"Lena, can I please talk to you for some time?"
I looked up from my desk, looking so surprised.
Elias usually kept things just business only, it is so rare that he changed into personal conversations so fast.
I quickly rush and put aside the reports I had been organizing, nodding as he walked towards his office.
"Yes, you can, Mr. Elias," I replied, I was trying to stand up and follow him immediately, curiosity was moving around in my eyes.
When we got inside, Elias closed the door and paused for a while, sitting down at the edge of his desk.
He seemed… very different, almost hesitant, as if checking his words carefully.
"You don't really have to call me that," he said finally. "Just… Elias is fine by me."
My brow folded, sensing that this was not a normal conversation that we used to have. "Alright… Elias," I replied, the name sounding strange.
He gave a simple smile but quickly dropped it, his eyes shifting away as he spoke.
"I know most people call me.... rigid or even cold. And I am very sure you have noticed I really keep my distance from most people that are here."
I didn't respond right away, not really sure if he wanted me to agree or not. I just nodded, giving him the opportunity to continue.
Elias took a very deep breath, his fingers tracing the edge of a paper on his desk as if behaving himself. "I was not always like this actually. I used to trust people more, even… believe in them. But that was a huge mistake."
"What happened?" I asked gently, feeling a sudden empathy for him.
"A mistake named Charlotte," he said, almost to himself.
He paused for some time, then looked up, meeting my gaze. "She was my fiancée. And I thought she was… everything to me. We were supposed to build a life together, but she had other plans."
"What do you mean?" I asked gently, caught off guard by the vulnerability I saw in his usual eyes.
"She was really using me," he continued, his voice filled with so much bitterness.
"Not just me, but my name, my resources, my trust. I found out she was working with another company entirely, passing along the information she took from here."
My breath was caught. I could hear the pain in his voice, a deep betrayal that had really hurt him.
For a short moment, I thought about my own deception, the secrets I have been hiding for Mr. Langston's sake.
"She had everything planned," Elias went on, hardening his voice.
"And I was too blinded to see it. I so much trusted her, gave her every access to parts of my life that I had never shared with anyone at all in my life.
But in the end, she left me with nothing but an empty apology… and a trash of damage I had to clean up."
He laughed bitterly, a sound that felt really appreciate empty in the quiet office. "Funny, is it not? How someone can say they love you while falling down everything you have built huh?"
I shifted uncomfortably, the heavy weight of his words pressing down on me. "That must have been… really painful. I am so sorry, Elias."
He looked at me with a small and almost unreadable smile. "It was painful, yes. But I learned. And that is why I am the way I am now. I don't take risks with people at all. I cannot even afford to."
I swallowed, feeling the twist in my heart. Here he was, opening up to me, sharing a side of himself that few people have not even seen.
And yet, I was hiding my own deceit, my agreement with Mr. Langston that was the very definition of betrayal. The matter made me feel so sick.
"I can understand why you are feeling that way," I said carefully. "But… it is also possible that not everyone is like Charlotte. I mean… people can always surprise you."
Elias moved his head, studying me. "Is that so? And what about you, Lena? Do you believe people can be trusted?" He asked.
I paused for a while, the question was so sudden. "I think… I think people are very complicated."
"Sometimes they act out of necessity, not malice. Sometimes… they are doing what they are doing because of some circumstances they can't control."
Elias seemed to consider what I just sais, his gaze was steady. "Maybe you are right. I think it is easier to judge from a distance."
We were silent for some time, the heavy weight of our words settling around us.
I could feel my pulse racing, the temptation to tell him everything I am up to, to come clean about Mr. Langston's deal, nearly overwhelming.
But the image of my mother's weak face, her urgent need for treatment, held me back.
As if I was sensing my conflict, Elias spoke again, his tone was calm. "I don't know why I am telling you all this. I think it's just because… you are kind of different, Lena."
"Different?" I repeated, my voice sounding kind of a whisper.
"Yes," he said, his gaze was strong. "You don't seem to want anything from me. I don't get that very often. In this world, most people are… always looking for one opportunity or the other."
My heart was pounding very fast in my chest, guilt was all over me.
"Well, maybe some people just want to do their jobs… and make a difference in any way they can." I said to him.
He nodded, as if my words had hit somewhere deep in his heart. "I think so. Anyway… thank you so much, Lena. For listening."
I smiled faintly, nodding my head. "Anytime."
As I turned to leave his office, my mind was filled with fighting emotions.
I had wanted to stay professional, to keep things at a long distance, but Elias's story had shaken something inside her.
I could feel the walls I had strongly built around my own guilt starting to fall, Elias's weakness was making me question my choices more than ever before.
As I reached for the door, Elias's voice stopped her again.
"Lena… one more thing."
I turned, seeing him watching me with a very strange expression.
"I don't know if I easily trust someone," he said very slowly, "but… I think I really trust you, Lena. Maybe more than I should."
My breath was caught, my hand was cold on the door.
The heavy weight of his words and the trust he was offering me, felt like a huge burden the one I was not sure I could bear.
I managed to give him a small smile, nodding my head.
"Thank you, Elias," I murmured, my voice barely coming out.
I left his office, my mind was racing, the guilt was really pressing down on me like a heavy weight.
I wanted to believe I could keep up the act and fulfill my mission, but Elias's words were affecting me, the trust he had offered me was mixing with my own lies.
What have I really gotten myself into?