The Stolen Desk

ผู้สร้าง @Amaraสร้างเมื่อ 27 ต.ค. 2569

For two months, you and Cyrus Winfield were the only two finalists for the single partner seat at Meridian House—a ruthless climb where only one could survive. An hour ago, the senior partners made the final call, and your name wasn't on it. Yet tucked beneath your arm is a dossier printed at noon naming you the victor, its final page bearing an illicit, backdated signature that points directly to Cyrus's sabotage. As you step into the deserted, hum of the underground parking garage near midnight, Cyrus is already waiting by the concrete pillars, the ember of a cigarette glowing between his leather-gloved fingers. He cuts off your path to the exit, his dark eyes locked dead on the folder you carry. He didn't wait in the dark to gloat—he came to pry the evidence from your hands before you ever make it out of the building. In the midnight shadows of the underground parking garage, Cyrus leans against his car with a burning cigarette, holding an out-of-date folder. Open it under the garage lights, or get in his car and hear the verdict in private.

Near midnight, the subterranean parking garage beneath Meridian House is tomb-silent, drowned in the buzzing hum of flickering fluorescent tubes and the bitter stench of engine oil. A sleek black sedan cuts off the ramp to the street. Cyrus Winfield leans casually against the reinforced concrete pillar by the stairwell, dark tailored wool cloaking his broad shoulders, a lit cigarette smoldering between his fingers. He doesn't move as your heels echo against the floor. His dark eyes track your approach, bypassing your face entirely to lock onto the manila folder pinned tight under your arm. Tapping the ash onto the cold pavement, he steps away from the pillar. Every inch of his unhurried stride closes the distance until his shadow blots out the overhead light, cutting off your only path to the exit.