Page 10 of The Secretary Volume II

I keep my expression even.“Yes.Very.”

He nods, as if that confirms something, though I have no idea what.

“Personal questions this early?”I say lightly.“Are you testing my adaptability, or is this just your standard approach to small talk?”

His mouth tilts slightly.“Would it make a difference?”

“I guess that depends on whether I pass.”

Ellis watches me, the silence stretching longer than comfortable.Then, he leans back in his chair.“Why do you want this job?”

I know there’s a right answer.A correct way to pass this test.

So I tell him the truth.“Because I desperately need it.”

Something shifts in his gaze.He likes that answer.

He reclines further in his chair.“Well, then, congratulations, Miss Blackwell.The job is yours.”

“Wait—what?You’re serious?”

Ellis tilts his head slightly, amused.“Yes.Very.I desperately need a secretary.”

It’s such a perfect, cold-blooded answer that I almost laugh.

Almost.

He stands, extending his hand to me.I rise to meet him, my legs shaky as I reach out.His grip is firm, deliberate—like a man who never makes a deal he doesn’t intend to collect on.He tells me someone will be in touch, asks if I have any questions.

I don’t, none that come to mind.I’m too busy being thankful my days with Marjorie breathing down my neck are coming to an end.Plus, I’ll finally get to stop sleeping in the front seat of my Honda.I’ll get to experience having an actual bed again.Maybe not at first, but eventually.Within a few pay periods, for sure.

When I step out of the elevator and into the lobby, I check my phone.I have no idea what beds even cost these days.

One new email.

From: Shergar HR

Subject: Welcome to Shergar Corporation.

And below it?—

A second email.

I stare at the screen.The noise of the street outside feels distant, muffled, like the world just shifted without telling me.

From: anon@noreply

No subject.No greeting.Just a single line of text:

You should have left when you had the chance.

6

Helper 99

Lena Blackwell is about to make a very expensive mistake.

I watch from my car, half a block away, as she stands outside the leasing office of The Holloway, the kind of building that prides itself on open-concept spaces and overpriced amenities.Floor-to-ceiling windows.Stainless steel appliances.A gym no one actually uses.A lifestyle more than an apartment.That’s what they’re selling.