Chapter 4 Elowen's Arrival

Seraphina's POV

The first time I saw Elowen Hartcliffe, I felt like a shadow had invaded the room. She walked with a smoothness that was almost creepy-no stumbles, no odd changes in her stride, simply smooth, planned movements. She was a bit taller than typical and had jet-black hair that fell precisely to her shoulders. The tailored suit she wore complemented her keen features. Everything about her said "control."

It felt like the air in the office changed as soon as she walked in. The other workers in the office straightened their backs and lowered their voices as they turned their attention to her. She didn't say anything to any of them and walked right to the desk with a calm confidence that made it clear she was in charge.

"Seraphina Vale," she said, and her voice was frigid, like the first cold wind of winter. "I'm Elowen Hartcliffe. Someone requested me to show you where to go next.

I couldn't figure it out-the way her eyes looked at me from the minute we met eyes. That disconcerting quiet made it seem like she was judging me and seeing through my thoughts. "Hello," I said, trying a grin even though I felt a little uneasy in my chest.

She smiled politely but coldly, and her eyes stayed on his. "You don't know what you're getting into, Seraphina," she whispered softly, as if she were giving her a warning.

She turned around, and her heels clicked on the glossy floor. The place seemed to breathe again before I could say anything.

But the words she left behind hung in the air like smoke. What was I getting into?

The remainder of the day went by in a whirl, but I couldn't shake the sense that Elowen was watching me. She never came right up to my desk, but I could see her looking at me from across the room, her eyes locked on me as if she were judging every move I made. Sometimes, I would look up and see her observing me from across the room. Her piercing eyes never left me.

I tried my best to stay focused on the task at hand. The quiet talk of coworkers, the buzz of the office, and the constant clicking of keyboards tried to break the silence between us, but they didn't work. It simply made things worse.

I could sense her even when I couldn't see her. It was like she was constantly there, watching everything I did with her gaze. I felt naked.

Elowen didn't talk to me again until later, when the office was empty and the building felt more like a cemetery than a place to work. She walked up to my desk, her steps soft yet sure.

She responded, "You're doing well," in a voice that was strangely nice but still frigid. "But there's more to this place than you think." You need to be careful.

I looked up and saw her eyes. "I don't know what you mean," I responded, keeping my voice steady.

She leaned in a little bit, and her eyes were piercing. "Just... trust your gut, Seraphina. They could be the only thing that keeps you safe.

Her words hung in the air like a sinister promise, and I shivered all over. I nodded, but I wasn't sure if I should believe her or be afraid of her.

The office was finally quiet when the evening came. I was ready to grab my stuff and leave when I noticed Elowen again. This time, she wasn't on the other side of the room. She was in the doorway of my office, as if she had been waiting for that moment.

"Seraphina," she murmured, her voice quiet yet firm. "Can we have a talk?"

I thought about it for a second, then nodded. "Of course."

She walked into the office and shut the door behind her. The building was empty now, and her presence felt much stronger without the other workers there.

She looked around the room quickly before looking back at me. "You've already started to find things out, haven't you?" she remarked in a calm voice.

I didn't say anything since I wasn't sure how much to say. There were things I hadn't told anyone, even things I was scared to admit to myself.

"I know what you're looking for," she said, her eyes piercing. "I won't stop you, but you need to know something. Wrenford Holdings is more than just a business. It's a family, and that family has its own secrets. "Dark ones."

I swallowed hard because my throat was suddenly dry. "What kind of secrets?"

She moved closer, and now her face was only a few inches from mine. "The type that makes everything different. The kind you might not want to know.

I was about to say something, but she lifted her hand to stop me. "Stop right there, Seraphina." There are some things that are better left alone.

My heart raced. "Why are you telling me this?"

Her lips turned into a faint, mysterious smile. "Because, like your father, you'll have to make a choice." But you won't have the same amount of time as he does.

I was frozen in place as she started to leave, but before she did, she turned back and said something that sent chills down my spine.

"Stay close to me or Cassian." But you can't have both.

And then she was gone. Leaving me alone with a thousand questions that I couldn't answer.

The corridor was quiet save for the faint buzz of the fluorescent lights above. Something caught my eye as I walked to my workplace. A photograph on the wall was partly hidden by some papers that an employee had left there. I halted in my tracks and looked at the faces I knew.

Evander Wrenford and Elowen Hartcliffe were both standing next to each other in front of a fancy desk in black and white. Their bodies were stiff, and their smiles were weak but planned. There was more than just business between them, and it bothered me.

I had seen this picture previously, in some of my father's old things. But why was it hanging out here at Wrenford Holdings? And more importantly, why was it so carefully placed? It seemed like I wasn't supposed to find out what the relationship was between them.

I put my palm softly on the frame and felt a shudder travel down my spine. There had always been mysteries connected to my father's name, but now I could practically feel how heavy they were on me. The picture wasn't just a memory; it was an answer I wasn't ready for.

I was lost in thinking when I heard a disturbance behind me. I turned fast, my heart thumping. Elowen Hartcliffe was standing at the end of the hallway. She was looking at me with her eyes set on mine. Even though she had the same cold look on her face as always, there was a flash of something-something I couldn't read-in her eyes.

We stood there for a long time, looking at one other. And in that quiet, we both felt something pass between us, an unspoken challenge. The kind that made my skin crawl with fear.

Elowen was everywhere. Even when she wasn't there, she was still there. I couldn't shake the impression that she knew stuff I didn't know at the end of the day. She wasn't simply a secretary; she was something more, someone much more entrenched in the Wrenford history than I could have ever imagined.

That afternoon, while I was sitting at my desk going over some last-minute things, she stepped into my office without knocking and clutching a hefty letter. She didn't say anything; she just put it on my desk with a peacefulness that made my heart skip a beat.

She said, "This is your first assignment." "It has to be done by the end of the day."

I looked at the envelope and felt a flood of fear rush over me. There was no room for questions because of how urgent she sounded.

"What's going on here?" I questioned, my fingertips hovering over the edge of the envelope.

Elowen didn't move. She was already moving toward the entrance, with her back straight and her motions exact. "Just take it, Seraphina." You will know what to do.

As soon as she departed, I opened the envelope. There was a stack of papers inside, but the top one made me shiver. In the corner was a name I recognized all too well: my father's. There was a lot of legal language in the paperwork, but it was clear that he was more involved with Wrenford Holdings than I had anticipated.

I looked at the note at the bottom of the page. It was easy to understand what they said: You have no notion what's really going on here.

As I folded the papers back into the envelope, my fingers shook and my mind raced. Elowen's strange warning had just changed into something else. What did my dad do? And what did she mean by her warning?

            
            

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