ARIA'S POV - 5:47 PM
The office emptied slowly, like water draining from a bathtub.
First the junior associates, eager to start their evenings. Then the mid-level staff, calling goodbyes and weekend plans to each other. Finally the senior employees, briefcases in hand, exhaustion evident in their postures.
By 5:45, the 47th floor was almost deserted.
Just Aria at her desk, Damien in his office, and the security guard making his rounds two floors down.
She tried to focus on the email she was drafting, but her hands were shaking too badly to type properly. She'd made three typos in the last sentence alone.
6 PM. He'd said 6 PM.
She had thirteen minutes.
Her phone buzzed.
Lock the main door. Put up the "Meeting in Progress" sign.
Her heart hammered as she stood, crossed to the glass doors that led to the elevators. The lock clicked into place with a sound that felt impossibly loud. She hung the sign that would discourage anyone from disturbing them.
