Aria’s POV
I stared at the dead phone in my hand for a solid thirty seconds.
What just happened?
Someone had called. Said something about inspecting the company tomorrow. Then hung up like I was some kind of answering machine.
Rude. Extremely rude.
I set the receiver down. Tried to make sense of it.
The voice had been deep. Authoritative. The kind of voice that expected to be obeyed without question.
It reminded me of someone.
No. Don’t go there.
I shook my head. Pushed the thought away.
This was probably just some important client with terrible phone manners. Rich people were like that sometimes. They forgot that basic courtesy existed.
I should tell someone about this.
Director Black’s office light was still on. I could see it from my desk. A warm glow against the darkening windows.
I gathered my courage. Walked over. Knocked.
"Enter."
She was still at her desk. Papers spread out in front of her. Reading glasses perched on her nose. She looked up when I came in.
"Ms. Moon. You’re still here?"
"Yes, ma’am. I wanted to finish organizing the filing system before tomorrow."
A brief nod. Approval, maybe.
"What do you need?"
"I received a strange phone call just now." I clasped my hands in front of me. "Someone said they would be inspecting the company tomorrow. Then they hung up before I could ask any questions."
Director Black’s eyebrows rose slightly.
"Did they give a name?"
"No, ma’am. They didn’t give me a chance to ask."
"What did the voice sound like?"
I thought about it. Tried to describe it without letting my imagination run wild.
"Male. Deep. Very... commanding." I paused.
Director Black was quiet for a moment. Her fingers tapped against the desk.
"It could be one of our long-standing clients," she said finally. "Some of them have... particular habits when it comes to communication."
"Do you know who it might be?"
"Hard to say without more information." She removed her glasses. Rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Several of our major partners have been known to drop by unannounced. It’s annoying, but it happens."
Great. So I had a mystery visitor coming tomorrow. With no idea who they were or what they wanted.
"What should I do?"
"Prepare to receive them properly." Director Black’s voice was matter-of-fact. "Review our current client relationships. Familiarize yourself with the major partnerships. If someone important shows up tomorrow, I expect you to handle them professionally."
"Yes, ma’am."
"And Ms. Moon?"
I paused at the door.
"Whoever this person is, they clearly expect a certain level of service. Don’t disappoint them."
No pressure. None at all.
---
I went back to my desk. Pulled up the company database. Started searching.
Blood Crown Industries had a lot of partnerships. A LOT.
Manufacturing contracts. Distribution agreements. Investment deals. Joint ventures with companies across multiple territories.
My eyes started to blur after the first hour.
I made a list of the major clients. The ones who had direct lines to the executive floor. The ones whose accounts were flagged as "VIP" in the system.
Thornwood Industries. Silverpine Holdings. Nightfall Trading.
Wait. Not Nightfall. That one had been terminated two years ago. Something about the owners going to prison.
I crossed it off the list.
There were fifteen companies that fit the profile. Fifteen potential mystery callers.
Fifteen sets of files to review.
I grabbed a notepad. Started taking notes.
Thornwood Industries: Manufacturing partnership since 2022. Primary contact: Victoria Thornwood. Prefers email communication. Unlikely to call without warning.
Silverpine Holdings: Investment firm. Major stakeholder. Contact: James Silverpine. Known for formal meetings only. Definitely not the type to make cryptic phone calls.
I worked through the list one by one. Cross-referencing. Eliminating. Trying to narrow down the possibilities.
By 8 PM, I’d ruled out ten of them.
Five remained.
Ironwood Capital. Stormcrest Enterprises. Blackwater Group. Moonrise Investments. And something called "Crown Holdings LLC."
My stomach growled.
I looked at the clock. 6:47 PM.
When was the last time I ate? Lunch? That granola bar that barely counted as food?
I should go home. Lina needed me. Cassius was probably wondering where I was.
But the files weren’t finished. And if someone important showed up tomorrow and I wasn’t prepared...
I picked up my phone. Found Cassius’s number.
He answered on the second ring.
"Aria? Is everything okay?"
"Yes. No. I don’t know." I leaned back in my chair. Pressed my free hand against my forehead. "I’m still at work. Something came up."
"Something bad?"
"Just... complicated." I sighed. "A client is coming tomorrow. Maybe. I got a weird phone call with no details, and now I have to prepare for every possible scenario."
Silence on the other end.
Then: "You need me to pick up Lina?"
"Would you mind?" The words came out smaller than I intended. "I know it’s a lot to ask. You’ve already done so much"
"Aria." His voice was warm. Patient. "It’s not a lot to ask. Lina loves spending time with me. And you’re working hard to build a future for her. There’s nothing wrong with that."
My eyes burned. I blinked rapidly.
"Thank you, Cassius. Really."
"Don’t mention it." I could hear the smile in his voice. "I’ll pick her up. Feed her dinner. Make sure she gets to bed on time. You just focus on what you need to do."
"You’re too good to me."
"I know." A soft laugh. "Now stop thanking me and get back to work. The sooner you finish, the sooner you can come home."
"I’ll try not to be too late."
The line went dead.
I set the phone down. Stared at it for a moment.
Then I turned back to my computer. Back to the files. Back to the mountain of work that still needed to be done.