"This is..." Mark trailed off, hearing so noises outside the office.
Jumping from his seat, he rushed to the door and pressed his ear against it. He listened to the faint sounds outside, which were slowly approaching the principal’s office.
At that mont, Mark knew he would be in trouble if anyone saw him there. Without further ado, he rushed back to the desk and closed the monitor. He glanced at the flash drive with hesitation but then shifted his gaze toward the door.
Pulling the flash drive would stop the transfer. He could only hope it was hidden enough that no one would notice. With that, Mark looked around and hid in the closet—the only place that could conceal a person in this office.
A few seconds later, light filtered through the small gaps in the closet and shone on Mark. His breathing grew shallow, and his back almost fused with the wooden shelves. He sensed movent outside. When he peeked through a gap, he saw a figure—a nun—enter the room, grab sothing from the stand, and leave.
"Yes, Mother," the nun spoke into her phone. "Are these the only things you need? Alright."
Mark watched through the gap, his heart racing as the nun walked closer to where he was hiding. He squeezed himself into the corner, almost blending in with the wood. Yet, his eyes remained fixed on the gap.
The nun was standing right outside the closet door, still talking on the phone.
"..." Mark gulped, and for so reason, it seed louder than before. He balled his hands into tight fists, his mind racing at full speed.
Just a little longer, and this person would find out soone was hiding in the closet.
"Is it in the closet, Mother?" the nun asked, unaware that Mark’s breath stopped right then and there.
At that mont, Mark focused intently on the clothes inside the closet. Closing his eyes, he silently apologized to Penny—getting caught seed inevitable now. If the person outside opened the door, Mark had no choice but to knock her out. Getting caught was one thing, but getting recognized was another.
When Mark reopened his eyes, he was ready for whatever would co next. He stared at the closet door, prepared to act as soon as it opened.
But then...
"Mother, were you talking about the violet purse?" the nun asked, her eyes moving to the couch. "I found it."
Releasing her grip on the closet, the nun walked to the couch and picked up a small purple bag. A smile crept onto her face as she idled for a mont before ending the call. She smiled again as she held the bag and turned to leave, but she paused at the window.
"It’s left open again," she whispered, walking over to close and lock it. Afterward, she quickly left with the bag in hand.
Only when the door finally shut did Mark exhale in relief.
That was close.
Slowly, Mark pushed the closet door open and stepped out as carefully as possible. When he saw no one around, he headed to the door and pressed his ear against it.
"Hah..." he sighed again, relieved to hear nothing outside. However, he didn’t linger on it too long. He walked back to the desk and checked the transfer progress. The second he saw it was done, he quickly pulled out the flash drive, closed all tabs, and snuck out through the window where he had entered.
****
[SKYLINE PLAZA: Finn’s]
"Finn, is sothing wrong?" Nina asked, noticing that Finn had been quiet for a while.
Her voice snapped him out of his trance, and he looked up at her. The mont their eyes t, another shallow breath escaped her.
"The other ti, you reminded of honesty in this relationship," she said softly, concern swirling in her eyes. "You reminded of what kind of relationship—marriage—I want. So, I’m reminding you today."
She paused, reaching out to hold his hand across the table. "So, please, tell what’s been bothering you. The dinner last night with your parents ended worse than you told , didn’t it?"
"It ended the way I expected it," Finn let out a heavy sigh, squeezing her hand lightly. "But that’s not what’s bothering ."
"If not that, then what?"
"How to tell you so things," he said, making her brows rise in curiosity. Finn cleared his throat and looked her deep in the eye. "Nina, I heard you accepted a project that Cassandra recomnded?"
"Hmm?" Nina blinked. "Oh, that? Yes, I did. It’s a governnt project under her grandfather. The company doesn’t like accepting governnt projects because of the complicated payouts, but we made an exception for this one."
After giving him a brief summary, her brows shot up again. "What about it, Finn?"
"Can you drop this project?" he asked, his heart heavy and conflicted. It felt like the second ti he was asking Nina to drop a project. The first ti, with Jonathan, Nina had done it without him asking. But it still felt like his responsibility.
Finn and Nina had agreed in the past — and still did—to avoid discussing work too much. They spent most of their days working, after all. They couldn’t fully avoid it, though. There were tis when Nina would be upset with her work or a client, and she couldn’t help but vent. And tis Finn used work as an excuse for his tardiness. But those were just occasional circumstances.
"Why?" Nina furrowed her brows in confusion. "Why are you asking to drop it, Finn? Didn’t you and Cassandra have a good relationship?"
She paused and added, "To be honest, it does feel a little awkward. Technically, he’s your ex. However, Cassandra is a good person. She even helped choose a gift for your parents... though I don’t know if they liked it or not."
"Did the two of you fight?" she asked, though if the answer was yes, that would be too shallow and petty for an excuse. This was work, after all.
"No, we didn’t fight," he said, then fell into a deep silence. Finn stared at Nina, gulping down the tension in his throat. When he mustered enough courage, he spoke. "I caught the person who sent that gift, Nina."
"You did?!" Nina almost jumped from her seat, her eyes wide. "Who did such a horrible thing, Finn?"
But Finn didn’t answer. He just stared at her until Nina’s expression slowly changed. As realization dawned on her, Finn nodded.
"It’s..." Nina whispered in disbelief. "... Cassandra?"
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