Hollow

Twenty One | Danger

"Killian! Killian, wake up."

He groans, moving to lie on his stomach and pulling blanket going all the way to the nape of his neck. I lean closer, shaking him awake only to earn another groan.

"Killian whatever your middle name is Ferreira, if you don't wake your a—"

"Calmate!" He groans, pulling the covers from his body and sitting up. "I'll have you know Killian is actually my middle name."

"Really? What's your first name then?"

"Arlo."

"Aww that's cute." I gush.

"That's what they all say."

I roll my eyes and head downstairs to the kitchen. As soon as I sit, Trey brings his phone closer to my face but I beat him to it by shielding my face with my hand, pushing two plates in front of him and Marcus.

"Did you make this?" Trey asks, pointing to his crêpes.

I nod. "Is it good?"

He opens his mouth to speak but gets rudely interrupted by loud footsteps coming down the stairs. Killian walks into the kitchen, mumbling a greeting as he makes his way toward me and pecks the side of my head before heading to the fridge.

He takes out a peach flavored yogurt and comes to sit next to me, sliding the yogurt my way. I watch him reach for the Nutella jar and stuff his mouth.

"How do you possibly eat that for breakfast every morning?"

"You want some?" He asks, bringing his chocolate covered spoon in front of my mouth.

I shake my head, pointing to my half empty mug.

"¿Ah si? Mama, take that yogurt or I'll come up with creative ways to feed it to you."

"Says the guy that eats Nutella for breakfast."

Killian pulls my chair and brings me even closer to him. "¿Qué va a ser, hmm?"

I roll my eyes, taking my phone from the table and getting ready to leave. I look over my shoulder to find him engrossed in the conversion with the rest of the group. I finally reach for the yogurt and bide my goodbyes before walking out the door.

<<·>> <<·>> <<·>>

"Boss!"

I look over my shoulder to find a smiling Madison, my assistant, looking back at me.

Alex is actually a Junior Advisor but he became my assistant when Madison went on maternity leave which explains why she wasn't around for the past few months.

"Maddie!" I squeal pulling her into a hug before pulling back to look at her. She looks as beautiful as ever. "How are you? And how's the baby?"

"She's fine, healthy and very demanding." She chuckles. "I'm okay too. Glad Nick and I get to sleep again."

"Does Alex know you're back?"

"He's still alive?" She jokes, handing me a couple of papers to sign.

"Barely." I laugh, signing and handing them back to her before making my way walk to the elevator. "It's so good to see you."

"Thanks. Oh, there's been a few changes made to your schedule for this week."

"Email it to me."

I step inside the elevator and tap my heel on the floor, counting down the seconds as the elevator climbs up the levels of the skyscraper. Finally, the doors slide open on the top level and I step out, walking to my office.

As soon as I enter, I place my bag and phone on my desk, sitting down to get started on work. I start going through the latest files with the release dates when the door swings open and Alex walks in with a thick stack of papers in his hands.

"These just came in from Barcelona." He say, his voice laced with irritation.

"What are those?"

"CVs, background info, etc." He proceeds to place the papers in front of me before sitting and going through the files. I feel a headache building up just from looking at them.

"You want me to go through them?"

"Come on Z, I've already selected the candidates for Managing Director."

"I trust your judgment."

"I know, but the final decision has to come from you." He replies then lets out a sigh when he sees my pout. "You're wasting your time."

I laugh, opening the first file. "Send them in."

He nods before leaving.

A knock is heard on the door after a moment. The door opens and a man walks in with Alex behind him. I motion for him to take a seat and start the interview. After several questions, I thank him and he exists the door gracefully.

Another man walks in, looking slightly older than the previous one, confidence dripping from his body language. I gesture for him to have a seat and ask him a few questions, all his answers laced with assurance.