In Losing Grip On Sinking Ships

Chapter 18

Warning: Smut

"Suspended?" Wanda repeats incredulously at your assistant. Her mind spins, thinking about the last several days when you've been mysteriously silent. Every call she's tried to make has gone straight to voicemail; every text she's sent is left unseen, hanging in the balance.

It feels like you've dropped off the face of the Earth, a sensation all too familiar to Wanda. It's like you've once again disappeared from her life without any warning, leaving her in a state of worry and confusion.

Her gaze falls back on your assistant, Martin, who just nods apathetically, his bony fingers carefully balancing a tray of coffee. His casual, nonchalant manner seems to strike a nerve with her, agitating her more than she'd like to admit.

"Sorry, Ms. Maximoff," he says in a flat, apologetic voice, "She's not been around, hasn't been taking calls or replying to messages from our human resources."

Wanda's eyes flicker from the reception desk to your office, her heart throbbing with concern and confusion. The glass pane of the office door merely reflects a distorted image of her, nothing of what it concealed inside. "But she's the boss here..." she lamely objects, her voice trailing off.

"Yes, and she suspended herself, apparently," he replies, shrugging. "In essence, she's on a sabbatical, if you prefer."

"Did... Did she inform you or anyone here why?" she manages to ask, trying desperately to figure out something–anything.

Martin sighs, placing the trays on his unruly desk. "Wish I knew, really. But she left with only two words 'personal reasons'. That's all we got."

Wanda stands frozen, questions swirling in her mind, none finding an outlet. Her eyes moisten, and she swallows hard, her worry for you amplifying every second. She scans the room one more time, a futile effort to find answers.

"The last time I saw her," he starts, his voice breaking her trance, "She seemed...off. Like she was wrestling with something. Something big."

Her heart lurches. The last time your career was put on hold was when the two of you had to navigate through the tangled mess of divorce proceedings. If even your assistant has noticed that something was amiss, it must mean that whatever you're going through is truly serious, enough to have disrupted your usually composed work life.

"If she calls in, could you let her know that I came by? And that I need to speak to her urgently?" she asks, biting her lower lip.

Martin nods, his face softening for the first time. "I will. And if I hear anything, I'll let you know."

With a sigh of resignation, Wanda hands him her card and manages a small, tight-lipped smile as a parting gesture.

Yes, you've disappeared on her before, but this time it feels different—a gnawing worry eating at her gut that she can't ignore. She knows it's not like you to abandon your responsibilities, not without a strong reason. You no longer have Natasha—or Yelena, for that matter—to turn to which makes it all the worse.

She needs to find you.

-

"She's not home," the words ring out, echoing in the grandiose lobby of your apartment building.

The statement is identical to the one she had been fed two days prior.

"Can I go up to the apartment?" she implores, searching for an excuse for them to let her in. "I... I left my purse there."

But the concierge, rigid in his protocols, shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Miss. Without the tenant present or without their explicit permission, I can't let you in."