CHAPTER THREE A Witness Worth Protecting

Alexander Blackwood’s office was larger than Elena’s entire apartment.

Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city, where headlights moved along the roads like streams of light. A dark desk stood near the windows, its surface so clean that Elena wondered whether anyone actually worked there or whether the furniture was simply for decoration.

Alexander shut the door behind them.

“Sit down.”

Elena looked at the two leather chairs facing his desk. “Which one is less likely to cost me three months’ salary if I accidentally damage it?”

He stared at her.

She sat in the nearest chair.

“Good choice,” he said, walking behind his desk.

“I thought so. I’m trying to make excellent decisions tonight. Saving your life was apparently only the beginning.”

For a moment, his expression almost changed. It wasn't quite a smile, but it was close enough to make her wonder whether the man knew how to produce one.

He picked up his phone and made a short call.

“I want the maintenance supervisor here immediately. Bring the inspection records, alarm logs, and a list of everyone who accessed the mechanical level tonight.”

He ended the call and turned his attention to her.

“Now, tell me exactly what you saw.”

Elena folded her hands in her lap.

“I was cleaning the corridor. I heard the crash, then the alarm started. You were standing near the service passage, and that metal structure came down. I pulled you out of the way.”

“Did you see anyone near the structure?”

“No.”

“Anyone leaving the corridor?”

“No.”

“Did you hear anything before the crash? Footsteps, voices, machinery?”

She thought carefully.

“I heard something earlier, but I couldn't tell where it came from. This building makes all kinds of noises at night. Elevators, ventilation, people moving equipment. I didn't think much of it.”

Alexander leaned back in his chair.

“You said something about an inspection when we were downstairs.”

Elena straightened.

“I overheard your assistant speaking about one. He said the inspection was scheduled for tonight, but you had moved it to Friday.”

“Daniel?”

“I assume so. I don't collect names for people who work in suits.”

This time, Alexander's mouth curved slightly.

“Daniel is my executive assistant.”

“Then yes, that was him.”

“Did you hear who approved the inspection?”

“No. I was busy pretending not to hear a conversation that wasn't meant for me.”

“And yet you heard enough to remember it.”

“I remember things that sound important. Especially when a few minutes later, something nearly crushes the person they're talking about.”

His expression hardened at that.

Before he could respond, a knock sounded at the door.

A security officer entered, carrying a tablet.

“Mr. Blackwood, we've secured the passage. No one is permitted to enter or leave that section without authorization. We've also requested the maintenance records.”

“What about the cameras?”

“The camera covering the service passage stopped transmitting at 11:54 p.m. The other cameras on that floor are functioning normally.”

Elena's stomach tightened.

Alexander's eyes narrowed.

“Only that camera?”

“Yes, sir. We're checking whether it was a technical failure or deliberate interference.”

“Who last inspected it?”

“The maintenance log lists the previous afternoon. The technician responsible was Zade Caspian. We're trying to locate him now.”

“Find him. And don't alert anyone outside the investigation until we know what happened.”

“Yes, sir.”

The officer left.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Elena looked at Alexander. “So, the camera stopped working, and then something fell on you?”

“That appears to be the sequence of events.”

“That's a very expensive coincidence.”

“I don't believe in coincidences when someone almost dies.”

His calmness unsettled her more than shouting would have. He spoke as though attempted murder were another business problem waiting to be solved.

Then his gaze dropped to her knee.

“You're bleeding.”

Elena glanced down. The scrape had left a red mark on her skin.

“It's nothing.”

“That's what people say when they don't want anyone making a fuss.”

“And that's what rich people say when they want to turn a small scratch into a hospital bill.”

He opened a drawer and removed a first-aid kit.

“I'm not taking you to a hospital for a scrape. Let me see it.”

“I can manage.”

“I'm sure you can. But you shouldn't have to manage everything yourself.”

The words caught her off guard.

She hesitated before allowing him to pass her an antiseptic wipe and a dressing. She cleaned the scrape herself, refusing to make a face when the antiseptic stung.

Alexander watched her quietly.

“You should have that checked if it gets worse.”

“I'll add it to my list of things to worry about.”

“What's on that list?”

“Rent. Electricity. School expenses. Food. Transport. And now, apparently, the possibility that my workplace has developed a murder problem.”

He looked at her for a moment.

“You have a habit of making jokes when you're uncomfortable.”

“I have a habit of making jokes when the alternative is crying in front of a billionaire. I imagine that would be embarrassing for both of us.”

This time, he did smile, although it disappeared almost immediately.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket.

Sarah.

Elena stood. “Please, I need to take this.”

Alexander nodded toward the door. “You can use the adjoining room if you want privacy.”

“Thank you.”

She stepped into the small room beside his office and answered.

“Sarah?”

“Finally! Where are you? You said you'd be home soon.”

Elena closed her eyes briefly.

“Something happened at work. I'm safe, but I'll be late.”

“Are you sure you're okay?”

“I'm fine.”

“You always say that.”

Because Sarah had learned to recognize the lie.

Elena lowered her voice. “I promise I'll explain when I can. Just lock the door and don't wait up for me.”

“Don't forget you still have to look at that ceiling leak.”

“Sarah, if the ceiling falls tonight, tell it to wait until payday. I'm not financially prepared for another emergency.”

Her sister laughed softly.

For the first time since the accident, Elena felt some of the tension leave her shoulders.

When the call ended, she stayed in the little room for another moment, staring at her phone.

Their mother had died when Elena was twenty. Since then, every bill and every difficult decision had become something Elena tried to carry quietly. Sarah was still in school, and Elena had promised herself that her sister would have a chance at a better life.

She couldn't afford to lose her job.

And she certainly couldn't afford to become involved in a murder investigation.

Unfortunately, the billionaire downstairs—or rather, in the next room—seemed determined to make both possibilities unavoidable.

When Elena returned to the office, Alexander was standing by the windows, speaking into his phone.

“Yes, arrange the security detail. Nobody approaches her without my approval.”

He ended the call when he noticed Elena.

“Miss Hayes, until we establish what happened tonight, I don't think you should go home alone.”

Elena stopped beside the chair.

“Are you saying I'm in danger?”

“I'm saying someone may have deliberately created a situation that could have killed me. You witnessed it, and you may have overheard something relevant.”

“And that makes me a target?”

“It makes you a witness worth protecting.”

She looked toward the dark windows.

A few hours earlier, her biggest concern had been finishing her shift and getting home to her sister.

Now, she was sitting in the office of a man who believed someone had tried to kill him.

Elena sighed.

“I hope you find whoever did this, Mr. Blackwood.”

“So do I.”

“And I hope your idea of protecting witnesses includes more than telling them not to go outside.”

One eyebrow lifted.

“What would you suggest?”

She considered him.

“I'm still deciding. But if my life is about to become complicated, I expect reasonable compensation for the inconvenience.”

For the first time that night, Alexander Blackwood laughed.

It was brief, quiet, and unexpectedly genuine.

Elena decided she preferred him when he did that.

Then his phone rang again.

He answered, listened, and the faint amusement vanished from his face.

“Are you certain?”

A pause.

“Send me the report immediately.”

He ended the call slowly.

Elena's stomach sank.

“What is it?”

Alexander looked directly at her.

“The preliminary footage shows that someone accessed the mechanical level using my own security credentials.”

Elena stared at him.

“Your credentials?”

“Yes.”

“Then whoever did this either has access to your security system…”

She swallowed.

“Or someone inside your company wants you dead.”

Alexander said nothing.

But the silence that followed told her he had already considered both possibilities.