Lina stared at Adrian as if she had misheard him.
"…you'll be moving into my penthouse."
For a moment she said nothing.
Then she laughed.
It wasn't a happy laugh.
It was the kind people make when something sounds so ridiculous they can't believe it.
"That's not funny."
Adrian didn't laugh.
He simply walked into his office and placed a few documents on the desk.
Lina followed him inside, her frustration growing.
"You can't be serious."
Adrian sat down calmly.
"I rarely joke about business matters."
"This isn't business."
Adrian looked up at her.
"It is now."
Lina crossed her arms.
"I'm not moving anywhere."
Adrian leaned back slightly in his chair.
"Why not?"
"Because I have my own apartment."
"Which is located in Mbare," Adrian said casually.
Lina froze.
"How do you know that?"
Adrian ignored the question.
"It's small. One bedroom. Third floor. The plumbing is unreliable."
Lina's stomach tightened.
"You've been investigating me?"
Adrian's gaze was calm.
"I prefer the word observing."
"That's the same thing."
Adrian picked up a pen and began signing a document.
"You should be grateful."
"For what?"
"For the upgrade."
Lina shook her head.
"This is insane."
Adrian placed the pen down and finally looked at her properly.
"No."
His voice was quiet.
"Insane would have been letting you disappear again."
The words made Lina pause.
Her anger faded slightly, replaced by confusion.
"What do you mean?"
Adrian didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he stood up and walked toward the large window behind his desk.
The city stretched out below them.
Cars moved like tiny lights on the streets.
From this height, everything looked small.
Controlled.
Adrian spoke without turning around.
"Ten years ago, you vanished before sunrise."
Lina felt her chest tighten.
"I had my reasons."
"I'm sure you did."
"Then why are we talking about it now?"
Adrian turned slowly.
His eyes were sharp again.
"Because I don't like unfinished stories."
"That night was finished."
"Not for me."
The words fell quietly into the room.
Lina looked away.
"That night was a mistake."
"You've said that already."
"And I meant it."
Adrian walked closer.
"Tell me something, Lina."
The way he said her name felt strange.
Too familiar.
"Why did you run away?"
Lina hesitated.
"That's none of your business."
Adrian stopped only a step away from her.
"It became my business the moment you walked back into my life."
"I didn't walk into your life," she argued.
"You walked into mine."
Adrian's expression changed slightly.
"Did I?"
"Yes."
"You applied to this company three years ago."
"So?"
"You didn't think I would notice?"
Lina frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
Adrian studied her reaction carefully.
For the first time since entering the office, Lina noticed something different in his expression.
Something that looked almost like patience.
As if he had been waiting a very long time.
"You really don't know," he said quietly.
"Know what?"
Adrian walked back to his desk and opened one of the folders.
He slid a document across the table.
"Read it."
Lina approached cautiously.
She looked down at the paper.
Her eyes widened.
It was her job application.
But something was different.
At the bottom of the page was a signature.
A familiar signature.
Adrian Kade.
Lina looked up slowly.
"You approved my hiring?"
Adrian nodded once.
"Yes."
"But… you weren't CEO three years ago."
"No."
"Then how?"
Adrian folded his arms calmly.
"Because I was already a shareholder."
Lina's mind began racing.
"That means…"
"Yes."
Adrian finished the thought for her.
"I've known you were here for three years."
The room suddenly felt smaller.
"Then why didn't you say anything?"
Adrian watched her carefully.
"Because I wanted to be certain."
"Certain of what?"
"That you were the same girl."
Lina's heart began pounding again.
"You're obsessed."
"Possibly."
"That's not normal."
Adrian shrugged slightly.
"Neither was that night."
Lina turned away, frustrated.
"You can't just control my life because of something that happened ten years ago."
Adrian said nothing.
Then he spoke quietly.
"You're right."
Lina turned back toward him.
Relief flashed briefly across her face.
"Good."
"But I can control what happens now."
Her relief vanished.
"What does that mean?"
Adrian walked past her toward the door.
Then he stopped and glanced back.
"I already sent someone to pack your apartment."
Lina's eyes widened.
"You WHAT?"
Adrian's expression was completely calm.
"Your belongings will arrive at the penthouse tonight."
Lina's voice rose in disbelief.
"You had no right!"
Adrian opened the door slowly.
Then he delivered the final sentence that made Lina feel completely trapped.
"You're wrong."
He looked directly into her eyes.
"I had every right."
"After all…"
"…you were never supposed to disappear in the first place."