One Night

Chapter 114

Audrey

I stayed late at the office that night, determined to make up for lost time after the luna moth incident.

The design department was eerily quiet as 1 worked, the only sounds the soft scratching of the stylus against my tablet and my foot tapping on the tile floor.

I bit my tongue as I worked, my focus entirely on the new task at hand. With the luna moth shattered and the design due by Friday, I needed to work quickly, so, despite my somewhat… lacking skills when it came to drawing anything realistic, I spent the evening drawing mockups of a 3D printed luna moth.

Sighing. I leaned back on my stool and held my tablet up to admire my work.

The drawing wasn’t nearly as beautiful as the original, but it would be good enough for what I needed; the shape was right, and with enough paint and glitter, I could have a fairly realistic luna moth prepared by morning.

I tapped the screen a few times and sent the design to the 3D printer, and then I waited.

As the sound of the printer working filled the quiet space, I ran my hands over my tired face and squeezed my eyes shut. Memories of this morning floated through my mind-the luna moth’s broken wings. Leo’s angry expression, Linda’s conveniently empty chair…

It had been hours since it had all happened, and I was certain now that Linda had something to do with the “accident. Her sadden absence was too perfectly-timed. I wasn’t sure how she had done it, but she must have slipped in while I was at lunch and destroyed the luna moth.

I wanted to tell Leo of my suspicions, but of course he wouldn’t listen-and if Linda had already managed to tamper with the CCTV footage once before, then she could do it again. Perhaps she had ties with a security guard who could cut the footage for her. Perhaps her rich daddy was watching over her.

Either way, I was stuck taking the fall. There was nothing I could do about it; especially not now that I was on ‘probation.

“One more strike, and I’ll have to suspend you,” Leo had said.

Three strikes, and I was out. Even if none of it had been my fault.

Finally, as the clock ticked past nine PM, the 3D printer buzzed. I walked over and pulled my plastic luna moth out, cringing at the rough shape, but it was good enough for now.

I decided to call it a night after that, figuring I could paint it in the morning. I gathered my things with a sigh, double- checked that everything was in order, and moved to lock up the department.

But then I stopped in the doorway, and on a whim, I slipped out my phone and took pictures of the space, just in case any other ‘accidents’ happened overnight. That way, if something did happen and it got pinned on me again, I could have some form of proof to show.

I couldn’t afford another mishap; everything had to be perfect.

Although, something told me that even if I did have proof, no one would believe me.

The hallways were dim and empty as I made my way toward the elevator, my tired feet dragging beneath me. Somewhere in the building. I could hear the hum of vacuums and floor waxers running, the night cleaners already beginning their work. Other than that, I was blissfully alone.

But as I turned a corner, a dark form suddenly loomed over me

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Wed, Sep

Chapter 114

Before I could react, I was suddenly shoved into a nearby closet, opened my mouth to scream, but a large hand clamped over it, mu**ling any sound. I felt frozen, helpless in the arms of a werewolf, and-

A familiar scent hit

it my

y nose.

That cologne… I would know it anywhere. Edwin.

My panic subsided slightly, replaced by a different kind of tension. But his hand remained over my mouth as he pulled me further into the shadows of the utility closet, his body pressed against my back.

His breath was hot against my ear as he whispered, “Stay quiet.”

My eyebrows shot up, but I obeyed. There was an unusual urgency in his voice, and I couldn’t ignore it.

There, through the c** in the door, I saw a figure pass by.

My stomach churned as I recognized Fiona’s voice calling out, “dwin? Where are you?”

She sounded irritated, her heels clicking rapidly on the tile floor. She paused just outside the door, and I swore I could hear her sniffing the air. I could already imagine her fury when she flung the door open and saw me, the little human, with her fiance again.

But she didn’t. After a pause, she kept going.

Only once Fiona’s footsteps faded away did Edwin finally release his grip on me. I shoved him back, my heart still pounding as I whirled on him.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I hissed as I smoothed down my rumpled shirt. I hated to admit it, even to myself, but my cheeks were red-because the sensation of his warm, sturdy body up against me, even though I hadn’t felt it in a month and some change, had reminded me all too well of our afternoon in the forest.

Edwin held up his hands in a placating gesture. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I knew you were staying late tonight, and I was worried.”

“Worried?” I scoffed. “About what?”

That someone might have it out for you,” he said, his voice low and serious as he glanced over at the closet door. “I wanted to keep an eye on you, make sure you got out safely.”

I couldn’t believe it; here was Edwin, a man who I hadn’t seen or spoken to in over a month after I had found out he was engaged while we had slept together twice, and he…

“So to top everything off, you’ve been spying on me?” I bit out, unable to hide the anger in my voice. The very idea that he thought he could protect me, after everything, was infuriating.

Edwin had the audacity to look offended. “I’m your boss. It’s not technically spying.”

“Oh, that makes it so much better,” I snapped, trying to push past him. But Edwin blocked the exit, his body pressing against mine in the cramped space. There it was again: that d**n scent of cologne making my knees weak.

A soft growl rumbled in my throat, an uncharacteristic sound from me. Even Edwin’s eyebrows shot up, surprised by my outburst. I felt a confusing mixture of fury and longing, wanting to both shove him away and pull him closer.

Finally, I settled on the former and shoved him away, but it did nothing to budge his solid form-it only sent me stumbling back into a pile of crates behind me.

“Audrey, please,” Edwin said sofily. “I’m just trying to help. Why didn’t you come when I asked you to meet before?”

I blinked in surprise. What are you talking about?”

13:01 Wed, Sep 18

Chapter 114

“The note I left on your desk, Asking you to meet me in the utility closet.”

“That was really from you?” I asked incredulously. “I thought it was just Linda playing another cruel prank.”

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Now it

was Edwin’s turn to look confused. “Linda? As in the Linda who tormented you at school? What does she have to do with this?”

I let out a bitter laugh. “Don’t play dumb, Edwin. She’s an intern here now. Didn’t you take a bribe from her father to let her in?”

“A… bribe?” Edwin’s eyes widened. “Audrey, I have no need for bribes. And even if I did, I would especially not take one from someone who harmed a person I care about.”

“Care about?” I scoffed. “That’s rich, coming from the man who had sex with me twice while engaged to another.”

Edwin flinched as if I had slapped him. His face turned pale, and if I hadn’t known better, I would have sworn I saw genuine pain in his eyes. “Audrey, it’s not what you think. If you’d just let me explain-”

“Save it,” I cut him off, bending to pick up my bag, which had been dropped during the scuffle. “I don’t want to hear your excuses. Go find your fiancee. She’s looking for you, after all.”

With that, I shoved past him and out of the closet, ignoring his calls for me to wait.

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