Page 4 of One Night Forever
CHAPTER 2
Arabella
I’m bone tired. Mr. Thorne is still out of the office. I’ve been working here for two weeks and have yet to speak to him on the phone, nor have I seen him. He sends me text messages of what he wants from me. The man is crazy and demands almost the impossible.
I sigh and rub my eyes, glancing at the clock. It's already past 8 PM, and I'm still at the office, trying to finish the impossible task Mr. Thorne assigned me just an hour ago. My phone buzzes with another message from him
Mr. Thorne: Need those reports by 9AM sharp. No excuses.
I groan inwardly. Does he think I'm some kind of machine? I've been working non-stop since I got here, and it feels like I'm chasing a ghost. A demanding, unreasonable ghost.
I don’t bother replying. Instead, I get to work, knowing that he’ll be pissed if these aren’t done. Mr. Thorne owns one of the biggest tech companies on the East Coast. He’s a big name in the tech world, from what I have researched. He’s also extremelyprivate and illusive. There aren’t any pictures of him online. None at all. For a multi-billionaire, that’s almost unheard of.
As I pore over the spreadsheets, my eyes start to blur. The numbers dance across the screen, taunting me with their complexity. I reach for my fourth cup of coffee, the bitter liquid long since gone cold. Ugh, I can’t have another one. If I do, I’ll never sleep tonight.
I continue to go through the reports, ensuring that everything is correct. I’m a stickler for details, which is probably why Mr. Thorne hired me in the first place.
As I'm double-checking a particularly complex financial projection, I hear a noise from down the hallway. My head snaps up, and my heart suddenly races.
It's probably nothing, I tell myself. Just the cleaning crew? Or maybe it’s the old building settling. But at this hour? I glance at my phone. It's nearly midnight now.
The noise comes again, closer this time. It sounds like... footsteps? Slow, deliberate footsteps.
I hold my breath, straining to listen. The footsteps stop just outside my office door. The handle turns slowly, and the door creaks open.
A tall figure stands in the doorway, silhouetted against the dim light from the hallway. “Ms. Fox, is that you?”
I breathe a sigh of relief as I press my hand to my chest, hoping to ease my racing heart. “Jon,” I cry. “You scared the hell out of me.”
Jon shuffles into the room. He’s the night security guy. I’ve seen him a lot over the past two weeks. “I’m sorry, Ma’am, I didn’t intend to frighten you.”
I wave off his apology, trying to slow my breathing. "It's okay, Jon. I'm just a little jumpy. What are you doing here so late?"
Jon's weathered face creases with concern. "I could ask you the same thing, Ms. Fox. It's not safe for you to be here alone at this hour."
I gesture to the pile of papers on my desk. "Mr. Thorne's orders. These reports need to be done by morning."
Jon frowns, his bushy eyebrows knitting together. "That man... he works you too hard. I've been here for twenty years, and I've never seen him push an assistant like this."
I shrug, feeling a mix of frustration and resignation. "It's the job, I guess. At least the pay is good."
Jon nods, but his eyes remain troubled. He glances around the office, his gaze lingering on the shadows in the corners. "Still, something doesn't feel right. I've been noticing strange things lately. Odd noises, doors left open that I know I locked."
I bite my lip, knowing that it’s me. “I’m sorry, Jon, I’m so sorry, I’m so forgetful at locking up and switching off lights when I’m finished. I didn’t mean to make you think something untoward was happening.” Christ, what the hell is wrong with me, scaring an old man? I feel terrible.
I watch as his body deflates. “Thank God,” he breathes. “I must admit, Ms. Fox, that I’m mighty relieved that it’s just you. I thought for sure that something evil was out there.”
I press my lips together, trying not to laugh. “Thanks for checking on me,” I say to him as I turn my gaze back to my computer screen. I really need to get these reports finished.
“No problem, just ensure that you finish up soon, tomorrow is a new day and Mr. Thorne is back.”
I nod, my fingers already flying over the keyboard. "I will, Jon. Don't worry." My heart stuttering at the knowledge that tomorrow I’ll be seeing Mr. Thorne. My nerves kick in and I begin to breathe hard. I listen to Jon shuffle back out of the office and I close my eyes, trying to calm my breathing.
What if Mr. Thorne hates me? I have a feeling he already does as the workload he’s given me is over the top. It’s as though he’s doing everything in his power to make me quit. Something I won’t be doing no matter how hard things get. This is my dream job; I just wish it were with a better boss.
I finally manage to calm the hell down and finish the reports. I email them all to Mr. Thorne, knowing that it’ll have the timestamp of when they were sent. I don’t care if the email wakes him; it serves him right for being an ass.
I shut down the office and hurry outside. I’m hungry and bone tired. I need food and sleep in that order. I’m already dreading tomorrow, but I’ll push through it. There’s no other option.
