The Assistant

Chapter Two

Maddie knew she should wait till the end of Marcus's speech, but the large theatre was making her feel claustrophobic. She side-stepped legs and bags, muttering apologies as she went along the row. Her action had a Mexican wave effect on those sitting further down and soon all of them were on their feet making way for her, turning her exit into somewhat of a spectacle. Maddie kept her head down, but she could almost imagine her new boss's eyes following her, his speech faltering at the disturbance.

As she neared the exit, her speed increased. When she finally pushed open the heavy door, she fell out into the sunlit foyer and immediately doubled over. It'd been a while since her last panic attack. There had been a time, shortly after the accident, when these attacks had been a daily occurrence. Recognising the symptoms, she began to count down from a hundred while taking in slow, measured breaths.

Seventy-four, seventy-three, seventy-two... She jumped as a hand touched her shoulder. She turned sharply, almost losing her balance.

"Maddie, you okay?" Henry asked. His eyes were warm with concern.

"Not really," she signed back, not trusting the stability of her own voice.

"You've gone very pale. Aren't you feeling well?"

"No, I'm fine, I'm just..." She couldn't help it. Her eyes grew wet and a small tear treacherously rolled down her cheek.

"Goodness, Maddie, whatever's wrong?"

She glanced around at nearby desks. Maddie had developed a growing audience. "Not here," she replied, hurriedly wiping her face with the back of her hand.

Henry looked behind him and the onlookers scurried back to their jobs. He turned back to her. "Let's go down to my office."

As they travelled down one floor, Maddie's eyes were fixed on her closed hand and the phone contained within. Her clenched knuckles had turned white. Making their way across another busy office floor, they walked between desks of headphone-clad staff responding to customer queries. It was only a few months ago she'd actually had to ring this office due to a banking error she had discovered. A small, nominal amount had been leaving her account on the same day, every month but had only shown up on her paper statements that she never checked, and not the app. Known for their speedy customer service, DIGIPA had apologised and the monies had been immediately replaced. The issue had never arisen again. Now here she was, an employee of the same company. However, right now, all she wanted to do was get on a plane and go home.

Henry's desk was situated in the corner of the open office. He motioned for her to take a seat and he took one opposite and waited for her to begin. Maddie looked back over the office. People were everywhere and although she imagined the room to be rather noisy, she did not want anyone else to overhear their conversation. Whoever had sent those messages could even be amongst them now, watching.

"Do you mind if we just sign, no talking?"

His eyes narrowed a little. "Okay."

Maddie slowly unclenched her hand and placed the phone on the table. She took a deep breath. "I've just received some nasty messages."

"Who from?" He sat forward in his chair.

"Val...my DPA."

"What, from the DIGIPA app?"

Maddie nodded. She pushed her phone toward Henry to take a look for himself. She couldn't bring herself to look at them again, let alone repeat their content.

Henry swiped to open the app and his finger flitted up and down the screen as he began to read. Maddie scrutinised his face. Only a look of puzzlement was forthcoming.