A Warden's Chubby Obsession

CHAPTER 16

AUTHORS POV:

Roche’s hands felt clammy as she waited outside Datum’s office. It was colder here, tucked away from the bustling corridors. The only sound was the dull hum of a ventilation fan and she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that the place had been designed to make anyone standing here feel as small as possible.

The door swung open, and a guard gave her a curt nod, gesturing for her to enter. She stepped inside, blinking against the dim lighting. At the far end of a long, sleek table, a man in his late thirties leaned back in a leather chair, his gaze heavy and calculating. Datum looked every bit more formidable. Tall, with a jawline so sharp it looked sculpted from stone, and eyes that seemed to appraise her in a way that was far more unsettling than Victoria’s close examination earlier.

“Che,” he said, as though her name was a curiosity, he was still deciding whether he liked.

“Mr. Datum.” She managed a polite nod, though her voice was quieter than she intended.

“Call me Datum,” he said, his voice low and unhurried. He gestured to a chair across from him. “Sit. Let’s talk.”

She took the seat, her back rigid, her hands folded on her lap. The room seemed to shrink around them as his gaze narrowed, studying her like she was a puzzle he planned to solve.

“So, I finally get to take a good look at the one causing all the fuss,” he said, a faint smirk tugging at his mouth. “Orion’s golden girl. Victoria tells me you’ve already stirred up some excitement with the inmates.”

Che’s cheeks warmed, though she wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment or frustration. “I’m just here to do my job.”

“Oh, of course. The ‘job.’” He chuckled, but there was a hardness in his eyes. “Do you have any idea what your job entails? Really entails?”

She hesitated, feeling suddenly like a schoolgirl called to the principal’s office. “I was under the impression that I’d be working on the rehabilitation of big cooperation in local development. Orion mentioned—”

“Orion says a lot of things.” Datum waved a hand dismissively. “He likes to believe in… causes. I’ve always been more pragmatist. Northgate isn’t a place for ideas, Che. It’s a place where survival depends on knowing exactly where you stand.” He leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Do you know where you stand here?”

She paused, searching for a response that wouldn’t make her sound naive. “I know I’m new. I’m still learning the place and… the people.”

“Learning,” Datum repeated, the word slow and dripping with something close to disdain. “It’s a dangerous word here, Che. Some people use it as an excuse, a shield. They think because they’re ‘new,’ they can stumble around and not pay the price.”

Che met his gaze, willing herself to keep her voice steady. “I don’t plan to stumble.”

The smirk returned, but it was colder now. “No, you don’t look like the type to stumble. But intentions mean little in a place like this. People here… they can smell fear. They can see through the cracks, no matter how well you try to hide them.”

“Maybe I’m not afraid,” she replied, a hint of defiance in her tone.

He chuckled, low and humorless. “Everyone is afraid of something, Che. Especially here.” He paused, letting his gaze settle on her. “Even Orion.”

She felt a flicker of surprise, then quickly hid it. “Orion?”

“Don’t look so shocked. Your his fear. He’s good at putting on a front, but even the strongest have their limits. It’s why I’m here.” He leaned back again, folding his arms. “I keep things… balanced. I maintain order, protect what needs protecting.”

Che swallowed. “Including Victoria?”

A flicker of something passed over his face, but he quickly covered it with a nonchalant shrug. “Victoria knows her place here. She understands this place better than anyone. She’s… adaptable.”

His tone held a strange mix of admiration and something darker, and Che wasn’t sure she wanted to understand it. But she couldn’t ignore the way he watched her, as though he was waiting for her to step out of line.

“Look,” she said, trying to steer the conversation back on track, “I came here because I believe in helping people, and finding big companies such as orion's to play a role, I want—”

“There it is,” he interrupted, his voice sharp. “The savior complex.” He sighed, a mix of amusement and frustration. “Orion should have warned you, Che. This place isn’t a charity. The people here are here for a reason. They’re not ‘lost’ — they’re exactly where they belong.”

She felt her pulse quicken, a faint surge of anger at his dismissal. “Doesn’t everyone deserve a second chance?”

His eyes darkened, and for a moment, the air in the room seemed to thicken. “Second chances?” he repeated, his tone mocking. “Spoken like someone who’s never needed one.”

Che felt a pang of guilt, a reminder of the privilege she knew she carried, but she met his gaze, unwilling to back down. “Maybe not. But that doesn’t mean I don’t believe in them.”

Datum leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper that felt more dangerous than his raised voice could have. “This place doesn’t give second chances, Che. Northgate devours them. It swallows people whole, crushes them under the weight of their own choices. And if you’re not careful, it’ll do the same to you.”

The words hung in the air, chilling her. But she wouldn’t let him see her fear. Not now. “Then why are you here? What’s in it for you?”

A strange expression crossed his face — a flash of something almost like regret. “Control, Che. Order. I’m here to make sure the chaos doesn’t spill over. To keep people like you, from turning this place into a bleeding-heart experiment.” He paused, watching her reaction closely. “Because I already know what happens when you let that happen.”

She could feel her resolve softening, a strange pity seeping in. “So, that’s it? You keep people safe by… controlling everything? Even your own wife?”

His face went still, and for a moment, she thought she’d gone too far. But then he sighed, looking down at his hands. “Victoria…she’s strong. Stronger than you know. She doesn’t need protecting, least of all from me.”

There was a note of sadness in his voice that caught her off guard. She saw, in that moment, a man who had been shaped, even warped, by this place. But the sympathy was short-lived, dissipating as he looked up with a hard glint in his eye.

“You should go, Che. Remember what I told you. Stick close to Orion, follow the rules, and you might just survive here.” He stood, his silhouette casting a shadow across the table. “But cross me, push your ideals too far…” His voice dropped, low and cold. “And this place will eat you alive.”

Che rose to her feet, refusing to show how his words had unsettled her. “Thank you for the advice, Datum.”

He gave her a thin smile, a look that held no warmth. “Don’t thank me yet, Che. We’ll see if you’re still so grateful a few months from now.”

As she turned to leave, she felt his gaze lingering, a reminder that in Northgate, no one was truly safe. But as she stepped back into the cold corridor, her mind was already racing, more determined than ever to prove him wrong.