Share

Chapter 4

Author: Sam Shelly
last update Last Updated: 2025-04-15 04:44:52

Ilana stood frozen as the seconds trickled by, her mind working overtime.

Calix Meyers could be fundamental to her mission. Getting close to him would be easier compared to Adam Meyers.

She already had access to him and she knew from that brief introduction in the bar that he'd be easy to manipulate.

Adam Meyers, on the other hand, would be a hassle. He was much much older than Ilana. He was a businessman with a shiny reputation. She still hadn't formed a strategy on how she could get close to him.

All the pros pointed at the same thing; using Calix to get to his mother.

But Ilana couldn't move. 

She had been unable to stop thinking about the mysterious man in the club. He had kept her up late at night, invading all her fantasies.

There was something about him. Something so uniquely charming, something so warm she couldn't think of using him for something as trivial as a mission.

She deserved to keep some good parts of her life completely to herself. She was tired of finding light in the strangest of places only to lose it all for a mission. 

She realized with a jolt that Helene didn’t know about Calix. She hadn't considered him useful when she had found out he lived abroad.

She didn't need to know now. Ilana would keep him to herself, her secret.

And maybe, just maybe, today was only a one time occurrence. Izumi had said that Calix had never come to the office before. Maybe he won't again.

She hoped he wouldn't. She really didn't want Helene to find out about him.

She looked up, her decision made. He hadn't even taken three steps forward and Ilana seized the opportunity, whirling around so that her back was to him.

She rushed inside the analyst section of the office as fast as she could without breaking into a run. She needed to make sure he didn't see her.

She closed the door behind her but everything was too exposed. 

How could she ever hide properly behind walls of glass?

She slowly walked over to the cubicle Izumi had pointed out as hers. She finally noticed the small space properly.

Plain white walls with a computer screen took up most of the space. There was a pen holder with pens of different colors which only left a limited space empty.

She wondered if she would cover the empty space with plants or fake photographs this time.

She sat down and at least the chair was comfortable.

She didn't wanted to but her eyes drifted towards Calix, who still stood in the center of the room.

The frustration from earlier was gone from his face. He looked a lot like the guy from the bar now, an easy smile on his face as he greeted people.

“Rosie,” a voice hissed next to her and she looked up to see Izumi's dark eyes staring intently at her.

“Yes?”

“Come on. I’ll get you to meet the youngest Meyer."

Ilana's heart dropped. That was the last thing she wanted to do.

“I… no, Izumi, I can't. Look at the crowd around him. I'll just freak out. And I already feel too nervous to function. Maybe some other time?”

“Are you sure? A good relationship with him could really help you in the long run,” Izumi said and Ilana almost scoffed at the irony of the sentence.

“Yeah, I'm sure.”

“Okay,” she shrugged and walked away. Ilana felt herself breathing a little easier.

She stole a glance at him once more but the crowd was so thick now, she couldn't spot him.

She sighed, turning back to her computer screen. She turned it on but someone interrupted her.

A guy with soft blond curls and droopy features.

“You're Rosie Mason?” He asked and Ilana nodded.

“Mrs. Morrison wants to see you,” he said, tilting his head towards the only closed off cabin inside the glass walls of the analyst area.

“Okay, thank you,” she said, pulling her file from her bag before she walked towards the office.

She knocked twice and a voice came, allowing her inside.

Mrs. Morrison was a lady in her forties with sharp cut features that immediately gave her that aristocratic look.

But Ilana knew she didn't come from money. There was a calmness about her that made Ilana feel like Mrs. Morrison knew what struggle looked like.

“Rosie Mason, am I right?” She asked and Ilana nodded, a small smile on her face.

Her jaw was starting to hurt from all the smiling.

“I hope your first day hasn't been too tiring,” she said, a kind smile on her face.

“Oh, not at all. I was quite enjoying the tour. The floor is lovely.”

“Thank you. It definitely is…” she paused and Ilana saw a look of disdain cross her face. “Unique.”

She could have snorted at the obvious dislike in her voice.

But Rosie was naive. She didn't hear the real meaning behind simple words or understood things until they were spoken directly to her.

Honestly, Ilana found Rosie a little too annoying.

But she smiled and nodded enthusiastically at Mrs. Morrison's apparent praise.

“I'm Olivia Morrison, Head of this department. And I'll be your boss.”

Ilana nodded, her giddy expressions transforming into one of awe and a little fear.

“Don't worry,” Mrs. Morrison said quickly. “I'm not scary. And I just wanted to welcome you properly into our department.”

“Thank you so much, Mrs. Morrison. I really appreciate it.”

“Oh, please, call me Olivia,” she said, blue eyes warm.

“And if you need anything or if you're feeling confused, please come to me. I'll be very happy to guide you.”

“Thank you. I'll keep that in mind,” she said, getting tired of this conversation.

Did bosses do this to every single one of their employees? She hadn't received this special treatment in any of her undercover corporate jobs.

She silently chided herself at her thoughts. Someone was being caring and she was filled with negative thoughts only.

“You can go now,” she said.

Ilana muttered another quiet thank you before she left her office.

She got out just in time to see Calix disappear in his office.

As the door closed behind him, the once light blue, translucent office became dark green and completely opaque, hiding all human activity within. 

A little gasp escaped her lips as she realized she wouldn't be able to sneak into Adam's office like she had planned if the office was going to bloody change colors once someone stepped inside.

