Page 31 of Deadly Secrets

“I was quite impressed with your answers to my assignment.”

“Good impressed or bad impressed?” I asked.

“Actually, in a good way. I’ve reviewed eighty percent of all assignments, and yours is the best so far.”

Despite being used to receiving compliments about my grades, I blushed. I had a GPA of 3.8, but it felt terrific coming from someone with his reputation. He was apparently a genius, having worked in the pharmaceutical industry since he was twenty-four and becoming the youngest lecturer ever at Columbia University at twenty-nine. It didn’t help the fact that he was hot.

“I’m looking for a couple of students who want to join my research team and earn extra credits. I thought it might interest you.”

“Why me? I’m just a freshman.”

He reclined his chair and put both hands behind his head, looking relaxed and casual.

“I saw an article about you the other day. I didn’t realize you were that Sienna Moore, so I thought my offer might interest you. Are you going to pursue a career at Cos Pharmaceuticals?”

“Well…yes. But I’m not sure clinical research is what I want. I’ve entertained the idea before, but things are now different.”

“You don’t need to decide anything today. Just think about my offer and let me know before the end of next week. You can give it a try to see if this is a path you’d like to pursue. You won’t know unless you try.”

Reed was right. I still didn’t know if I wanted to major in business or be more involved in the research side of things, so I guessed his offer could be an excellent opportunity to find out.

“Okay, I’ll think about it. Thanks for thinking of me. It’s an amazing opportunity. So really, thank you,” I said with a smile.

“Come to my office when you have an answer. I do hope you say yes.”

I walked to my apartment thinking about Reed’s offer and his reference to “that Sienna Moore.” Did he know my father? I assumed that if he moved in the same circles, there was a chance he had already met my father. The industry may seem like a big ocean full of fish, but in reality, it was more like a pond.

I put my key in and turned it, but the door was strangely opened. What the fuck. I was pretty sure I locked the door when I left this morning.

I shut the door behind me and looked around the living room.

“Hello?”

No answer.

I walked around the living room and the kitchen, but everything looked normal, and nothing was out of place. But when I reached my bedroom, the realization that someone had been in my room hit me. A black dahlia was on top of my bed with a small note beside it. I started to panic, looking around because someone could still be inside my apartment. I ran to the kitchen, grabbed a knife from the block on the counter, and scrolled through my recent calls. I pressed on the first familiar name that showed up on the screen. Maggie. One ring, two rings, three rings…she wasn’t fucking answering the phone. Maybe she was still in class, and her phone was on silent inside her purse. I was hyperventilating. Perhaps I should call the cops. Maybe it was Noah. Could it be Noah? I returned to my bedroom and checked the bathroom first, just in case. I picked up the note.

You can’t escape fate.

Fucking Noah.

The card was not signed, but I was pretty sure this was his doing. Noah must have paid someone at the reception to give him access to my room so he could leave the black dahlia and the note. Although I’d always felt comfortable around him, Noah had clearly shown a lack of boundaries so far: at the library, The Cave, and waiting for me outside Aster Hall once he felt ignored. He had a gentle and caring side but could also be quite possessive. While I enjoyed being dominated and controlled in the bedroom, I wasn’t keen on being told what to do outside of it. I needed to have a word with him. I almost had a heart attack. Shit, I might still be having one. My heart was pumping a thousand beats an hour.

Half an hour later, Maggie called me.

“Hey, sorry. I didn’t see your call. All good?” she asked.

“Not fucking close.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I think Noah broke into my apartment and left me a black dahlia with a note. I almost shat my pants.”

“Do you want me to come over? You sound like you’re panicking.”

“No. I’m okay, just fucking furious. I’m having dinner with him tonight, so I’ll tell him that it might have looked romantic in his head, but he scared the shit out of me. Not cool.”

“Okay. Let me know if you want me to come over later tonight. I could stay with you if you don’t want to be alone in your apartment. And ask security to change your lock.”

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