Progun tax report?
Vlora immediately opened the notification without thinking twice. In an instant, a file appeared on the tablet’s screen.
Vlora’s index finger moved, scrolling the screen, and her focus shifted to the second page of the document. Some of the names listed made her furrow her brow.
From someone inside Progun? Could it be? Who did she get it from?
Vlora blinked once as the screen scrolled again, this time revealing a complex table full of numbers. She zoomed in on the screen, intending to examine it more closely.
But Vlora’s finger movement stopped a moment later. She glanced out of the corner of her eye and immediately put the tablet to sleep.
The tablet returned to its original position. Vlora placed a towel over it to hide it. Then she closed the drawer.
Vlora pulled on the tie of her robe. The knot loosened and the robe slipped off her body and landed on the floor.
At that moment, there was a soft sound of the door opening. Vlora ignored it, pretending not to hear anything. She moved innocently and jumped when she felt a hand land on her stomach.
“Oh, my goodness.”
Vlora turned. There was Andreas, hugging her without any preamble and planting a soft kiss on her shoulder.
“You startled me.”
Eyes closed, the kisses still playing gently on her smooth skin, Andreas seemed to enjoy the soft and fragrant sensations emanating from Vlora’s body.
“Reas.”
Vlora’s hand rose and landed on the back of Andreas’ hand. Her heart rate increased and she wondered. Was it the touch or Andreas’ arrival that made her heart race?
A moment later, Andreas opened his eyes. His lungs were filled with Vlora’s scent and his kiss left a mark.
Vlora pulled away from Andreas’ embrace. She stood up, grabbed a pair of underwear, and put them on in front of Andreas without feeling the slightest embarrassment.
Andreas squinted his eyes. His gaze darkened, but Vlora seemed calm.
“Is your work done?”
Andreas focused on tracing Vlora’s body. He was drawn to the memories of their lovemaking left in various places. It seemed that they would not disappear in two days. It might take more time, but it was possible that new marks would appear before the old ones faded. In the end, Vlora’s body would never be truly clean.
“I told Frans to come this morning,” Andreas replied as he continued to watch Vlora dress. “Maybe I can talk to him this afternoon.”
Vlora got up again. This time she went to the closet where she kept several casual dresses.
Vlora chose a sleeveless, knee-length dress, a soft green that looked gentle on a strong woman like herself.
Vlora did not react to Andreas’ earlier statement. Instead, she put on the casual dress and approached Andreas, showing her back.
“Can you zip it for me?”
Andreas is sure to help Vlora with any problem, especially this one.
Vlora could not reach the zipper and Andreas was happy to pull it for her. Slowly. Gently. Not forgetting, of course, to give Vlora’s neck a fleeting, feather-light brush.
Vlora’s body immediately shivered. Not only because of Andreas’ fingertips on her neck, but also because of the gentle pressure on her shoulders.
“You don’t mind if I leave you for a few hours, do you?”
Vlora turned to face Andreas. “I think that’s actually a good thing. I can rest comfortably.”
A grin appeared on Andreas’ face and landed on Vlora’s lips in an instant. Their kiss enveloped them with a rhythm that made Vlora unconsciously hold onto Andreas’ shoulder.
When the kiss ended, Andreas looked at Vlora for a moment. He gently stroked Vlora’s wet cheek. Then he stood up and left Vlora, whispering to her.
“Rest while you can.”
*
A polite knock on the office door pulled Andreas out of his momentary reverie. He gave permission and the door swung open.
Desmon entered, followed by Frans. Then he left after Andreas asked him to get some drinks.
Frans went to Andreas’ desk and sat down. He remained silent, noticing that Andreas seemed lost in thought.
Leaning back in his chair, Andreas remained motionless, his gaze fixed on his phone lying on the table.
Frans did not dare to guess. But it was not hard for him to sense that something was wrong.
Frans had sensed it when Andreas had contacted him early that morning. He had been given a few tasks before Andreas finally asked him to come in.
There did not seem to be anything unusual about it. It was common for a boss to call his personal assistant to work, right?
Usual, but Frans knew Andreas very well. The boss liked to have fun, and one of his principles was never to interfere with his personal time on weekends or holidays. He was not a workaholic.
This was Frans’ first surprise. Andreas asked him to come in, and it was for work. But on weekends, especially when Andreas had recently gotten married?
No wonder Frans was even more confused. He was curious to know what was going on, but he had to restrain himself. The urge to ask questions had to remain on the tip of his tongue.
Frans did not want to appear impertinent. Their last meeting had made him realize that he sometimes crossed the line, especially with his anticipatory attitude towards Vlora.
