Darkly Deceived (Darkly Devoted Series, Book 2)

Chapter 6 - What Lies in Tercel

Chapter 6

IT WAS only when the sun was rising over Manna City, that Vivienne started to wonder if this was a good idea. She was standing outside the skyscraper that was Tercel Corp, watching the night staff swipe out to go home. Slowly, the morning light flooded the glass-walled lobby, turning the hanging statue of the Tercel falcon to gold. Soon, the lobby will swarm with business people holding their briefcases and coffees, wearing bland but expensive suits, preparing for a day of meetings where they decide the fate of the world.

Vivienne watched as each employee swiped in before they entered the elevators. Armed guards were standing by the turnstiles. Sneaking into this building was an act of insanity.

Vivienne could see the headlines now; Police arrests runaway bride as she desperately attempts to break into the office of the boy who jilted her a month prior to her wedding.

As she entertained that hilarious thought, Vivienne suddenly had an idea. She touched the gold chain on her wrist and closed her eyes. She needed to sense Julian's presence for this to work. Vivienne thought back to what Blake had said to her in the caves of Remin. Look through my eyes. She could see through Julian's eyes if he were close enough. If Julian was enough of a big shot at Tercel, that and a bit of a song and dance might be enough for her to get through security.

Around 8 , Vivienne sensed Julian's presence. She concentrated on small glimpses through his eyes. She prayed he wouldn't become aware that she was in his head. Then again, he would have no reason to suspect she was trying to mind-hack him. She was his good docile Vivienne who was supposed to be walking down the aisle at City Hall today.

Vivienne saw glimpses of an older man's face, Julian was waiting for him to pick up a breakfast coffee at a deli nearby.

"My assistant always has a cup waiting for me," Julian boasted to his friend. "Best part is, she'll suck me off and then answer my messages for me. I have other side chicks — it doesn't bother her. That's professionalism."

Vivienne wanted to roll her eyes so hard as she slowly moved to closer to Julian's location. She was glad she wearing a newsboy cap over her outfit of a black dress shirt and slacks. Vivienne wondered what Susie looked like and if she could pretend to be Julian's assistant to get through security. Of course, there was the other option where she could simply command Julian to hand over his key card and then castrate himself with a rusty butter knife, but then again, Vivienne had a feeling she didn't want to set off any alarms in this fortress of a company.

"Man, do I have a story for you later," Julian continued speaking to his friend. "There's this chick that's getting married today. Terrible lay, really bad. I still think she's a virgin. No tits to speak of. But, after the Chairman's meeting, I'll give you a play-by-play."

Vivienne felt her blood boiling as she followed the two men into the main entrance of the Tercel building. As the two men approached the turnstile, security rushed over and opened up a side entrance for them to go through.

"Mr. Namura, Mr. Dubois, good morning," he said and respectfully nodded his head in greeting. "The elevator is waiting for you."

"Susie, my assistant, is running late," Julian told the security guard after glancing at his phone. "Tell her to meet me in the boardroom, immediately." Julian rolled his eyes at his friend. "Blah blah, her father is sick. On second thought, I'm going to fire her this weekend and replace her with a younger model."

Julian's friend snickered as they disappeared into the elevator. Vivienne ran up to the security guard that Julian had just spoken to.

"I'm Susie, Mr. Namura's new assistant," Vivienne said, trying to make her voice as chipper as possible. "I'm so late, and I forgot my ID in the cab. I need to get to that meeting; I have all his notes. Mister Namura is going to kill me!"

The security guard eyed her up and down and looked skeptical. Vivienne prayed he didn't know Susie on sight as he knew Julian. "Please," Vivienne begged. "I am late, and it's the Chairman's meeting. I'm going to get fired!"

Finally, the security guard seemed to buy her story, and he waved her through. Vivienne ran into the nearest elevator. She was dismayed to see there were over a hundred stories in the building. She closed her eyes and once again tried to see through Julian's eyes. It was faint, but a number floated before her eyes. Floor 39. Vivienne pushed that button and saw it didn't light up. Dammit, she needed an ID to unlock that floor. As she pushed it repeatedly, a kind man with a mustache swiped his card for her. The number lit up.

"First day?" He asked her. Vivienne forced a smile and nodded. "I'm an intern," she said.

"Are you sure that's the right floor?" He asked. "That floor is off-limits except to the most senior managers."

"Yeah, I'm an assistant to Mr. Namura," Vivienne said with a gulp. She settled into the back of the crowded elevator and tried not to attract attention. Everyone in the elevator was dressed in tailored suits. It was just her luck; there was a rigid dress code here. Whatever she was planning, she better get to the point. Anyone could tell she didn't belong.

"Mr. Namura," the friendly man continued. "He's new, isn't he? Talented gentleman, I heard. In the inner circle at the very top."

"Yeah, that's him," Vivienne muttered sarcastically.

By the time the elevator hit the 39th floor, there weren't many people left in the elevator. Vivienne was painfully aware that she was the only one getting out on that floor. As she stepped out onto the black carpet, she noticed the hall was empty. As she walked around the corner, she saw a young woman with her hair in a bun frantically making coffee out of a fancy espresso machine. The young woman barely looked up as Vivienne stepped up to the window into the boardroom.

Vivienne's blood ran cold, and the entire world turned silent. All she could hear was the sound of her heart beating in her chest. In the boardroom, there was a long table with about thirty old, important appearing men sitting around it. Julian was one of them, but he wasn't the man that caught Vivienne's eye. 

There he was, the feared chairman of this mammoth company. At the head of the table was a face she had only seen in her dreams for the last two and a half years. He had changed, yes; he looked emaciated; his cheeks hollow and his hair duller. It was still him.

Blake.