Hired for secrets

Know the enemy

Was it bold or downright delusional to think Sofie could snatch Philip away from Ms. Hunt? Unlike Sofie, Ms. Hunt was an exotic beauty, fabulously rich, and used to getting what she wanted. She wouldn't give up a date just because Sofie asked her to. Neither would Philip. He'd see the evening through, out of loyalty or fear. So if she had any chance of luring him away, she needed time alone with him to convince him that leaving Elandra was the right choice. For that, she had to come up with a plan that made Ms. Hunt want to leave but not before Philip was safely out of Elanra's clutches.

To come up with this perfect plan she needed to know the enemy. She spent the past week observing Ms. Hunt. Like Philip, the woman was absolutely dedicated to her work. Maybe that's what they bonded over? She left for the office at 5 in the morning and seldom came home before 8 at night. She ate at the office, had her deliveries sent there and even received her personal trainer and beautician there. Good. This made it easier to come up with a believable emergency, because there was only one address she could be called to: the office.

Sofie's basic plan was simple. It would have to do with the Royal Commission. If they found her skeletons, things could go pear shaped quickly and a late night emergency sitting of the executive team was plausible. So all she had to do was fill in the details. Who else would be at this meeting? What would convince Ms. Hunt to come? And how would she get there? All of this information could be found inside Ms. Hunt's headquarters. But that was easier said than done. Sofie wasted two days, trying to secure a fake badge, before giving up. It was her last day and she had to resort to trickery to get in.

"Shoot, I almost forgot you..." Sofie wheeze, jogging back to the reception desk.

She pretended to have come from the elevators of Ms. Hunt's insurance company and be on her way out of the building. This place was built to impress, taking up the entire footprint of the high-rise building and sporting a ten-meter high sculpture in the middle. During rush hour, it was bursting with the thousands of employees working here, but at three in the afternoon, only the 10 people operating the reception and check-in gates were around.

"What can I get you?" Sofie's overly excited voice echoed from the marble cladding as she called out to the lobby staff.

"What?"

One of the security guards looked up from his newspaper. He had a tired, resigned look on his face, like he was done with the day already.

"I didn't bring a birthday cake this year," she said as if that explained anything. "Evil carbs, and all... Instead, I'm getting everyone a COFFEE."

Sofie smiled stupidly as if this was the brightest idea she'd had all year.

"What are you on about?"

His tone turned hostile, the last thing he needed today was an enthusiastic moron to deal with.

"It's all in the email..." A quick glance at his name tag and jam-smeared shirt armed Sofie with enough information to start her scam. "Didn't you get it, Larry? Oh, by the way, how are the kids? You still have to do the school-runs?"

"Um, yes... How'd you know?"

His sleep deprived brain wasn't catching up, instead it told him to feel guilty for having forgotten who she was. He helplessly looked to another guard but that person just shrugged, his job was to sign-in people not bond with them.

"I'm the same, remember? But I dropped to part-time a while back. Now, I'm only in on Mondays. Makes it so much..."

"Happy Birthday." A guy with a nervous twitch under his left eye interrupted their conversation lacklustre. "I'll have an Americano."