Mr. Hyde by day and Dr. Jekyll by night,Rune thought sourly.
But she moved through the familiar ritual like clockwork.
She placed the coaster in its usual spot. Laid out the breakfast mat, a minimalist charcoal square. Then the coffee – black, no milk or sugar, exactly 84°C when poured. Next to it, his usual bagel, wrapped precisely in white parchment. She adjusted the angles and steppedback. Then, she forced her voice to stay neutral. It was akin to pulling teeth without anaesthetic.
"The new recruits will be here soon."
Dorian twirled the pen once, then set it down, still not looking at her. A tiny smirk dared to lift the corner of her mouth.
"Send them to Finn. He'll handle contracts," said Dorian brusquely, still not making eye contact.
Rune nodded once and stepped out into the main office. Across the room, Margo stood at the coffee machine in a sharply cut charcoal skirt suit and polished nude heels. Her lipstick was fire-engine red, and her blowout looked freshly styled.
"Morning," she chirped, setting her phone down on the breakroom counter as she double-checked her reflection in the steel of the microwave.
"Someone didn't get the memo about business casual." Rune didn't respond. Passive-aggressive bullshit did nothing for her.
Instead, she walked past her, poured herself coffee into a paper cup, milk and two sugars, and returned to her desk. Tom arrived a few minutes later, cheerful as always, in a slim-cut shirt and tie that didn't quite match. He gave Rune a small nod and a gentle smile. She returned both with quiet civility.
He lingered awkwardly with a slight blush on his cheeks, hands clasped behind his back. Margo, on the other hand, was already dragging Rune's tote bag and laptop case toward the table by the wall. Rune's old desk was now sporting a tiny bag with the LV logo and a sleek laptop bag.
Rune paused, watching her antics. "What are you doing?"
Margo turned with a toss of her perfectly styled hair.Big hair today, Rune mused.
"Dorian said I could take this space. He said we'd better start with the handover. Tom can have the desk over there once you leave.", replied Margo, super-sweet with extra whipped cream and a cherry on top.
Dorian, not Mr. Albury, Rune registered. On her first day.
Rune blinked once, her expression still a neutral mask while she worked towards not bashing Margo’s skull in with the decorative bronze vase in the display. "I see."
Then the phone rang.
Rune picked it up. "Angel Consulting, Rune O'Connor speaking."
"Rone?" came her least favourite voice over the phone. "Be a dear and remind my son about the Children's Wing charity benefit. That's Great Ormond Street – haematology and oncology. You know how Dorian gets. All work and no play."
Rune opened her planner. "Noted, Mrs. Albury. I'll pass it on."
"Oh, and Rone, this time, do remind him properly, hmm? You forgot last month."
"I did remind him, Mrs. Albury," Rune said calmly.
"Well. Clearly not hard enough."
Click.
Rune stared at the phone for a difficult second while she wondered why they no longer used the guillotine for aristocrats, then set it down with delicate precision. No, she did not slam it down like she wanted to. She would not give him the satisfaction because he might be watching.
She consciously relaxed her shoulders and kept her face blank as she turned to her replacements. Sharks had a keen sense of smell, and she didn't want any blood in the water.
Then she turned to the two recruits.
"Let me take you down to Contracts."
Rune led them down the long corridor with efficient grace.
Today, she had worn a soft grey sweater tucked into dark slacks, black loafers clicking softly on the polished floor. Her shining dark hair was wound into a clean knot at the crown of her head.
