The Billionaire's Janitor

swallowed

lence. Her heels echoed against the marble floor as she crossed into a world whe

oman in a blood-red suit brushed past Amara, muttering

head down and

d worse. She co

bab

aff lounge hummed wit

ew girl on the security feed as if it were reality TV.

sipping from her double espres

anced over her shoulder

reach her eyes. "No. Le

ay, a different kind of e

man behind it wore a faded gray uniform, an ID badge that read EDITH, and an

rful man in the city-tucked her silver hair

tant. Eg

wa

had recog

e

it nearly knocked her o

s they saw he

dically, every sweep of the cloth a

t yet understand. Her eyes kept flicking to a small old woman

dy h

o stepped over the

as when Am

tly, walking toward the w

d up-eyes sharp beh

have to,"

a replied, alread

ng. Then, with the faintest smi

'm Amara. New hi

. Jani

women in different worlds, but s

g made her first j

might ju

zed like a hive injecte

s white tiles, an enormous espresso machine hummed in the corner, and laughter rolle

lted the mop bucket ever so slightly, letting a slick tra

she w

es pa

click, cl

ke knive

ne

ss. And overdres

erself on the wall before she hit the ground. A gasp erupted from the

ward Evelyn. "What the hell is wrong

room fel

though she let them appear to. "I'm very sorry, ma

wed. "You don't even belong in here. This is

echoed. Lo

coffee, waiting for the poor old

th

me," cam

the tension like g

ar

ports, her eyes locked on Vanessa like she didn

u owe her a

blinked.

ents happen. But yelling at her in front of eve

ps

. One woman bit her

slowly. Her hea

Her voice dropped. "Do

omeone who works harder than any of us in here. And if you think screaming at her mak

's jaw

d around

no one met

.. she had no

splashing through the wa

her go, then

e to do that,"

ugged. "Y

throat

ed it-not the fir

behind Amara's soft

't just kind.

footage from the security cam. The entire exchange played out on

in his chair,

ut the girl t

od-like someone who had nothing left to

oard. Rewound. Pla

ing," he

d pause on

rst time that

ehind Amara, and for a moment,

s. She gripped the stack of reports closer to her chest, unsure if she'd just sign

she couldn't

dn't w

nd Resource Management-the air felt thinner, quieter. She paused

r's cart

disinfectant scent lingering in t

led, cautiously

as a so

ed awkwardly on the floor, her leg twisted beneath

my G

rd, kneeling dow

ained. "Silly thing. I tripped on my ow

d her reports aside, gently check

she said firmly. "And you're no

top her. "No need,

"You've worked your whole life. The least t

d at her. Re

ace was something..

t a goo

ho'd kno

ed how to carry it w

ith" to a nearby resting area. Amara stayed beside her until she

lyn said quietly. "Peop

know what it feels l

n bli

ll once. Outside a hospital. She had to crawl to the door beca

n said softly. "Some m

d down. "Ye

ver room trying to reboot a set of crashed

us

ly dropped the scre

Ste

the doorway

wore silence like a tailored suit and

Sir. I-didn't know you

't anno

ng the rows of blinking lights

he looked at her-not inappropriately. Just..

did earlier,"

heart

d her back. "If

did

own at the disassembled drive. "You defended

what I thoug

ll r

retched be

rned away. "People talk here. About Vanessa.

them good,

" He paused. "That old woman.

