The Whitewater Corporation building looked exactly the same as when Pervis had left it hours earlier, though now he was returning under very different circumstances.
A uniformed police officer walked beside him, not as a guard escorting a prisoner, but as an apologetic representative of the department attempting to make amends.
“Again, Mr. Tyler, I cannot apologize enough for the way you were treated,” Officer Martinez said as they rode the elevator up. “The chief has assured me that appropriate measures are being taken.”
“I’m sure they are,” Pervis replied calmly.
Meanwhile, on the twelfth floor, Gerald Roden sat behind his desk like a king on a throne. His office was deliberately positioned to overlook the main workspace where his subordinates toiled, allowing him to monitor their every move while enjoying his own private domain.
The sharp–faced woman–whose name was Patricia–stood beside his desk, both of them engaged in loud conversation that was clearly intended to be overheard by everyone in the vicinity.
“I tell you, Patricia, this company’s hiring standards have gone completely downhill,” Roden declared, his voice booming through the space. “In my day, we actually vetted people before letting them through the door!”
“Absolutely, Mr. Roden,” Patricia agreed enthusiastically. “How could anyone have missed that Tyler was a common criminal?”
“It’s incompetence at every level!” Roden continued. “Whoever recruited that thief should be held accountable right alongside him!”
Alicia sat at her newly assigned desk, her expression carefully neutral as she listened to Roden’s tirade. Linda occupied the desk next to hers, nodding along with obvious agreement.
“I mean, really,” Linda whispered to Alicia, “how did he even make it past the background check?”
Alicia didn’t respond, her fingers moving efficiently across her keyboard as she focused on the orientation materials she’d been assigned.
“The police probably have him locked up by now,” Roden said with satisfaction. “I hope they throw away the key. Parasites like him don’t deserve to walk free in society.”
“He’ll be someone’s entertainment in prison,” Patricia added with a nasty laugh. “Pretty boys like him always are.”
The office door suddenly opened, and all conversation ceased abruptly.
Pervis stepped inside, a faint mocking smile playing at his lips as his gaze swept across the room and landed directly on Roden’s shocked face.
For a moment, absolute silence reigned. Roden’s mouth hung open comically, his brain struggling to process what he was seeing.
“That’s… that’s impossible,” he finally stammered.
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Chapter 29
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Pervis raised an eyebrow. “Is it?”
Roden shot to his feet, his chair rolling backward and hitting the wall. “You’re not just a criminal–you must have escaped from jail!”
“Escaped?” Pervis repeated, his smile growing wider.
“Yes! Escaped!” Roden’s voice rose to a near–shrick. “There’s no other explanation! You were arrested for theft! The police took you away in handcuffs!”
“They did,” Pervis agreed calmly.
“So you broke out!” Roden declared triumphantly. “You’re an escaped convict! Patricia, call the police immediately!”
Alicia stood up from her desk, her expression troubled. “Mr. Roden, perhaps we should-”
“Silence!” Roden barked. “This doesn’t concern you!”
“But sir,” Alicia persisted, “maybe there’s an explanation-
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“The only explanation is that this criminal broke out of custody!” Roden insisted. “Look at him! Standing there with that smug smile like he didn’t just commit another felony!”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
