Alluring Mask - ENGLISH VERSION

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 15

Neither of us uttered a word after he finished speaking. I kept my mouth shut, waiting for his next words—but he didn't say anything else. A soft, non-threatening hum filled the silence as the elevator glided downward.

I was slightly surprised to hear the familiar sound of the elevator when it reached the floor. I was waiting for the door in front of us to open, but it didn't. Then I almost jumped in surprise when I suddenly heard the door open, and it was the one behind us.

I was right, there were two doors in this elevator.

When I looked at Atlas, the corner of his lips rose and he shook his head. He gestured with his head towards the open elevator door to signal me to go out.

I swallowed and followed him. I had been imagining that the place we would get out of the elevator might be scary, but it wasn't. I was greeted by a big lounge. It was plain white, and there was nothing else but gold linings in every corner. The environment was very bright because of the lights attached to the ceiling. There was a small reception desk at the entrance of the elevator, but there was no one there.

There was a large flatscreen TV in the corner that I think was like a living area. There were many chairs scattered around for some reason. On the side of the living area, there was a long table with a coffee machine and other food besides biscuits and chips.

"Welcome to my basement, Sarah," Atlas said.

He walked ahead of me and went straight down a hallway. I hurried to keep up and just before entering the hallway, I glanced to the side and noticed people in a room wearing lab gowns and face masks.

Is Atlas a doctor? Or maybe his job is related to that? If so, that's too far from what I studied in college. The people inside were also too serious, and I could see that they were looking at something under a microscope from where I could see it.

Some were walking around, and some were doing something. I could see them clearly because of a large glass window. A woman and I made eye contact when she probably noticed someone was looking at her. She had long hair and curtain bangs. She was holding test tubes and other equipment.

"Sarah?"

I quickly looked away from the woman when Atlas called me. He was already standing at the entrance of the hallway, one hand in his pants pocket.

"S-sorry," I stammered.

I glanced one last time at the woman, but she was gone. She seemed to have returned to work. I walked towards Atlas, and he turned away from me to go to his office.

He opened the first white door on the right and went inside. I was greeted by the very cold air coming from the split-type air conditioner that was placed on the side of his office. There was a black table there and a brown leather swivel chair. He sat down and pointed to a brown Sydney chair on the left side in front of the table. There were two of them, and the other one was on the right.

"Take a seat," he ordered me, still pointing to the chair.

"Can you now tell me what job you're going to give me?" I asked when I sat down.

I was restless, and I wanted to know so I could go home. It's already late, and it's almost dawn.

"I saw what they were doing there earlier. What I studied in college is far from what I will do here if you hire me—"

"Just give me a second. I'll just do something," he interrupted me.

I closed my mouth and waited for him to finish what he was doing. He talked to someone on his cellphone, but I couldn't understand because his answers were just yes and no. He also finished what he was doing quickly when he got the two papers from the printer that were on a drawer displayed on the side.