Chapter 35 - Emily

**EMILY**

Emily was glad that she was dressed all in gray today. Gray pumps, a gray pantsuit, and her hair pulled back in a tight bun. She wanted to hide any insecurity she felt with this neutral, almost inconspicuous clothing. As she stepped out of the elevator and looked down the long, sterile hallway, she let her eyes wander over her surroundings. “Six doors, frosted glass, clear windows at seat level,” she said dryly. Her eyebrows knitted together as she muttered softly, “Men are presented with breasts. How wonderfully sexist.”
With an angry snort, she turned to her right and began to walk past the doors, but nowhere was the name *Enders* to be found. Where on earth was the office of this mysterious entrepreneur of the DarEnd-Agency? The woman who was supposed to give her answers to all her questions. She was tired of wandering around lost. The adrenaline she had been feeling since the phone call surged through her chest. Her fingers clenched around the strap of her bag as she finally made her way back down the hallway to the elevator. Perhaps the office was on the other side.
She examined the doors to the left of the elevator. On the first one she found what she was looking for. “DarEnd-Agency. Enders.”
“I could have saved myself three doors,” Emily muttered reluctantly, shaking her head. She pressed her lips together and breathed deeply through her nose to calm herself. Then she raised her hand. A firm knock on the door signaled her arrival. “Come in,” a voice called from inside. Emily straightened her shoulders, put on a reserved smile, and entered the office.
A woman she estimated to be in her mid-forties sat behind the desk, looking up at her with raised eyebrows. Her face seemed uninvolved, almost bored. Emily studied her. The woman’s brown curls were disheveled, and the red sweater looked strange with her orange lips. Emily had to force herself not to frown. There was a strange lack of professionalism about the whole office. *What did I expect?*, Emily wondered. *Posters of pretty women? An elegant, tall boss who would immediately reveal the type of woman she was looking for as a hostess?*
Instead, here was this woman with a parrot-like appearance and the charm of a construction company purchasing agent. *She doesn’t even look like a secretary*, Emily thought irritably. *She could just as easily work for a transport company as a jack of all trades.*
Emily shook her head.
“How can I help you?” the woman asked, her cool smile unchanged.
Before Emily could answer, her eyes wandered to the second desk in the room. And then it stopped. There sat Oliver Daron, the terror of innocent women everywhere. Her heart skipped a beat before she qualified the thought: *Well, maybe not so dramatically. After all, he did help me have a nice afternoon.* Even if the situation in the suite had been terrible, she could not forget that.
His suit was immaculate and he looked so perfect, as if he was always ready to cast new hostesses, charming and purposeful. Emily gave him a friendly smile, but to her astonishment, he only met her gaze with a cool, expectant expression.
She felt a slight uneasiness. Was he disappointed to see her? Or did he already know exactly why she was here? Her heart started to beat faster. The feeling of being drawn into something she didn’t quite understand became more pressing. It seemed as if the air in this office had suddenly become thicker, heavier.
*What am I doing here*, she suddenly asked herself. She turned back to Susanne Enders and took a deep breath.
“Emily Saron,” she finally said when neither of them said anything. Not even Oliver seemed to recognize her. “I’m here to look over the contract.”
The woman behind the desk raised her eyebrows and smiled sheepishly. “Would you mind waiting outside for a moment?” Her voice was suddenly not as cheerful as before, but slightly tense.
Emily looked down at her silver watch and frowned. “Time is money,” she said coolly. “I have exactly twenty-five minutes left.” Without waiting for an answer, she turned and walked back out, closing the door behind her.
She paused at the glass door, her posture rigid and alert. She wasn’t the least bit ashamed of what she was about to do - eavesdrop. *Of course they’re talking about me and the treaty now*, she thought, making sure she didn’t miss anything. Her nerves were on edge and she told herself it was only prudent to find out what was going on.
She peered cautiously through the glass door and saw the woman behind the desk whispering hurriedly to Oliver. Her gestures were frantic and Oliver’s expression had changed - the carefree look was gone. He looked serious, almost angry, as he stood up and rummaged through a stack of papers. What were they discussing? Emily held her breath, trying to understand as much as possible.
“Are you crazy, Olli?” The woman’s voice sounded sharp now, without a trace of friendliness in it.
“Me? Why me?” Oliver was clearly defensive. *Interesting*, Emily thought, *Ms. Enders seems to be in charge here.*
“What kind of floozy did you get for Mr. Fitzpatrick? Who came up with the idea of sending a lawyer after us?” The indignation in her voice was unmistakable.
Emily’s mouth dropped open. A *lawyer*? They thought she was a *lawyer*? She looked down at herself in horror. Okay, her gray pantsuit and strict bun might have given her a distant, professional look. But a lawyer? This was absurd!
“Let me tell you something, Oliver Daron,” the woman continued, “we forget about the woman, we forget about Alexander Fitzpatrick. We don’t need him as a client. We’ll manage somehow. I’ll delete all the data from our system, tear up this idiotic contract, and your Mr. Fitzpatrick can figure out how to tell the press that his beloved, perfect girlfriend is no longer interested in him. Lawyer! No one’s ever done that before!”
Emily had to force herself not to cheer out loud. Without saying a word, she seemed to be free of that annoying contract. This was absolutely perfect! A gleeful grin spread across her face. *What a happy day!*
“Great,” she heard Oliver’s dark voice through the door. “Now you’re going to tell me to tell Alexander that his date for Friday is off because the lady has disappeared without a trace.”
“Of course! Who else?” The woman sounded calmer now, almost pleased. “After all, it’s your fault that we have to satisfy a lawyer now.”
Unfortunately, Emily didn’t feel any calmer after Oliver’s words. *Alexander really wants to see me again?* Already on Friday? Even though he had left her sitting there so abruptly the night before? Her head was spinning with questions. But she couldn’t think about that now. The situation demanded quick action. It was only a matter of time before Ms. Enders got up, opened the door and asked the supposedly tough lawyer to come in. And it was definitely better if Emily wasn’t caught in the act of eavesdropping. She tiptoed away from the office door. She glided almost silently down the hall and stood by the elevator. Her eyes wandered over a colorful blob painting that was supposed to be modern art, but to her eyes it just looked like a chaotic mess.
Her thoughts continued to circle around Alexander Fitzpatrick. Why did he want to see her so badly? Had she made more of an impression than she thought? And did she want to see him again at all?