Liam couldn't shake the unease he felt as the lights slowly flickered back to life, bathing the office in a cold, artificial glow. The entire power outage had lasted barely a minute, but it left Liam on edge. Across the room, Noah stood calmly, as if nothing unusual had happened, his face unreadable.
"Sorry about that, Mr. Cross," Noah said smoothly, stepping back toward his desk. "Probably just an electrical glitch."
"Right," Liam murmured, trying to dismiss the nagging feeling that there was something more to it. "An… inconvenient coincidence."
Noah's eyes held his for a fraction too long before he turned away, settling back at his workstation. Liam forced himself to focus on his own work, ignoring the strange tension that had slipped between them like a silent shadow. After all, it was just a power outage. But why would his former assistant send him such a cryptic warning about Noah?
Pushing his concerns aside, Liam returned to the financial discrepancies that had surfaced earlier. The figures didn't quite add up—small but frequent errors were scattered throughout the accounts. They might have gone unnoticed if not for a particularly meticulous auditor. Liam frowned, wondering if these inconsistencies were mere oversight or something more deliberate.
As he worked, Liam noticed Noah glancing at him occasionally, but every time he looked up, Noah was already back at his screen, typing away as though nothing unusual was going on. Liam didn't like being watched, especially by someone he barely knew.
By the time he looked up again, the office was empty except for them. The rest of the staff had left for the day, the distant hum of the city lights casting a warm glow outside the glass windows. Liam leaned back, observing Noah's quiet concentration, wondering if there was something behind that calm exterior.
Finally, Liam broke the silence. "Long day, huh?"
Noah looked up, offering a small smile. "Just making sure I'm prepared for tomorrow. I don't like to leave anything unfinished."
"Good quality in an assistant," Liam replied, giving a half-smile. "But you could've left with everyone else. You don't have to stay this late."
Noah's smile didn't waver. "I'm dedicated to my work, Mr. Cross. Besides, it's my job to support you. I'm here to make sure your needs are met."
The way he said it made Liam's pulse quicken slightly, though he couldn't say why. There was a hint of something else behind Noah's words, something he couldn't quite read. He glanced at the clock, realizing how late it was. His irritation flared—why should he feel so unsettled by his own assistant?
"Fine," he said, pushing away from his desk. "But don't make a habit of staying late. I don't need you hovering around me all night."
"I understand, Mr. Cross," Noah replied, his tone smooth. "But sometimes late nights are necessary to catch things… that others may have missed."
Liam's gaze sharpened. "What exactly do you mean by that?"
Noah simply shrugged, still calm. "Nothing specific. Just that, in my experience, there's often more going on beneath the surface than most people realize."
Liam tensed, his mind flickering back to the financial discrepancies and the warning text he'd received. Was Noah dropping hints? And if so, why?
Before he could press further, Noah's phone rang, the sound breaking the silence. Noah's face tightened for the first time as he checked the caller ID. He glanced at Liam, as if debating whether to answer, but after a moment, he declined the call, putting the phone facedown on his desk.
"Trouble?" Liam asked, curiosity overriding his caution.
"No, nothing important," Noah replied a bit too quickly. But something in his eyes suggested otherwise, as if he were guarding a secret that Liam wasn't supposed to know.
The phone buzzed again with a new message, and Liam's sharp eyes caught a glimpse of it before Noah flipped the screen over. The preview read: "You can't avoid this forever. We need to talk."
Noah's shoulders stiffened slightly, but he maintained his usual composure. Liam decided to press him a bit more.
"Is there something you're not telling me, Noah?" he asked, his voice steely. "Because if there's something going on that might impact this company, I need to know about it."
Noah looked at him steadily, his face impassive. "Nothing that concerns you, Mr. Cross. My private matters are… just that. Private."
Liam felt a flicker of frustration. For some reason, his new assistant was drawing a firm line, and he wasn't used to that. But before he could push further, his own phone buzzed on his desk.
He picked it up, frowning at the message: "Be careful. He's hiding something."
Liam's heart skipped a beat. It was another message from his former assistant. The warning felt more pressing now, especially with Noah's strange behavior. He looked back up at Noah, who was watching him with that calm, unreadable expression.
"What exactly are you here for, Noah?" Liam asked, his voice cold, probing.
Noah's gaze flickered, but he didn't answer right away. Instead, he finally leaned forward, meeting Liam's eyes directly. "I'm here to do my job, Mr. Cross. And… maybe a little more."
Liam's pulse pounded as he tried to read between the lines. "What kind of 'more'?"
Noah's lips curved into a slight smile. "Let's just say, there are things in this company that need… cleaning up. And I'm very good at keeping secrets."
Before Liam could react, Noah's phone buzzed again. This time, Noah's expression turned serious, almost dark, as he glanced at the message. Without another word, he stood up and grabbed his coat, his usual calm demeanor slipping just slightly.
"Sorry, Mr. Cross," he said, his tone suddenly brisk. "I'll have to cut this evening short. I'll see you tomorrow."
And with that, he turned and left, leaving Liam sitting alone, still processing everything that had just happened. Liam felt a rush of suspicion, watching Noah disappear down the hallway. He knew there was something his new assistant wasn't telling him—something he needed to find out.
But the last look on Noah's face suggested it was something bigger than he'd anticipated.
Cliffhanger Ending: As Liam sat back in his chair, the office phone rang one last time. He hesitated before answering, his heart pounding. When he lifted the receiver, a cold voice he didn't recognize came through: "Mr. Cross, if you value your life, you'll stay away from Noah Rivers."
Liam froze, a chill racing down his spine.