Elara froze. Her heart was beating fast.
She cleared her throat. "Maintenance number 422, sir."
Julian frowned. "I didn't ask for your employee number. I asked for your name."
Elara looked up, but only halfway. "It's... Ela...Elena, sir."
Julian stared at her. Her eyes were amber-brown. He'd seen those eyes before.
"Elena," he repeated.
"Go take a break. Leave the water. That's an order."
"Thank you, sir," she whispered.
She stood up, grabbed her bucket, and left quickly, keeping her head down until she left the office.
Julian watched her go. He reached down and picked up a small, damp object that had fallen from the pocket of her jumpsuit. It was a keychain, a plastic sunflower.
He rubbed his thumb over the keychain.
As he looked at the sunflower, he murmured, "Elena, who are you?"
Elara sat by herself in a corner of the basement cafeteria of Silver Towers.
"Elena," she whispered.
She remembered the way Julian spoke to Jessica and smiled briefly.
The door to the cafeteria swung open, and a group of maintenance workers walked in, talking loudly.
"Did you hear?" someone whispered at the table next to her.
"Mr Julian scolded Jessica Sterling. He caught her bullying a cleaner."
"Good. She's been acting like she owns the place." Another responded.
Elara lifted her hood to hide. She didn't want to be recognized as the cleaner they were talking about.
"Julian, you've been staring at that cheap thing for twenty minutes." Caleb walked in and threw a folder onto the desk.
"John found a lead. A girl matching Elara Vance's description was seen at a shelter on 8th Street three days ago. But she left."
Julian clenched his fist, tightening his grip on the keychain. "I think she's here."
Caleb paused. "Who? Elara Vance?"
" Yes. The cleaner Jessica was harassing. There's something...oddly familiar about her."
Caleb rolled his eyes.
"Julian, you're looking for Elara Vance in every broke woman you see. Don't do anything to scare that cleaner. If she were Elara Vance, she would have recognized you and said something by now."
"I know, but when I looked at her, I felt... it felt like I had seen her before, and she deliberately avoided my eyes."
"Maybe she was just too scared ." Caleb shrugged.
" Look, Jules, we have important things to discuss, like the investors. They want an update on the goods that were stuck in Singapore. Then there's Marcus. He gets back tomorrow, and we have to brief him on what's been happening, especially details of the night you were attacked by those thugs."
Julian nodded, his mind still on Elena.
Over the next few days, Elara ensured she went unnoticed. She changed her work hours, signing up for early morning shifts.
But Julian Silver was suddenly everywhere.
She was polishing the railings of the private staircase when he appeared at the top.
She stopped holding the rag tight.
"You dropped this the other day, Elena." He remained at the top, holding out the sunflower keychain.
She hadn't even noticed it was missing. It was the only thing she had left of her mother.
"Thank you, sir." She walked up two steps and took it.
"I noticed you've been working really hard, coming in for only morning shifts. Why?" Julian asked.
"Morning shifts are easier for me, sir."
He took one step down, raising an eyebrow. "I asked Martha for your file. I noticed HR hired you recently, and you have no experience in cleaning. Do you have a college degree?
Elara's heart beat fast. She had lied on her application about the degree, scared she would be rejected because she was overqualified.
"I don't know what you mean, sir. I'm...I'm a cleaner."
"Your hands," Julian signaled toward her.
"You don't have the rough skin of someone who's experienced in cleaning.
"I'm just lucky, I guess," Elara responded.
"I should get back to work," Elara added as she walked past him.
"Elena?"
She stopped dead in her tracks, not turning back.
"You look tired." His voice softened.
"I don't know what you're running from, but whatever it is... You don't have to run. You're safe, here."
Safe? she thought. To her, the rich were dangerous, and she didn't want anything to do with them.
"I'm not running from anyone, sir," her voice shaking.
"I'm just minding my business. Please excuse me, I have to get back to work."
She rushed down the stairs, her heart beating fast.
He suspected she was Elara, and eventually, he would recognize her if she wasn't careful.
Julian stood there staring at her as she exited the stairway.
That night, Elara lay in her tiny room thinking.
She was finally moving into a tiny studio apartment.
She took out a small, hidden notebook. In it, she had written down the words Julian had said in his delirium: Don't go.
Elara was cleaning the floors near the reception desk on the 40th floor when the private express elevator opened. Out stepped three men. Julian, Caleb, and a third man she didn't know.
Elara bent over immediately when she saw Caleb. She remembered him from the night at her apartment.
Marcus Silver arrived at the office, and immediately the atmosphere became tense. He was the eldest brother and the toughest of the three.
They all marched towards Julian's office, and as they passed the reception desk, Marcus stopped.
Julian and Caleb stopped too.
Elara ducked her head further, her heart beating really fast.
Sniffing the air. "What is that smell?" Marcus barked at the receptionist.
"Sir?" the receptionist stammered.
"Lemon. It's offensive," he snapped.
Caleb and Julian continued their walk to the office, leaving him behind.
He glanced toward Elara, "And tell maintenance to do their cleaning after working hours."
"Yes, Mr. Silver. Right away, sir."
Elara grabbed her cleaning cart and headed for the service elevator.
As she passed Julian's office, she noticed the doors slightly open. She slowed down.
"Marcus, was that necessary?" Julian's voice echoed.
"You're distracted," Marcus responded, ignoring Julian's question.
Caleb sighed, "I've been telling him the same thing for weeks now."
"Julian, I've been reading the reports. Are you wasting company resources on a private investigator for a local girl? It's been weeks. Let it go."
The door slammed shut, cutting off the rest of the conversation.
Elara leaned against the tile of the service hallway, tensed.
He is still looking for me. The realization was terrifying.