Savannah stood up from her chair and headed toward Asher's office. Each step felt heavy with an unnamed weight.
She knocked softly. "May I come in?"
"Come in," his deep voice replied, calm yet concise.
His office was bigger and darker than hers. The blinds were half-closed, casting shadows over the glossy brown desk.
Asher stood close to his window, his phone pressed to his ear as he conveyed concise commands in his authoritative tone.
"Sir, here is your coffee, black and without sugar," she said and placed the cup on his desk. Just as she was about to turn and leave, her eyes landed on a file—E.D. Holdings— which was open on his desk with a few pages flipped over.
She paused and peeked at the open file next to his laptop. The diagram on the page caught her attention; it was an architectural plan for a land investment project.
Something about it looked familiar.
Her heart sank.
'Hope it's not what I think it is, That building structure… It resembles our street. Our very street.' she murmured to herself.
Asher finished his call and turned to her. "Is there anything else?" he inquired.
"Nothing, Sir," she replied and was about to walk out the door when Asher spoke.
"Did the cafe manager come by herself?" he asked as he took a sip of his coffee.
"The petite lady with glasses?" Savannah inquired as she turned to face him.
"Yes, that should be her," Asher answered softly.
"Yes, I have," she said as she moved away from the door and closer to Asher's table.
He nodded and picked up the cup.
"I didn't notice a cafe at the office entrance when I got here and I certainly didn't know the office had one," she asked, as she maintained eye contact.
"I know you're new to all this," he said as waved his hands to everything in the office. "You know, office life and all but you should realize that most successful multimillion-dollar companies have a café for their employees," he answered and took another sip of his coffee.
"Then why were you at my cafe?" she asked, puzzled.
"The café here was undergoing extensive renovations, and yours was the closest to my office."
"Is that all the info you need from your boss?" he asked and turned his focus back on his phone.
She nodded and began to walk away.
"Oh, Savannah?" His voice called her back.
She stopped in the doorway and looked back at him. She noticed his eyes were filled with sparks of curiosity.
Asher tilted his head slightly and observed her. "Do we know each other from somewhere?"
Savannah swallowed hard. "Where?" she replied as she felt a dryness in her
He rested his back on the chair. "I'm not sure where but I have this feeling that I've seen you somewhere."
She gripped the door handle tightly. "I don't think so," she replied.
"It's odd," he said softly. "There's something familiar about your eyes."
She quickly looked away. "Excuse me, but I should get back to finishing my work."
He looked at her for a long moment, his expression hard to read. Then he nodded. "Alright," and turned back to his desk.
Savannah quickly left the office and stepped into the hallway and walked towards the restroom, her chest rose and fell quickly. Her heels clicked on the marble floor as she hurried into the restroom, she needed some fresh air and space. Inside, she leaned against the door, her heart raced.
She felt like she was almost at the bottom of the sea of secrets.
He was starting to remember. Not everything, but something.
And she wasn't ready for that.
Not yet.
It was almost time to go home, and Savannah felt proud of everything she had accomplished, which included the last-minute message from Asher about a conference meeting with all the important shareholders in the company.
She finished that task and went to her boss's office to let him know she had completed everything he asked. He nodded and told her to come in early the next day.
After work, she went home to Liam, she forced a smile as she read his favorite bedtime stories with his head which rested on her lap. She acted as if everything was fine, but the weight of the file—the one that matched the copy her mom had hidden from her years ago—felt like a heavy burden that pressed against her skin.
By morning, her eyes were tired, but she pushed through. Liam clinged to her more than usual before she handed him over to the nanny that Elena had highly recommended.
Savannah arrived at work early, just like her boss wanted.
The halls were quiet and tidy.
So perfect.
She got into the elevator and headed straight to Asher's office to find out why he needed her so early in the morning.
She knocked but there was no answer. She opened the door slightly and peeked inside, but Asher wasn't there. So, she stepped into the office and quietly closed the door behind her.
She needed answers. If E.D. Holdings was connected to her parents' café issues, she had to find out how much he really knew. She needed to quickly check Asher's drawers before he returned from whatever he was doing outside his office.
She rummaged through his drawers but found nothing helpful. Then she looked to her right and saw a row of locked drawers lined on the wall.
Savannah tiptoed to the drawers, her fingers traced the edge of the first drawer, as she felt a mix of curiosity and a bit of caution.
She opened one drawer and saw a file labeled E.B. She flipped through it, and she found a mention of E.D. Group Holdings.
This is the file.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly got intense, and the silence in the room seemed to urge her to leave, but something about the file intrigued her.
Her fingertips touched the corner of the black folder.
Just as she was about to lift it—
Click.
She jumped.
The office was instantly filled with a strong aura. A strong presence.
Her boss.
Asher stood there in a sleek charcoal-black suit, his eyes narrowed as he noticed her so close to his desk.
He stepped into the office slowly, his eyes did not leave hers as he walked toward where she stood.
"What do you think you're doing in my office?" His voice was calm, yet it held an unmistakable authority.
Savannah tensed up, she quickly dropped the folder into the drawer and shut it as if it had burned her. "I… w-was j-just," she shuttered nervously, she tried and failed to come up with a reasonable explanation.
"Just what?" He walked toward her and stopped just a few steps away. "Admiring the furniture? Or is snooping through your boss's things a habit for you on your second day?"
Her mouth opened, then closed again. She couldn't think of any excuse, she knew she was caught and she didn't see any reason to defend herself —not when he looked so furious and his tone was filled with irritation.
She took a step back away from him and stared at the floor with her fists clenched at her sides. "I wasn't trying to snoop. I dropped my pen, and—"
He interrupted her with a sarcastic laugh.
"Save the excuses, Ms. Lucas. You're here to work for me, not to play detective."
Savannah felt a mix of embarrassment and anger which bubbled up inside her. Her first instinct was to respond, to ask why she's been treated like a criminal, but she held back. This wasn't the right moment. Especially since she was caught doing something wrong.
Asher walked to his desk and adjusted some files properly. "Today is your warning but next time if I see you snooping around my office again, don't expect another warning. I'll call security, and you will be out of this building."
Her stomach churned. His words were soft, but they struck her badly.
"I understand, Sir," she said softly and forced herself to stand tall.
"You better do" he answered without so much as a glance at her. "Now, get back to work."
She turned and left his office, her eyes watered. The hallway felt colder now. Her heels clicked down the corridor, but her thoughts were even louder— what was in that file? Why did it seem linked to her?
And more importantly, why did it seem like Asher was keeping something secret as well?