Flawless Ruin

Caleb was born the next year, there are plenty of press clippings and notes from that period, all announcing the new heir. His father even designed a special watch in commemoration of the event. I would have expected at least some info leading up to that, but there’s nothing to be found.

Eventually, I check the time, and find hours have passed. It almost nine p.m. Turning out the lights, I head out of the archive. The offices are dark. Only dim floodlights are on, for the janitorial staff, as I head back upstairs to my desk to retrieve my things. I’m just emerging from the elevators when I run straight into a tall male form.

Instinctively, I let out a shriek.

“Whoa,” a male voice says, and I look up to find that it’s David.

I let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, it’s you.” I catch my breath. “Sorry, you scared me.”

“This place can get creepy after hours,” he agrees. “What are you doing here so late?”

“Nothing much. I was just working on the archiving project, and I lost track of time,” I explain.

He nods, but his eyes move over me, pausing. “Is everything OK?” he asks softly. “You seem… Different recently.”

“I’m fine!” I insist, but David gives me another searching look.

“Really? Because ever since you started this thing with Caleb, you’ve been… I don’t know… Not yourself.”

I bristle. I suppose it was stupid to think that David wouldn’t catch on to my relationship with him, as vague as I tried to be about it. Like Mara said, people at the company love to gossip. “You don’t know me,” I point out, feeling defensive.

“I know you don’t smile anymore,” David replies, even. “Not the way you used to. Look, I get it, he’s got charisma for days, not to mention, well, all of this,” he says gesturing around. “But that doesn’t mean anything if he doesn’t treat you right.”

“He treats me fine,” I protest. “He’s just under a lot of stress at the moment, with the takeover.”

And the mob boss at his door.

“Come on, don’t make excuses for him,” David urges. “You’re worth more than that, Juliet. You’re worth a hell of a lot more—”

“Stop it!” I interrupt him. “I’m fine, everything’s fine!”

The lie sounds hollow, even to my ears.

“Thanks for looking out for me,” I tell him politely. “I appreciate your concern. But it’s none of your business.”

David sighs. “Very well.” He checks his phone. “I’ve got to go. You heading out? I think we’re the last people on the floor. I’ll walk you out if you want me to.”

It’s a nice offer, from a nice guy. And he’s right. Ever since the scene with Nero, I’ve been on edge.

But I shake my head. “Thanks, but I’ve got to back up some files at my desk. I won’t be much longer.”

“All right. Good night, Juliet,” he says giving me a wave as he gets into the elevators.

I walk through the empty halls, trying not to feel any more freaked out. I half-expect an intruder to jump out from behind every cubicle wall. The darkness closes in on me as I make it to the executive area. I go to the wall and flip the switch for the light.

When my eyes adjust to the harsh brightness, my eyes catch on something on my desk.

At first, I think I must be seeing things. It can’t be.

But as I get closer, the fear grips me. It’s just what it looked like.

A knife.

There’s a note underneath that says, in harsh block letters: I warned you. This doesn’t end well.

My blood turns to ice. My heart stops. Every inch of my body prickles with fear.

I back away, scanning the area, afraid of what I’ll find.

And then suddenly, the lights go out.