Page 21 of Stalking His Assassin

Twenty minutes later, Lance is still reviewing financial statements. I can feel my eyes crossing at the minutia of this meeting, which could have been an email. Definitely going to make some changes and loosen the reins in the future.

"Thank you, Lance," I say, interrupting him before he can dive into another report projecting next quarter's financials. "I trust you've got this under control. I'd like for you to handle the team meeting today as well. Have Patty message me the meeting minutes and have Grayson send me the beta test results from last week. I want to ensure we are set to roll out next month as planned."

Lance's eyes are wide in shock, and his mouth is gaping. I'm amused, but years of hiding my feelings prevent me from showing anything but the cool confidence that the owner of Shield Securities is known for.

"Will that be a problem?" I ask, raising one brow.

"N-no, Ms. Silva. I'll take care of everything."

"Good. I'll be making some changes to your role going forward. I'm stepping back in several areas of the business. You'll be the CFO of Shield Security going forward. I'll send you a contract of what will be expected of you. Of course, there will be a significant raise. Patty will remain my administrative assistant, so you'll need to contact HR about acquiring your own."

That look of shock is back, and he's apparently speechless. He gives me a jerky nod in response.

"Good. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I would also like you to find viable candidates to replace you as business manager to work directly under you. Please handle thefirst round of interviews yourself. I will do the second round, taking your opinion into consideration on the candidates since you will be working closely with them."

He's still nodding, and it's taking all my training to keep a straight face. Lance is uptight, and he's never been speechless in the years he's worked for me. He's quick-witted and positively brilliant, so this is unexpected.

"Is this acceptable?" I ask.

"Y-yes. Of course. Sorry, Ms. Silva. I'm just a bit surprised."

"Understandable. It's quite sudden. I trust that you'll continue to do excellent work for Shield. I look forward to seeing what you'll accomplish given more freedom."

"As always, I will do my best."

"Good."

I disconnect the call, feeling satisfied with my decision. It may be spontaneous and a little reckless, but it feels right. I prefer the creative side of things, and with Lance taking a more active role in the business side, I can focus on creating new and innovative tech.

I open the camera feeds for my apartment and search for Christos. I find him sitting in the living room with Potato sprawled on his lap. My chest feels warm at seeing such a dangerous man petting my cat while watching television. It's so domestic. Having someone else in my space should feel awkward, but I like it. That sense of loneliness that usually permeates my apartment isn't there.

I run a quick check of Shield's security system, ensuring everything is as it should be, and then I check my personal systems. There have been zero attempts against either system. Slightly disappointed that no one has tried breaking into Shield recently. I enjoy the challenge a good hacking provides.

The next hour is spent writing up the new contract for Lance to send to my lawyers for approval. I give him a twenty-fivepercent raise and increase his bonus package to compensate for the added responsibilities. I also work up a new contract for Patty since I'll need to rely on her more going forward. I offer her a twenty-five percent raise too. Once I've sent those to my lawyer, I order some things for Christos.

I enjoy the hell out of him in his boxer briefs, but I'm sure he would like to have clothing and some of his own bathroom products. I spend an hour ordering him clothes, shoes, and bathroom things. I feel a flash of guilt when I realize I can order his favorites without having to ask… It makes my obsession with him completely obvious.

Oh well.

It's not like he's not been stalking me for years. We're on equal footing on the obsessiveness. I'm starting to understand why Tomas did what he did. I'm also quickly forgiving him for throwing a wrench in my life. He facilitated something that may never have happened without that push.

eight

CHRISTOS

I can hear Eris,no… Grace, speaking but can't make out her words. I'm slightly surprised that she's left her office door open despite being quite clear that I'm not allowed in that space. It tells me that I've made progress towards getting her to trust me with more than her body.

Another win.

I clean up the breakfast dishes and then make myself comfortable in the living room. I pick a random true crime documentary but keep the volume low enough that I can still hear the cadence of Grace talking. Her cat jumps onto my lap and makes himself comfortable. I usually would shoo the animal away, but befriending Grace's cat is another way to endear her to me. I'll do anything to prove she's what I want.

Potato kneads my thigh with his sharp claws and purrs at the attention. Grace stops talking after about thirty minutes. I want to see her but don't want to intrude. She already switched her meetings to do them remotely because of me. The last thing I want to do is get in the way of her work.

I'm impressed as hell that she owns Shield Security. I'm even more impressed that she creates the programs Shield sells. I knew she was smart as fuck, but this is beyond what I could haveguessed. It's proof that I never stood a chance of catching her on my own. She probably has flagged me and all my aliases in every system available to alert her of my movements. It also makes clears up the question of how she disappears so easily.

My tricky little wolf.

Now that I know her identity beyond Eris, she won't be able to hide as easily. Unless she kills off Grace Silva and starts fresh elsewhere. She did it once with Lucy Granger, and that was before she had the resources she has now. I'll just have to make sure she doesn't feel that's necessary. She's already made it known she has no plans to kill me, and I doubt that will change. She may be a hardened assassin, but she's not heartless.

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