- SIERRAThe fluorescent light above my desk flickered with a rhythmic, annoying buzz that made my headache pulse. I had Ben’s encrypted files pulled up on the terminal, tucked behind a massive spreadsheet of 1995 corporate tax audits. To any security guard glancing at the monitor, I was just a drone drowning in numbers.In reality, I was staring at Lilian #4."Lily," who talked to the waitress. I kept replaying that grainy loop of her tucking her hair back. It was like looking into a distorted mirror. My heart did a weird, heavy skip every time the video reset.The heavy steel door at the far end of the archive rows groaned open. I instinctively minimized the window, my hand hovering over a physical file."Relax, it’s just me," Aleena’s voice echoed through the stacks.She appeared from behind a row of metal shelving, carrying a bulging paper bag and two large coffees. She looked like an angel of mercy in a designer blazer."You look like shit, babe," she said, thumping the bag down
Last Updated : 2026-04-23 Read more