Into The Devil's Den

Chapter 1

Looking back, I should have known something was wrong the moment Oliver switched off my phone. I should have noticed the signs. But when you're in love, you have a strange habit of mistaking red flags for affection. At the time, it felt sweet and caring. Love makes you blind. I know that now.

The living room was dim except for the soft glow of the television.

Some action movie was playing, explosions flashing across the screen, but neither of us were really watching it.

Oliver was stretched out on the couch with his head resting on my lap, completely relaxed, like a man who didn't have a single worry in the world.

My fingers moved lazily through his hair, combing through the dark strands while he hummed quietly at something happening in the movie.

The sight would make anyone want the same, I thought so too.

"I still think staying in is the best kind of date," he murmured.

I smiled down at him. "That's because you're lazy."

He opened one eye to look at me. "Excuse me. I'm a man who appreciates peace."

"You mean food that arrives without you leaving the house."

"That too..." He replied.

I never liked crowded places, fancy restaurants.

The kind where music is so loud you have to shout just to be heard, where strangers brush past you every few seconds and the air smells like perfume mixed with sweat and something burned from the kitchen.

Anne loved places like that. Loud, crowded, full of noise and flashing lights.

I never understood how she enjoyed them so much.

Give me a quiet evening, soft lights, and someone I love beside me, and I'm perfectly happy.

I threaded my fingers through Oliver's hair again, gently separating the strands. He closed his eyes for a moment like he was enjoying it far too much.

"You spoil me" he muttered.

"You complain a lot for someone being spoiled."

"I never said I was complaining." His voice was lazy, teasing, the kind that always made me laugh without trying.

Outside, the city lights glittered faintly through the window. The whole apartment felt warm and quiet, the kind of comfortable silence that only exists when you're with someone you trust completely.

My phone buzzed on the coffee table. The sharp vibration cut through the calm. I glanced toward the coffee table where the screen lit up with notifications. A faint crease formed between my brows.

"Client?" Oliver asked without opening his eyes.

"Probably" I admitted. The Arclight account had been... demanding lately. It was the biggest client our department had landed in months, and even though it was technically my week off, I was still responsible for handling their communications.

My phone buzzed again. Oliver cracked one eye open and looked at the glowing screen.

"You're off today."

"I know."

"So why is your phone still working?"

I laughed quietly.

"Because clients don't care about days off."

He rolled slightly onto his back so he could look up at me.

"You work too much."

"If something goes wrong with this contract, Sienna will have my head."

He made a dramatic face at that "Ah yes. The legendary Sienna Wilson."

I tried not to laugh. Everyone in the office knew Sienna. And everyone had an opinion about her. Most of them weren't exactly kind.

"You know work is important" I said trying to reason with him.

"More than me?" He asked, arching a brow at me. He exactly knew how to corner me.

"Oliver y-"

Before I could finish, Oliver leaned forward and grabbed my phone. The screen went black. He had switched it off. Just like that. He placed it back on the table as if nothing had happened.

"You're impossible" I said.

"You're overworked." he corrected calmly.

He shifted slightly, resting his head against my thigh again.

"Just tonight" he said. "No emails. No clients. No stress. Just us."

I hesitated. The Arclight account was one of the biggest contracts our department had handled this year. Losing it would be a disaster. But Oliver reached up and squeezed my hand.

"You deserve a break."

Something in my chest softened at that. Maybe he was right. I had been working too much lately. So I foolishly let it go.

My phone stayed dark on the table while the movie continued playing in the background. And for the rest of the evening, I didn't think about work at all.

____________________________________

The next morning I walked into the office feeling strangely light. Which, in hindsight, should have terrified me. Nothing good ever follows a calm before the storm.

The moment I stepped into the department, the usual noise of keyboards and quiet conversations surrounded me. The familiar smell of coffee drifted through the air.

Everything felt normal. For exactly thirty seconds.

"Can I see you in my office?" The voice was calm. Too calm. Sienna Wilson stood near the glass office at the end of the floor, arms folded neatly.

People stopped typing almost instantly. Sienna had that effect on people. She didn't need to raise her voice. She didn't need to threaten anyone. Her presence alone was usually enough to make the entire department nervous. Behind my back, people called her all sorts of things.

Snappy princess, spoiled prick. I'd heard all the names before. None of them were said when she was actually in the room.

Most of them were convinced she had climbed the corporate ladder because her father was the president of the company.

Maybe that was true. But if it really was nepotism, she could have started anywhere she wanted.

She wouldn't have begun at the bottom like the rest of us right?

Anne says it's all an act to let people believe that the president is impartial, even to his own daughter.

I don't dwell on other's lives much. I followed her into the office.

The glass door closed behind me. Sienna didn't sit. She stood behind her desk, staring at me like she was deciding whether I was worth her time.

"Were you handling the Arclight account?" she asked.

"Yes." I replied, already knowing I was probably doomed.

Her expression didn't change.

"Then explain to me why the client attempted to contact you for six hours."

My brain froze. Six. Damn. Hours.

"Six hours?"

"Yes." Her fingers tapped against the desk once.

"They called repeatedly. They emailed. They left messages."

My stomach twisted.

"I didn't see any of those."

"Of course you didn't." The words were sharp enough to sting. Sienna's eyes hardened.

"My phone was off-"

"Your job pays your bills, not your boyfriend." She said flatly, interrupting my excuses, that stung. Sienna had a talent of pressing the wounds where it hurt most. Heat rushed to my face.

"If you want to keep this position," she continued, "start acting like a professional."

"I understand," I said quietly.

"Do you?"

I nodded.

She studied me for a moment before turning back to her laptop. "Next time this happens, your merit won't save you."

The meeting was over. Just like that.

By the time I reached my cubicle, the embarrassment had settled into a dull ache in my chest.

I sat down slowly and pulled my phone out of my bag. The screen was still black. Still switched off. For a moment I just stared at it, confused. Why hadn't I checked my phone? Why did I let Oliver switch it off?

Before I could think about it further, Anne dropped into the chair beside my desk.

"What did the snappy princess want now?" she asked.

"Anne..." I sighed.

"What? Don't tell me she snapped again."

"She said the client tried contacting me yesterday."

"But you were with Oliver all day." She replied with a frown.

In my state of mind I had forgotten that I never told Anne about my plans with Oliver.

"I know." As if summoned by his name, Oliver appeared beside the cubicle wall a moment later. He held two cups of coffee.

"Peace offering," he said with a grin.

He set them down on the desk. Black coffee. And a café latte with one spoon of sugar, Exactly how I like it.

Before I could reach for it, Anne grabbed the latte. She always had the habit of wanting whatever others liked. Especially if it was mine. I, in my naivety used to believe she's still childish and just needs to grow up.

"Oh perfect," she said, taking a sip.

"Guess you're drinking mine today." Oliver said chuckling at her action.

I looked at the remaining cup. Black coffee. I hated black coffee. Still smiling, I picked it up and took a sip. The bitterness spread instantly across my tongue.

Anne and Oliver were laughing about something now, completely absorbed in their conversation.

Watching them, I couldn't help smiling. Because sitting there with the two people I loved most in the world, I truly believed I was the luckiest person alive.

Funny how wrong a person can be.