He steps into the room, the shadows playing across his face.His eyes gleam with a cold intelligence I’ve never seen before, tracking my every movement.His smile is small and confident, the smile of someone who knows exactly what he’s doing.
For a heartbeat, I don’t recognize him at all.It’s as if the Steven I’ve worked alongside for years has been replaced by a stranger wearing his face.
“It’s not personal,” he says with a shrug that seems obscenely casual given the circumstances.“It’s just a job.”
Anger flares in my chest.“To hell with that!You’ve been stealing our work for months.First leaking our original Serastra campaign, and now this?You’ve put all our jobs on the line!”
He doesn’t look remotely upset.“It’s business, Eve.Nothing more.”
“We worked hard on this campaign,” I say through gritted teeth.“Caleb and I have been here night after night making this perfect.I’m not going to let you ruin the launch tomorrow.”I grip the mug tighter, my knuckles whitening.“We have a yacht full of investors coming, and everything has to be perfect.”
Steven’s smile fades.“That’s not up to you.”
His hand moves toward his pocket, and I don’t hesitate.I fling my coffee directly at his face.The hot liquid splashes across his eyes and cheeks.He staggers backward, screaming in pain, and I seize my opportunity.
Still clinging to his laptop, I run for the door, shoving past him while he’s clawing at his face.My heart pounds in my ears as I sprint down the hallway toward the elevators, jabbing frantically at the call button.
“EVE!”His roar echoes behind me, followed by the sound of footsteps.
Shit, shit, shit!
The elevator gears are cranking their way up, the slow buzz rattling against the nerves of my body, but it’s taking too long.I hear him getting closer, and panic surges through me.I abandon the elevator and dash toward the emergency exit, slamming through the door into the stairwell.The cold metal stairs echo with my footsteps as I race downward.
I have to call Caleb.Why didn’t I bring my phone?I left it charging at my desk, too focused on getting coffee to grab it.What a stupid mistake.
I’m three flights down when I hear the stairwell door bang open above me.Steven’s voice bounces off the concrete walls.“You’re making this worse for yourself!”I run faster, clutching the laptop to my chest.If I can just get to the security desk in the lobby...
I’m almost at the main floor when the sound of a door opening below stops me in my tracks.I look down over the railing, and my stomach drops.Steven stands there, blocking my path, chest heaving.The elevator I called must have finally arrived, and he took it down.
“Give me the laptop, Eve.”His voice is eerily calm now.“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I’m not letting you ruin months of hard work.”My voice shakes, but I stand my ground, slowly backing up the stairs.“What did they offer you?Money?A promotion?”
His eyes narrow.“Both, actually.Half a million and head of marketing at Perry Time Yachts.”
The betrayal stings worse than I expected.“So you’d destroy everything we’ve built here for that?”
“In a heartbeat.”His smile doesn’t reach his eyes.“Now give me the laptop.”
When I don’t move, his patience shatters.He lunges up the stairs toward me, and I turn to run, but he’s faster than I anticipated.His fingers close around my ankle, and I stumble.
The laptop slips from my grasp, skidding across the landing.I kick out wildly, connecting with his shoulder.He grunts but doesn’t let go.Instead, he pulls something from his pocket—a small switchblade that flicks open with a metallic snap.
My blood runs cold.This isn’t just corporate espionage anymore.
“I tried to do this the easy way,” he snarls, the knife glinting in the emergency lights.He reaches for me, blade extended, and I brace myself for pain—but it never comes.
“I don’t think so!”The roar echoes through the stairwell as a figure launches from above, taking Steven completely by surprise.Joshua slams into Steven like a freight train, sending them both crashing against the wall.The knife clatters down the stairs, and Steven lets out a shocked grunt as Joshua pulls him into a headlock.
“Been waiting for you to show your true colors, you son of a bitch!”Joshua’s face is flushed with exertion and anger, his usual easygoing demeanor completely gone.
Steven recovers from his shock quickly, driving his elbow into Joshua’s stomach.They break apart, then collide again in a furious tangle of limbs, grappling dangerously close to the stairwell edge.
“Eve, take the laptop and run!”Joshua shouts, landing a solid punch that makes Steven stagger.
I grab the laptop and dash up the stairs, not looking back.Behind me, the sounds of the struggle continue—grunts, the thud of blows landing, a sickening crack followed by Joshua’s cry of pain.
I burst through the door onto the closest floor, running as fast as my legs will carry me.The hallway stretches endlessly before me, my panicked breaths loud in my ears.The service elevator on the other end of the hall is too far.There’s no time.But I have to try anyway.The empty offices around me appear and disappear in the darkness as I run forward.
