I accidentally walked into the private office of the…

The powerful chairwoman.

The untouchable executive.

The woman who never showed weakness.

“Close the door, Mr. Barrett.”

Gavin did.

Giselle gestured toward the chair across from her desk.

“Sit.”

He remained standing.

“Am I being fired?”

She studied him.

“No.”

Gavin blinked.

“No?”

“No.”

She opened a folder lying in front of her.

Gavin immediately recognized the photograph clipped to the first page.

It was his employee ID picture.

Then he saw another photograph.

Paisley.

His stomach tightened.

“Why do you have my daughter’s picture?”

Giselle didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, she closed the folder.

“I had my security team investigate you.”

Gavin’s jaw tightened.

“You had no right.”

“I know.”

The blunt admission caught him off guard.

Giselle leaned back.

“I also know you have every reason to hate me right now.”

“I don’t hate you.”

“Then you’re smarter than most people who work for me.”

Gavin said nothing.

Giselle reached beneath the desk and slowly stood.

For the first time, Gavin noticed the subtle stiffness in the way she moved.

She wasn’t fine.

Not even close.She walked toward the window overlooking Mapleton.

“Last night,” she said, “you saw something I have spent six months hiding.”

Gavin stared at her reflection in the glass.

“The accident.”

Giselle nodded.

“The accident wasn’t what the public was told.”

Gavin waited.

“There was another vehicle.”

His expression changed.

“What?”

“A black SUV.”

Giselle turned around.

“It crossed the center line on a road outside the city. My driver swerved to avoid it. We hit the barrier.”

Gavin remembered the news reports.

They had said the crash was caused by heavy rain.

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

“Because the SUV disappeared.”

Gavin frowned.

“Disappeared?”

“There were no plates. The cameras near that section of road had mysteriously stopped recording for eleven minutes.”

Gavin felt a chill travel down his spine.

“Someone tried to hurt you?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“No.”

She walked back toward the desk.

“But someone has been trying very hard to convince me that I shouldn’t ask that question.”

Silence filled the room.

Gavin looked toward the door.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because last night you saw something else.”

Gavin shook his head.

“I didn’t.”

“You saw the brace.”

“Yes.”

“You saw the bruises.”

Gavin hesitated.

“Yes.”

“You also saw the scar beneath my left shoulder.”

He looked at her.

She watched him carefully.

“Do you know what caused it?”

“No.”

“It wasn’t caused by the accident.”

Gavin’s face became serious.

“Then what caused it?”

Giselle’s expression hardened.

“That’s the problem.”

She opened another folder.

Inside were photographs.

Hospital records.

A police report.

Several handwritten notes.

And one photograph of a damaged black SUV.

Gavin leaned forward.

“That vehicle?”

“Yes.”

“Where was it found?”

“It wasn’t.”

She pushed the photograph toward him.

“The photograph was taken three days after my accident.”

Gavin looked at the image.

The SUV had extensive damage along its front end.

Something had struck it.

“Where?”

Giselle’s eyes remained fixed on him.

“In the private garage beneath my father’s estate.”

Gavin slowly looked up.

Her father’s estate.

The same man who had founded Harrington Group.

The same family that controlled billions in assets.

“Are you saying someone in your family had that vehicle?”

“I am saying someone in my family had access to it.”

Gavin felt his heartbeat increase.

“And you think they tried to kill you?”

“I think someone wanted me frightened enough to stop asking questions.”

“About what?”

Giselle didn’t answer.

Instead, she reached for another folder.

This one was thinner.

Almost empty.

She placed it on the desk.

“This is why you’re here.”

Gavin stared at it.

“What is it?”

“A contract.”

He looked at her.

“I don’t understand.”

“You will.”

Giselle sat down.

“Before I explain, I need you to answer one question.”

“Okay.”

“Do you trust me?”

Gavin almost laughed.

“Ma’am, I walked into your office last night and found you wearing a medical brace you apparently aren’t supposed to have. This morning you’ve shown me evidence that someone may have tried to kill you.”

He shook his head.

“I don’t even know what I’m supposed to think.”

“That wasn’t my question.”

Gavin looked directly into her eyes.

“No.”

For the first time, Giselle smiled.

Not because she was amused.

Because she seemed relieved.

“Good.”

She opened the folder.

“There are people in this building who would tell you anything to gain your trust.”

She pushed a sheet of paper across the desk.

Gavin looked at the number printed at the bottom.

His eyes widened.

“Eighty-five thousand dollars?”

“Correct.”

He stared at her.

“What’s this?”

“An advance.”

“For what?”

“A job.”

“I already have a job.”

“Not anymore.”

Gavin’s face tightened.

“You said I wasn’t being fired.”

“You aren’t.”

“Then what is this?”

Giselle leaned forward.

“I want you to become my personal driver.”

Gavin stared at her.

“I don’t know anything about executive security.”

“I don’t need a security specialist.”

“Then why me?”

“Because you notice things.”

He shook his head.

“I’m a janitor.”

“You were a soldier.”

Gavin froze.

Giselle continued.

“You served eight years.”

“You investigated me.”

“Yes.”

“You know about my knee?”

“Yes.”

“You know about my daughter?”

“Yes.”

Gavin’s voice became colder.

“You know about my debts?”

“Yes.”

He stood.

“That isn’t a job offer. That’s leverage.”

Giselle didn’t move.

“Sit down, Gavin.”

He didn’t.

She lowered her voice.

“I know what it looks like.”