he reminded me of someone. Someone

Liam's expression then-

f somethin

g your progress,

y as he'd arrived, he

fingers clenched arou

know what

thing ha

re she was ready

ive room on the third floor, we

ity monitors casting long shadows on the walls. A young technician-barely twenty-two, with thic

she said sweetly, folding her

time, ma'am. You said

She was recently h

rough records, frowning

at

al interview. Like... literally nothing. No internship records. No first-

s eyes

as imp

ugh seven levels of screening. Especiall

rd. "Who approve

scrolled again. His eye

umped. "Are

e straight from the CEO's o

sat bac

i

ll are you

inside her glass office li

room had already mutated into a thousand versions. And worse-Amara was

lenched h

me charity-case nobody waltz in

pulled out her tablet, and tapped

hiding," she whispere

seconds,

l has cleara

g flashed on

e: CEO Privileg

Her eyes narrowed. "What

iled-faint,

going to find it. And

with a pen behind her ear and exhaustion in her spine. The building was qui

ve kept her

've ignore

shou

lways this

ked up

i

ai

he belonged to the shadows, wat

d, straightening a stack o

hing on her desk. A small cup. Coff

t it. "This

is n

n lifted the cup.

dn't ha

kno

e quiet

d it in anymore. "I skipped protocol. I didn't go t

t. He looked past her, at

aid, "the system's too sl

. "What doe

er. "It means I saw so

respond, he turne

plana

storm he was d

eps fading

llway outside the executive archive ro

lived a

ettled her more than anyth

e locked files, and all the secrecy, she had found one s

ph

irl, about n

to a woman in

rely visible-stood a you

Ste

n year

tle girl with somet

the concrete chaos of the city. It was after midnight. The stars blinked fain

ft click of foot

o sleep more than three h

sleep when there were qu

ight wind lifted the edges of his tailored coat. H

her worn satchel and

ot to del

tared

htened. He

uiet but edged with steel. "You've known her since she was

ed, long

sn't rem

not an

mother. I was there... visiting som

protected her application. W

low. "Because she s

s eyes

transplant waitlist-her mother was too weak. But she insisted. Said the other w

. The mystery girl who walked away from a li

. "And she made a decision grown me

gain. At the haunted-eyed li

. "And maybe... maybe somethin

, Vanessa slipped quiet

SB drive burning a hole in her coat pocket. Her plan was simple: plant th

ed the drive, and transferred the falsi

enough to raise suspicion. Just

iled c

sweet you ar

Amara found an env

No retu

ned it

as a sin

ne Evelyn

d her

.. a blurry boy

written in small, tre

t as safe a

blood

someone

y

t did i

p as a voice echoe

g to have to ask y

tu

curity agents s

on?" she asked

y in the Finance logs," one

hat's impossible.

m. Pl

rembled as

of the hallway, smiling like a queen about t

the small, wi

t couldn't decide if it wanted to live or die. Across from her sat a woman

id, placing two sheets on the table. "These n

Amara replied. Her voice was c

th access to this speci

even know how to run audits yet

stared. Co

your connecti

nched. "E

signature is on your contr

. I didn't even meet h

is family." A p

n't know what you

trembled now.

tigator m

d the edge o

't just a

s an

oor, Evelyn s

d up, gloves in one hand, her hair tied with a red sc

ht, her e

econds later,

oon as I saw

aid. "And they're trying

"Why haven't

curling into something

ou wanted

like

pas

brows f

ked twice as hard as anyone here. She's been watch

ped closer,

gs. She planted the audit file through a

eyes ha

ou pro

aid, lifting her chin. "Bec

n the interrog

surprise. "Excuse me-this is

d. Unbothered. Her vo

der of Sterling & Drake. And I

a fr

oman

emed to til

eared her throat. "

e your mother got her braces. So either you release this gir

le

man reached forward

Evelyn-eyes wi

. his gra

you, my dear, are exactly

, Liam stood in

g a drink when

ng. "Or did you come to apologize for

her, cold a

ossed a

ou, Liam. She probably researched

he said, voice quiet but leth

pped c

mpany," he said. "The ones who work. The on

's jaw

yers," Liam said.

lean this up, Vanessa. Because if you touch her ag

rned and w

a stoo

in her han

that version o

terrifi

Amara sat on the edge of her

ther's

frighten

d

the back o

remember

sha

her chest told her

rted in this bui

a lon