~ELENA
He didn't deny it. Of course not.
Private elevator. Entire floor. The tailored suit. The terrifying aura. Authority dripping from every word and the repetition of MY VASE?
Of course he was Mr. Gray.
My stomach dropped. My whole body burned with embarrassment.
I'd threatened him.
Argued with him.
I'd hidden his phone in my pants.
I'd called him hot.
I'd insulted him six ways to Sunday.
And now I just stood there, praying the floor would open up and swallow me.
He looked over to the Ice Queen. "Sophia, who is she? Why did you let her in?"
But I didn't stick around to hear the answer.
I bolted.
Not toward the elevator, I wasn't that stupid. There'd probably be security waiting at the bottom. No. I darted for the stairs I had seen earlier and sprinted like my life depended on it.
"Damn Mr. Gray," I muttered as I ran. "Damn me. I should've known. How did I not realize?"
Poor Patty. She'd probably lose her job if this is traced back to her. I felt guilty, but what could I do now?
"I'll send her hush money when I'm rich," I panted, clutching my heels in one hand as i took the stairs barefoot. "Better selfish than arrested.
Every step burned. My calves were screaming. My hair clung to my face with sweat. I looked like I'd escaped a hostage situation and I still had no job.
Then my phone rang.
I dug it out of my bag, expecting it to be Lily.
But no.
MOM.
The name flashed on the screen like some cruel cosmic joke. Definitely a bad omen.
My chest tightened and I felt my stomach twist.
Why would she call me?
I hadn't heard from her in years. Not since… everything.
My thumb hovered. Then I declined the call. I shoved the phone away, heart still pounding.
Why would she call me? After all this time?
Too much. This was just too much. All too much for one day.
"Bad things happen at Gray's Group," I whispered. "Jesus. Never again."
By the time I reached the ground floor, I felt like I'd run a marathon. I was practically limping. My dignity? Dead, it died somewhere on the top floor.
My job prospects? Also dead.
But then I noticed something strange.
The room was packed.
Earlier, it had just been Patty. Now, a whole crowd had gathered in the lobby, everyone staring upward in complete silence.
I followed their gaze and my blood ran cold.
"What the hell…?"
Above us, suspended by thick wires, hung a massive crystal chandelier.
And dangling from it—
Was a little girl. No older than six.
Clinging to the shaky structure like her life depended on it, the chandelier swaying under her weight.
The wires creaked.
My breath caught.
"How the hell did she get up there?" I whispered.