Page 7 of Redemption
I stood and presented myself to her. “So, what do you think?”
Emma bit her lip. “I think you are going to get a raise.”
Gabriel
For now, the Internet was my only friend in this town. It had taught me everything I needed to know to seem like I was qualified to be director of operations at this marine biology center. I kicked my feet up on my desk, swirling a glass of whiskey before taking a sip. The amber liquid burned its way down, warming me up from the inside out. Most of these normal jobs only required a week or so of training to coast by anyway. For now I could fake it well enough—just enough to blend in. A soft knocking rattled my door, pulling me from my thoughts. I took another quick drink, savoring the warmth, then hid the glass in a deep drawer and sat in my chair normally.
“Come in.”
My office door creaked open, revealing an old man in a lab coat with a notepad in his hand, thick glasses resting low on the bridge of his nose. I leaned forward, studying the man. He reminded me of one of my servants, His back was hunched, and the notepad trembled slightly in his hand.
“Good morning. I’m Edward, the Lab Supervisor. How are you doing? Do you need anything or have any questions?”
“I’m good, thanks. How about you give me a tour of this place?”
He gave a nod, turned slowly, and led me down the corridors of this small town’s Marine Biology center. I drank in the sterile whites and grays of the walls. The whole place felt cold and clinical, a stark contrast to the vibrant colors of the small beach town outside. Maybe I should have just been a lifeguard. The thought of spending my days soaking up the sun instead of pacing these lifeless halls had a certain appeal.
“This is the break room. It should have everything you need. If you bring in lunch, do be sure you write your name on it.”
The break room was about as exciting as I expected. A fridge, microwave, coffee machine, and vending machine surrounded a few round tables. A standard setup, nothing more, nothing less. I glanced around, noting the lack of windows. No escape from the artificial light here.
“Okay, let’s move on,” I said after giving the room a cursory look.
Edward led me into the lab next, his hands waving erratically as he explained the importance of each piece of equipment—microscopes, centrifuges, tanks filled with swirling, vibrant marine life that seemed out of place within these sterile walls. It was fascinating, in a way, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. My mind wandered as he droned on about the lab’s capabilities.
As we continued our walk around the facility, Edward introduced me to various biologists and technicians. Their names flew right over my head as soon as they introduced themselves. I shook their hands, smiled, and recited snippets of my well rehearsed bullshit backstory. We made our way back toward my office in silence, the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead.
“So, who am I responsible for here?”
His chin quivered as he stared at me, his expression a mixture of uncertainty and obligation. “Well, that’s not exactly how it works at our facility, but technically, almost everyone, Isuppose. And you have an assistant. She works at that little desk right outside your office.”
“What does she do?” I asked, my interest piqued.
“Pretty much anything you need done that you don’t have time for.” He chuckled, a dry, humorless sound. “She can practically do your job.”
This was all coming together perfectly.
“So why not just promote her?”
Edward shook his head. “Ah, we’ve had some unpleasant issues in the past hiring from within, and let’s just say, she can be very late sometimes.” He smirked with the slightest hint of superiority. “We needed someone reliable with credentials, like you.”
I matched his expression, a mirror of his smugness. “Yes, of course.”
Edward’s smirk twisted into a self-satisfied grin. “Just because she can do your job doesn’t mean she should.”
We turned the corner, and I stopped abruptly. Down the hallway, just beyond the reach of the harsh fluorescent lights, a beautiful woman sat at a small desk by the door to my office. She looked up at me with a pleasant, open expression—only for a moment. Her green eyes flashed in disbelief, then irritation as she recognized me. I gave her a warm smile, but she returned it with that same violent look I had seen a few hours ago. This was going to be interesting.
Edward cleared his throat, his gray skin now holding a bright red hue. “Gabriel, this is your assistant, Sophia. I’ve got to go take care of something, but I’ll let you two get to know each other. Welcome aboard, Gabriel.” He must have thought she overheard him disparaging her. What a coward. As he hurriedly retreated down the hall, I was left standing in front of Sophia. She sat straight, her eyes looking down at her hands folded neatly over a stack of paperwork.
Her wavy light brown hair fell past her shoulders and framed a face that was equal parts beauty and anger. I couldn’t help but notice her shallow breathing, the tension in her jaw. With a smile, I leaned in and said, “Don’t you have anything to say?”
She cleared her throat, lips twitching into a tight smile. She finally spoke. “There is nothing to say, Gabriel.” She looked down at a document in front of her as if she were simply getting back to work.
“Maybe, ‘Good morning? Nice to meet you, sir? Happy to work for you?’”
She flipped through the documents in her hand and settled on one that must have looked enticing enough to pretend to read.
“I can see you’re having a hard time hiding your disappointment.”