What the f*ck was she going to do now?

Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App

Latest chapter

  • Love in the Line of Fire   Chapter 13

    Ilana stared at the messenger for a lot longer than was acceptable.“Miss?” She blinked, her mind drifting back to the present.“Sorry. I… I completely zoned out. What were you saying?”He looked offended but quickly shrugged it off.“Mr. Meyer has asked for you.”“Mr. Adam?” she asked even though she already knew the answer, biting on her lower lip to stop the smile from spreading.“Mr. Calix Meyer.”She wondered why she wasn;t paying attention the first time. This was the kind of thing she’d been waiting for.She nodded, getting up from her desk and following the messenger towards Calix’s office.He dropped her off at the door before disappearing into the crowd. She pulled in a breath and knocked. She had to be careful of her words in front of Calix. The sooner the job got done, the better.She wasn't here to enjoy his company.“Come in,” his gruff voice replied.She walked in and he looked up, that breathtaking smile on his face. She felt her heartbeat pick up the pace. “You call

  • Love in the Line of Fire   Chapter 12

    for her. The words were a sham but they bought comfort. A candle in the dark.A candle with flickering, dying flames but a candle nonetheless. She sought the warmth from it greedily every single time. The flames had grown weaker and weaker with every life taken and she wasn’t sure how much she could give before the candle went out entirely. Until she was left in the dark with nothing to hold onto.She wasn’t sure what would happen when the flame did die. Maybe she would drown in that bleakness. Maybe that’ll be the end of Ilana Meyers.But she stroked the flame now, giving it air to breathe. She needed it to stay strong for a little longer. Ilana wasn’t done right now. She wanted her revenge. Once that was done, she would gladly allow the flame to go out.The darkness would be a welcome respite then. But she had to fight until she had her vengeance.She took in a sharp breath and looked around the room. It was messy enough to depict a crime scene but not enough to give any clues.The

  • Love in the Line of Fire   Chapter 11

    Ilana felt around the wall for a soft edge before she pushed her knife in. She pulled herself up, hooking her left leg on the pipe clip attached to the drainage pipe that ran along the back wall.Once you built the momentum, climbing wasn’t hard. Just one foot after the other. It took a lot of strength but in the end, it was just like walking. Ilana pulled the dagger free and then hooked it into the next purchase she found. She pulled herself up, using the pipe clips to give her some sort of support.She wasn’t even out of breath by the time she reached the window but her palms were red and aching slightly. She put her body weight forward, leaning against the wall as she pulled the lockpicks from her pocket.Lockpicking needed both her hands. She pulled in a breath and tried to stay as still as possible, her chest pressed against the wall. She played with the lock, her fingers working delicately. The lock gave away and she hefted the small window in, pulling herself over the ledge an

  • Love in the Line of Fire   Chapter 10

    “Helene told me you are on an undercover mission near here?” the kid asked excitedly.“Yes.”“That’s so cool. I want to do undercover missions too.”Ilana held back a scoff, letting the moment pass without commenting on it.“So, where are you stationed for this undercover mission? I know it's pretty far away from Knoxville.”Knoxville was the small town where Helene had built their supposed headquarters. That's where Ilana had spent most of her childhood, either with Vincent perfecting her throws or with Nancy learning sleight of hand or with Lily learning history and art and geography.“It is far,” she answered vaguely. “What are you doing all the way here anyway, kid?”“Oh, I'm with Vincent. He said he had business here and Helene insisted for him to take me. And then this mission came…”“Vincent is here? In West Creek?” “Err… no. Not in West Creek. We're in the city. We’re in Nashville.”Ilana frowned. She was also in Nashville for the mission.“What's he doing in Nashville?” she

  • Love in the Line of Fire   Chapter 9

    Ilana got out of her car at least twelve blocks away from the apartment she was supposed to go to and began her walk along the dark street.She usually never drove to her missions. Cars were too risky and the chance of getting caught doubled whenever a car was involved. But today, she felt lazy and a little too confident. She’d been doing this for fifteen years now. She had earned the right for a little rest.The silence around her was thick, pressing onto her ears and she looked around, trying to spot the cause but she saw nothing. Extreme silence had never meant good.There was not a single soul roaming the street. It was only 1 in the morning but there was always someone. A drunk stumbling out of a pub or the whining of a child from an open window.West creek was devoid of life. Ilana bit the inside of her cheek, feeling the familiar rush of excitement wash through her. A fight was coming and she was so ready for it.She mentally counted through her daggers. Two in each arm band ar

  • Love in the Line of Fire   Chapter 8

    Ilana felt unreal, an entity weaved with threads of hopelessness and regret as she walked through the halls of the twentieth floor.She wasn't sure where she was going but she knew she was supposed to meet Calix Meyer. Make him aware of her presence.Her secret was out and now it was time to exploit it.And she would do it without complaints because Helene had said it was important. She had repeated the interaction in her head so many times, the words had stopped making sense. Like whatever happened wasn't real. Just like Ilana herself was not real anymore.It was important. Calix was important to the plan, the mission. He was just a means to an end. Nothing more. Helene had said it was important.Ilana didn't have to pretend when she slammed into someone. At least that had been real.“I'm sorry. I wasn't looking,” she said, keeping her eyes on the ground as she bent down to pick up the papers that had fallen loose from the folder in her hands.She didn't want Calix to see her yet. S

More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status