Page 33 of The Secretary Volume II

I glance at the other offices, scanning faces.Someone has to know.

I try Carrie next—sharp, efficient, always knows everything.

“Hey, Carrie—who’s the woman who was just in the break room?Dark hair, kind of… vacant?”

Her hand pauses over her keyboard.

She doesn’t look at me.But eventually she says, “I think you’re mistaken.I didn’t see anyone in the break room.Just you.”

Lie.

Carrie keeps typing.Calm.Dismissive.Like this conversation is already over.

Then, just as I start to call her on it, she adds, “You know how it is.The mind fills in gaps when there’s nothing there.”

What?

She keeps typing, like she didn’t just say something insane.

“We all strive for clarity here, Lena.”Her voice is so smooth, so corporate-polished that it almost sounds reassuring.Almost.“It’s important to stay aligned with what’s real.”

A slow, crawling unease wraps around my ribs, tightens, squeezes.

This is crazy.

Like hell I imagined that woman.

Like hell I’m “filling in gaps.”

And I know a company line when I hear one.

17

Lena

Isit back, watching her resume typing—too stiff, too careful.Like someone who knows more than they should.Someone who’s been told not to speak.

My fingers drift to my pocket, brushing against the note.

Who the hell is that woman?And why is everyone pretending she doesn’t exist?

A sharp frustration edges into my chest, but I shove it aside as my email pings.I half-expect another task from Andra.Instead, I see this:

Subject: Team Dinner - Mandatory

Lena,

We’ll be having a dinner tonight for select staff.Your attendance is expected.

6:30 PM.Transportation will be arranged.

- Andra

I stare at the screen.

A team dinner.

Mandatory.

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