Chapter 5 – The Locked Office
Clara followed Ethan into the towering glass building that wasn't his main office.
It looked abandoned — dark hallways, faint echo of footsteps, a sense of secrets clinging to the air.
"Okay," she muttered, "definitely not creepy at all."
Ethan ignored her, unlocking a door with a security code that looked longer than her rent contract. Inside, the room glowed faintly — sleek, cold, and meticulously organized. A private office, but not his usual one.
Clara peeked at a nameplate on the desk.
MIA COLEMAN.
Her breath caught. "This is Mia's office?"
Ethan nodded, scanning the desk. "She worked here on a project I personally oversaw."
"Then why does it look like she left in a hurry?"
He didn't answer. He was already opening drawers, eyes narrowing as he examined folders. Every movement was controlled, deliberate — like a predator stalking a pattern only he could see.
Clara fidgeted, then noticed something half-hidden behind the monitor — a small notepad with messy handwriting. She picked it up.
"'Don't trust them,'" she read aloud. "'He's not who he seems.'"
Ethan's head snapped up. "Give me that."
"Excuse you, please works too," she said, holding the notepad out of reach.
"Clara." His tone dropped an octave. "Now."
Something in his voice sent a chill through her. She handed it over reluctantly. He scanned the page, his expression hardening.
"This handwriting isn't hers," he murmured.
"So… someone else wrote that?"
"Yes. And whoever it was wanted her to find it."
Clara frowned. "You think she was being watched?"
Ethan's silence was answer enough.
The air felt heavier suddenly — like a warning neither of them fully understood yet.