryan.

Beatrice's cousin.

She told me last night that he can be something of a dick, so I know that being hired doesn't necessarily mean I'm out of the woods yet. What it does mean is that Ryan is someone I'm going to have to consistently work hard to make happy.

I'm so not ready for this. I wasn't good at impressing my foster parents, my professors, or my former employers. What makes me think that working at Shadowvale Industries is going to be any different?

When I walk into the lobby, the receptionist greets me with a smile, and I make my way to the elevator. I want to thank her again for her kindness the other day, but I'm too anxious to even speak. She doesn't stop me as I glide past her to the elevator. I remember the way. There's a different person in the elevator than last time. The ride upstairs is silent.

When I reach the top floor, I exit the elevator and walk directly to Damien. I don't look around. I don't take in the scenery. Focus is the name of the game today, and I plan to impress everyone.

"Good morning, Damien." He doesn't look up when I greet him. He's texting someone. I stand right where I am until he finally looks up at me. His eyes look bloodshot. Instantly, I realize something is wrong. "Are you okay?" We aren't close. We aren't friends. I know that look, though. Something bad has happened. Shit is about to hit the fan in a big way.

"I have to go," Damien says. He jumps to his feet. He's supposed to train me today. I know this. He's not leaving for two weeks, right?

"Wait," I step forward. "What's wrong?"

"It's my dad," he says. "Listen," he shakes his head. "I was supposed to take this big trip to visit Grandma in Scotland, but now I've got a second relative who is down for the count. I'm an only kid."

"Okay," I say quickly. I know he's not going to talk to Ryan, which means I'll need to be the one filling him in. That means I need to get as much information from Damien as possible before he gets on a plane to wherever he's going. I follow Damien to the elevator. He's not bringing anything with him. Not his laptop. Not his bag. Hell, he's not even bringing his water bottle with him.

This is really serious.

"What are you doing?" Damien asks as he jabs the button for the elevator.

"Tell me anything I need to know," I say. "What support you need. What you expect from me." I breathe out a heavy sigh. "Basically, how can I avoid screwing up your entire job while you're gone?"

"Look, Ryan is a finicky sort of man."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that he's quite difficult to take care of sometimes."

"I thought this role was just a receptionist position."

He sighs. "It's complicated."

"Well, you have until we reach the lobby to fill me in."

Damien smiles. "Then we'd better get started."