Sunlight stabbed through the gap in the cheap blinds, hitting Brook directly in the eye.
She gasped, sitting up so fast her head spun. She grabbed her phone from the mattress.
8:30 AM.
Her chest seized. She had slept through her alarm. The sheer exhaustion of yesterday's terror had dragged her into a dead sleep.
There were three missed calls on her screen from an unknown number.
Brook's fingers fumbled as she tapped the screen to call back. It rang once.
"Are you still inside that condemned building?" Julian's voice was a low, impatient rumble in her ear.
Brook swallowed hard. "I... I overslept. I'm sorry."
"Come down. I'm outside." The line clicked dead.
Brook threw off the thin blanket. She shoved three worn t-shirts, two pairs of jeans, and her toothbrush into a faded canvas duffel bag. She didn't look back at the moldy walls. There was nothing here to miss.
She pushed through the front doors of the apartment building.
A sleek, black sedan was idling by the curb. It wasn't a flashy sports car, but the paint gleamed under the overcast sky.
The passenger window rolled down. Julian was sitting in the front seat, wearing dark sunglasses and a crisp, charcoal button-down shirt. He looked entirely out of place against the backdrop of graffiti and overflowing trash cans.
Brook clutched her canvas bag to her chest. She felt a hot flush of shame creep up her neck.
Julian opened his door and stepped out. He didn't say a word. He just reached out and took the bag from her hands.
"This is it?" He looked at the deflated canvas. His brow furrowed slightly.
Brook nodded, staring at the pavement.
Julian popped the trunk and tossed the bag inside. He opened the rear door for her.
Brook slid onto the back leather seat. It smelled like expensive cologne and new car. She noticed a man in the driver's seat wearing a baseball cap.
"This is Jaylin," Julian said, glancing back at her. "He's a coworker from the office. He offered to give us a ride today."
Jaylin's eyes met Brook's in the rearview mirror. There was a sharp, calculating look in his gaze before he quickly looked away, masking his confusion at the CEO's sudden demotion.
The car pulled away from the curb.
Brook kept her eyes glued to the window as the rundown buildings faded into tree-lined streets and modern architecture. Her hands were sweating.
The car pulled into the driveway of a sleek, modern apartment complex. It was nice. Very nice. But it wasn't a billionaire's mansion. It was the kind of place a successful middle-class professional would live.
Julian got out and swiped a grey key fob against the security panel. The glass doors slid open.
"This is my apartment," Julian said, holding the door for her. "From now on, it's your home."
Brook stepped inside. She followed him into the elevator.
The doors slid shut, sealing them in a small, mirrored box. The scent of cedar and rain radiating from Julian's shirt suddenly filled the tight space. Brook's breath caught in her throat. She pressed her back against the wall, her heart kicking into a frantic, uneven rhythm.