“You looked through my entire life.”

“I did.”

“You found my weakest point.”

“Yes.”

“And now you’re offering me money because you know I need it.”

Giselle’s expression changed.

Something almost like regret appeared in her eyes.

“I am offering you money because I know what it feels like to have no choices.”

Gavin stared at her.

She reached for the contract.

“Your daughter’s asthma medication has increased in cost. Your insurance covers only part of it. Your landlord has already sent you two notices.”

Gavin’s hands curled into fists.

“Stop.”

“I know.”

“Stop talking about my daughter.”

Giselle immediately fell silent.

For several seconds, neither spoke.

Then she said quietly:

“I have a daughter too.”

Gavin looked at her.

Giselle’s eyes moved toward a photograph sitting face down on the corner of her desk.

“She died when she was six.”

Gavin’s anger disappeared.

“What happened?”

Giselle turned the photograph over.

It showed a little girl with dark curls standing beside a lake.

“My brother was supposed to be watching her.”

Her voice became quieter.

“He wasn’t.”

Gavin didn’t know what to say.

Giselle put the photograph back down.

“That was twelve years ago.”

She looked at him.

“I learned something after that.”

“What?”

“When powerful people make mistakes, they call them unfortunate circumstances.”

She paused.

“When ordinary people make mistakes, they call them crimes.”

Gavin slowly sat back down.

Giselle opened the contract again.

“I need someone outside my family’s circle.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t know who I can trust.”

Gavin looked at the $85,000 figure again.

“What exactly am I supposed to do?”

“Drive me.”

“That’s it?”

“For the first week.”

“And after that?”

“If everything goes according to plan, you’ll continue working for me.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

Giselle looked toward the window.

“Then you take the money and disappear.”

Gavin frowned.

“What does that mean?”

“It means you leave Mapleton.”

A silence settled between them.

“Why?”

“Because whoever is behind this won’t stop with me.”

Gavin stared at her.

“You think they’ll come after me?”

“I think they already know you saw me last night.”

The room suddenly felt colder.

Gavin looked toward the closed door.

“How?”

Giselle didn’t answer.

She picked up a small black envelope from beneath the folder.

“This was delivered to my apartment at 3:17 this morning.”

She slid it across the desk.

Gavin hesitated before opening it.

Inside was a photograph.

His breath caught.

It was him.

Standing outside his apartment building.

The photograph had been taken from across the street.

Another picture showed him carrying Paisley from Mrs. Gable’s house.

A third showed Paisley walking into school.

Gavin’s entire body went rigid.

“Who took these?”

“I don’t know.”

He looked at Giselle.

“You said they already knew about me.”

“Yes.”

“Then why am I still alive?”

Giselle’s face became grim.

“Because whoever took those photographs wants you to understand that they could have done something.”

Gavin stared at the photographs.

His hands began shaking.

“Why?”

Giselle leaned closer.

“Because they’re sending me a message.”

“What message?”

Her answer was barely above a whisper.

“They’re telling me that you’re the next person they can take away.”

Gavin pushed the photographs back toward her.

“No.”

“You can’t walk away now.”

“I can quit.”

“They’ll still know what you saw.”

“I didn’t see anything!”

“You saw me.”

“That doesn’t mean anything.”

“To them, it does.”

Gavin stood again.

“I need to go home.”

Giselle nodded.

“You can.”

He looked surprised.

“But I’m sending a car.”

“No.”

“You’re not going alone.”

“I’ve been taking care of my daughter alone for years.”

Giselle looked at him.

“I know.”

Gavin stopped.

There was something in her voice.

Something different.

Not executive authority.

Not manipulation.

Fear.

Real fear.

“You really think someone is watching my daughter?”

“I think someone is watching everyone around me.”

Gavin looked down at the contract.

Then at the photograph of Paisley.

Then at Giselle.

“How much of this is actually about me?”

Giselle didn’t answer.

And that silence told him more than words could.

He slowly picked up the contract.

“Where do I sign?”

Giselle’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“You haven’t read it.”

“I’ll read it.”

“Good.”

“And I’m not agreeing to anything that puts my daughter in danger.”

“I wouldn’t ask you to.”

He looked at her.

“That’s exactly what you’re asking.”

Giselle didn’t deny it.

Gavin picked up the pen.

But before he could sign, the lights in the office suddenly went out.

Both of them froze.

The emergency lights flickered on.

A low alarm sounded somewhere down the hallway.

Gavin immediately stood.

His military instincts returned before he could think.

“Stay here.”

Giselle looked at him.

“What?”

“Stay behind the desk.”

He moved toward the door.

“Gavin.”

He held up one hand.

“Quiet.”

The hallway outside was dark.

Emergency lights painted everything red.

Then Gavin heard footsteps.

Slow.

Measured.

Coming toward them.

One.

Two.

Three.

He reached for the door handle.

Giselle whispered behind him.

“Don’t.”

The footsteps stopped.

Gavin froze.

A shadow appeared beneath the door.

Someone was standing directly outside.

Then a folded piece of paper slid underneath.

Gavin looked at Giselle.

Neither of them moved.

Finally, Gavin crouched down and picked it up.

There were only six words written on the page.

YOU SHOULD HAVE FIRED THE JANITOR.

Gavin’s blood ran cold.

Giselle’s face turned completely pale.

And then the lights came back on.

The hallway was empty.

But the security cameras were still flashing red.

Every camera on the fiftieth floor had been disabled.

Except one.

The camera inside Giselle’s office.