"Lena, Mr. Elias is calling you," Ms. Kerrigan's voice jumped over my wall, serious and efficient.
"He needs those financial reports right now. Make sure everything is totally complete before you deliver them."
"Yes, Ms. Kerrigan," I replied, picking up my notepad and organizing the pile of documents on my desk.
I took a stable breath. The sooner I got this done, the sooner I could get back to my work without having to worry about Elias's requests.
As I entered Elias's office, I looked at all the surroundings, moving gently through the big organized place, Elias was not around.
Papers and folders were arranged neatly on his large desk, and everything was so neat, it seemed it has not been touched before.
But my eyes quickly fell on a framed picture, that was hidden under a shelf of papers.
I was really curious, and I paused, looking around the office.
The office was silent and empty. My fingers moved not intentional, taking the picture to have a very closer look.
It was a family picture, a woman with dark and familiar eyes and a small boy, clearly Elias as a child, standing by her side.
The woman looked very familiar somehow, though I couldn't really understand why.
There was something on the look of her face that was in my memory, like I had seen that face before somewhere exactly but I can't really remember.
"You must be a detective, Ms. Thompson."
The voice was sharp and controlled, cut through what I was thinking like a knife.
I was shocked, I moved back, about to drop the picture as I turned to find Elias standing at the door, his eyes was fixed on me with a look that could kill.
"I… I did not mean..." I started stammering, putting the photo back to where it was gently.
My cheeks was highly filled with huge embarrassment and guilt. "I am really sorry, Mr. Elias. I didn't mean to intrude your privacy. I was just… the photo caught my attention."
Elias moved forward, his expression was strong, his eyes was going to the picture and then back to me. "Didn't mean to intrude?" he repeated gently with his voice that was very calm.
"But you are here, going through my things. What exactly were you looking for?"
"Nothing! I swear, I was just..."
"Curious?" he interrupted, crossed his arm as he sat down at the edge of his desk.
The movement seemed normal, but his voice was kind of "Curiosity is very very dangerous, Ms. Thompson. Especially in an environment like this."
I don't know what to say, my heart was racing. "I wasn't intruding. I… I just..."
"...thought it was acceptable to start digging around in my office?" His voice was quiet, but every word was hitting me hard.
He came forward, his eyes into mine. "Did you know at all that there are boundaries in this place, Ms. Thompson? The ones that you should not even dare to pass?"
"Yes, of course, I know" I murmured, unable to meet his eyes. "I apologize. It won't happen again, I promise."
"Won't happen again?" He asked, letting out a very cold laugh. "Forgive me if I don't take that as important. You have been here, not just a week?"
My shoulders was tensed. "Yes… I mean, yes, sir. I have only just started, and I did not mean any harm at all."
He raised an eyebrow at me, his expression was soft just small, as if he was now finally giving me the benefit of the doubt. "Then maybe I should let you explain why you were so interested in that photo."
The question was flying with so much accusation.
I looked for words, but my head was just empty under his glancing eyes. "It just… it reminded me of something. Someone, actually. I can't seems to explain it. It was like… I have seen it before."
"Seen it before?" he repeated, his voice was very thick this time. "You are so funny, I didn't see you as someone like that, Ms. Thompson."
I forced myself to look away from his eyes, feeling the heavy weight of embarrassment all over me.
I took a very deep breath, gathering my courage. "I know I don't have any excuse, but it just caught my attention, that's all."
Elias's eyes did not leave my face for once, and for a moment, I wondered if he could just see right through me.
Finally, he breathe out, breaking the silence. "Here is a little piece of my advice to you," he said, his voice was calm but with a serious tone.
"If you really want to stay long in this position, you should better learn to focus on your job and keep your eyes from things that does not even concern you at all."
"Yes, Mr. Elias." I could feel the stress roaming around me, and I tried to keep my voice steady. "It won't happen again sir."
"Make sure it does not," he replied, his eyes reduced slightly. "I don't tolerate distractions… or disloyalty."
The accusation hit me hard, and I felt my stomach dropped.
Disloyalty? Is he suspecting something about me, or was it simply because he is angry? I was not so sure, but the strong look in his eyes was making me feel uneasy.
Realizing I had stayed for too long, I muttered a very fast apology, turning to leave the place. "Thank you sir. I will get back to my work now."
"Wait," Elias said, stopping me before I got to the door. His voice was very soft, less harmful this time, but gives more authority. "One last thing, Ms. Thompson."
I turned slowly, preparing myself.
"If I find out that you have been going through my things again…" His eyes was very sharp.
"Let's just say that you won't have the chance to apologize at all the second time. Understood?"
I nodded, not really feeling free on my throat. "Understood, sir."
He didn't move at all, did not blink his eyes, his gaze was just stable as if he was daring me to disobey his words.
I held my breath, waiting for him to let me go, but he simply stood there, scanning me in silence.
Finally, he turned his attention back to the papers piling up on his desk, his expression cooling small small. "You can go now."
I did not need someone to tell me twice. I left the office as quickly as I could without appearing scared, my heart was beating in my chest.
I could feel the weight of his scan staying longer on me, even after I closed the door behind me.
As I quickly went down the hallway, My mind raced. What had just happened now? I had been very curious, yes, but his reaction seemed strong, as if he was hiding something.
Why would a simple family photo makes someone angry that much?
Just as I went around the corner, a strange thought hit me, making me feel cold seriously.
The woman in the picture… something about her face is actually affecting me, as if I had seen that face before, somewhere so long in my past.
Gathering the documents for Mr. Elias, I couldn't doubt the feeling that I had seen something far more dangerous than I had expected.
Whatever Elias was hiding, I was actually sure of a thing that I needed to be very more careful.