The only thing Frans could do now was to wait for Andreas to speak. Sooner or later, he was sure, he would find out what was going on.
Ten minutes went by without a word. Desmon returned to Andreas’ office with two teacups.
After Desmon left, Andreas finally reacted to Frans’ presence. He took a deep breath and straightened his back, then gestured for Frans to have some tea.
Andreas enjoyed his first sip, which felt empty. He looked at the reddish-brown color of the tea in the cup and asked, “Did you do it?”
Andreas had given Frans many tasks, including getting the tax report and sabotaging Progun’s sales.
“Yes, sir. I could deliver the Progun sales report by next Friday,” Frans replied, thinking, “Market fluctuations will occur in a few days.”
“Stop everything for a few days.”
Andreas’ words stunned Frans for a moment. He waited, thinking that perhaps Andreas had given him the wrong order.
But no, this was indeed Andreas’ order. And even if Frans doubted his hearing, he would gladly repeat the order.
“Stop everything for now.”
It was not just that Andreas had asked him to come on a Sunday that had confused Frans. This order was beyond reason.
“What do you mean, sir?” Frans asked reluctantly. “Why should we stop?”
Andreas put the cup back on the saucer and replied, “I want us to stop everything for this week. Whatever we’re working on, stop it.”
Frans’ question remained unanswered. Now it was not confusion but concern that gripped him. Andreas’ unusual behavior and irrational order set off alarm bells in his head.
“Is something wrong, sir? Because as far as I can tell, you’re a little different today.”
Andreas remained silent. For the umpteenth time he didn’t answer Frans’ question.
“I know you never want to work on holidays, but today you asked me to come in. Not only that, but until now…”
Frans swallowed nervously. This time it was the confusion that formed a big question mark.
“… you never wanted to transfer data via email or anything like that.”
Finally, Frans managed to express the restlessness that had been nagging at him. This time it really bothered him.
“But earlier you asked me to send the Progun tax report via your email address. That’s really not like you.”
Andreas did not answer. That wasn’t surprising; he knew that Frans had become very familiar with some of his habits.
People make habits, and habits make people.
Andreas was the kind of person who would choose a party over a meeting, but that did not mean he neglected important matters. He would make sure that a meeting was finished before he went to the party. He would finish what he did not like first.
Because of this, Andreas had developed some habits that he believed would benefit him. He did not want to take risks and tried to minimize failures.
Especially with the less than harmonious life he led; Andreas had learned that he had to be careful. Who knew? Maybe those closest to him wanted to harm him? Just like what had happened to Amanda, right?
Andreas’ eyes left Frans and returned to his phone. The gesture caught Frans’ attention.
Dark thoughts crossed Frans’ mind. Now he realized that Andreas had been staring at his phone a lot, as if he was watching it.
“Is someone listening to you?”
Again, Andreas did not answer. But his unspoken reaction allowed Frans to draw his own conclusions.
“If that’s the case, why did you ask me to send the files to your email?”
Andreas replied quietly, “I want to bait them.”
Frans could swear that he felt a tremor in Andreas’ voice, even though the man tried to remain calm.
It bothered Frans. Andreas was never intimidated. He always remained calm and in control, even when he had been publicly humiliated and kicked out of Progun. So, what happened now?
“Not with files as important as these, sir. If the files are leaked in an inappropriate situation, it’s us who will be cornered.”
Andreas dramatically closed his eyes. What Frans said made sense, but he was sure of one thing.
“We can’t bait a shark with an earthworm. It’s impossible, Frans.”
Andreas’ answer sounded reasonable, but Frans still didn’t agree.
“That’s a very risky gamble, sir.”
Andreas nodded. “Indeed. It’s a very high-risk, high-reward gamble, as is the law of nature, Frans.”
Now Frans could not argue. Especially since everything had already happened. But there was one crucial question.
“Do you know who this person is?”
In the blink of an eye, Frans could see how tension suddenly enveloped Andreas’ body. Although it had happened in a single glance, he was sure he had not misinterpreted it.
Andreas was tense. That meant he knew the culprit.
Frans’ heart beat faster. Curiosity made him impatient to hear the name Andreas would mention. Unfortunately, Andreas did not name anyone. Instead, he asked another question.
“In all the time you’ve worked with me, do you know one of my habits?”
Frans was not sure which habit Andreas meant. “What do you mean?”
“I always put my phone with the screen down, not the other way around.”
Now it was not just Andreas looking at his phone, but Frans as well. The position of the phone matched what Andreas had said.
The phone’s screen was facing down, unlike the way Andreas had taken it off the nightstand this morning.
*