Chapter 13

I stood up from my seat when he didn't respond, "Mr. Shaw, what are you talking about?" I asked in surprise. My heart started to pound again, not out of fear, but nervousness. He still leaned against the chair with his intimidating aura. His old blue eyes followed every move of mine, and I could feel the atmosphere between us slowly becoming more intense than before.

Our kitchen wasn't as spacious as the other rooms in the apartment, just enough for cooking and a dining table for four. Being alone with him here made the room feel even more cramped.

"I... don't have much experience with women. So, I hope you'll excuse me if what I've been doing for you seems unclear." He ran his fingers through his hair again with his right hand.

"But you just met me a few days ago, Mr. Shaw." I answered without diverting my attention from him, and he was doing the same. "Technically, you don't know me." I added.

He raised one corner of his mouth, forming his characteristic smile. "You're right. That's why I want to get to know you better."

"I can't—"

"Of course, you can." He cut off my sentence, still with his overly confident smile. But with his perfect face and arrogant jaw, he didn't make me feel annoyed. Well, just a little.

"Mr. Shaw, I just ended my relationship with... my last ex. And I'm not looking to start something new."

"Meaning your relationship with Oliver Wright?" He sounded a bit disgusted mentioning Oliver's name.

"How do you know?" He also called Oliver's name earlier today; I'm sure they didn't know each other before. Oliver doesn't even know who Mr. Shaw is.

He shrugged slightly, seemingly indifferent. "I don't want a relationship like yours with Mr. Wright. I want you."

My heart jumped a little when he said 'I want you.' I closed my eyes for a few seconds to gather the remnants of my sanity, "You're not human." I murmured, opening my eyes again.

There was no significant change in his expression when he heard my answer, but he didn't smile either.

"You're right." He replied with a small nod. He didn't try to explain or offer more answers. We fell silent again until he raised his arm slightly to glance at his Rolex. "I have to go." He suddenly stood up from his seat, "Thank you for tonight, Miss Heather. If you have any questions for me, you know how to reach me."

He raised his right hand slightly, as if to touch me, then pulled it back. "I hope you have questions." He murmured softly. Then he nodded slightly at me and walked out of my kitchen, two seconds later, I heard the door of my apartment close.

And just like that, Nicholas Shaw was gone. He came and went just like that.

***

"Damn!" Lana cursed for the third time today. "This is my favorite shirt, damn tomato sauce." She grumbled, wiping her white shirt with a wet tissue, but what she did only made the stain spread even wider. She grunted in frustration before finally giving up.

"Do you have time to accompany me to buy a new shirt?" She looked at me with half-frustrated, half-pleading eyes. We were in the bathroom of an Italian restaurant; today was one of my routine lunch schedules with Lana. I checked my watch briefly and nodded at her, "I still have half an hour."

Lana smiled widely, putting on her black blazer again, and the part of the shirt stained with sauce was covered by the blazer.

"Lana, you can hide the stain behind your blazer; why bother buying a new one?" I said, pointing at her shirt.

She rolled her eyes before answering me, "I have a date after work."

"And you didn't tell me?" I asked, pouting. I grabbed her small comb and tidied my hair a bit, although I knew my hair would be messed up again by the wind when we left the restaurant.

Three days ago, Lana made me cut my hair; she found my previous hair too boring. So now, my auburn hair, which is ten times better than before, is three centimeters shorter, layered, and has a few highlights.

And of course, Lana is always right; my auburn hair is now ten times better than before.

Lana refreshed her lipstick and answered me, "You didn't tell me about Nicholas Shaw, so I didn't tell you about my date."

"Nothing is going on between us, Lana." I replied with a hint of guilt. She doesn't remember the last time Nicholas Shaw came to our apartment; she only remembers Mr. Shaw picking me up for dinner.

"Now tell me, who's your date?" I stared at her through the mirror, her blonde hair, honey-colored, left to fall freely down her back. Lana doesn't need much makeup to make herself beautiful.

"A doctor at the Central Hospital. I met him during dinner with my boss."

Lana has never had a doctor boyfriend before; now it's my turn to smile broadly.

"What kind of doctor? Well, what's his name?" I leaned against the sink, folding my hands on my chest. Lana rolled her eyes before answering me, "Eissenberg. Leon Eissenberg. He's a doctor dealing with cancer and stuff; I don't know what it's called."

Lana raised her shoulders slightly, indifferent. "We need to hurry if you don't want to be late."

***

"Ella, I need the Shaw & Partner files you still have." I looked up from my computer screen; Christine was tapping her fingers on my desk.

"For what?" I asked while looking for my flash drive in the desk drawer. I tried to make my voice sound indifferent. Since last week, I haven't seen Oliver again, precisely on Tuesday after we 'almost' had lunch. Mr. Newman said Oliver requested a transfer to the branch office in Chicago, so now Christine is promoted as the assistant manager, replacing him.

"You haven't heard?" Christine's fingers were still tapping my desk, "They're hiring an accountant to solve the embezzlement case in the company."

"Nicholas Shaw?" My heart started to beat a bit faster.

"Yeah, he contacted Mr. Newman directly this morning. I need those files; you still have them, right?"

I nodded and continued to look for my flash drive, "So, who's going?" I asked with a voice that I tried to keep neutral.

"Of course, it's me. Mr. Newman asked me directly this morning. That's why I need those files. I have to study them first. Damn, I was hoping he would send you. Besides, you used to handle Shaw & Partner before."

"Oh..." I handed her the flash drive, trying to force a smile. Even though I didn't want to admit it, I felt a bit disappointed. Okay... very disappointed. For a moment earlier, I thought Mr. Shaw would ask me to go to Manhattan. I haven't heard from him since we last met two weeks ago.

I bit my lip for about a minute while thinking before finally returning to my work.

***

Today, I got home an hour earlier. I knew Lana wouldn't come home before 8 PM, so I decided to buy pizza for myself and bring it home.

The streets weren't too crowded as I made my way back home. The taxi dropped me off at the entrance of the apartment building within five minutes after I stopped by the pizza restaurant.

I opened the quiet door to my apartment with one hand, my other hand carrying my bag and the pizza box. Usually, Lana comes home first, so this time, I felt a bit strange in the silence of our apartment.

I turned on the main lights and placed the pizza box on the kitchen counter. Without changing my clothes first, I grabbed a slice of the still-warm Margherita pizza, taking slow bites while standing next to the kitchen counter.

I kicked off my heels one by one, placing them in the kitchen corner, before taking another slice of pizza. The sauce with diced tomatoes and basil on a Margherita base was my favorite, enhanced by the melting mozzarella covering the entire pizza. I sighed with satisfaction before taking the third slice, but my gaze accidentally fell on a stack of letters next to my pizza box.

Lana must have picked up the letters from the lobby this morning. I began to check each letter addressed to me. There were only two – one from my credit card bill and the other from the bank where I owed my tuition fees. I bit into my pizza as I opened my credit card bill first, making a mental note on my phone to pay it tomorrow morning.

I finished the third slice before opening the second letter and quickly scanning it. It contained a notification about the complete settlement of my remaining debt, thanking me for entrusting the bank, and so on.

My eyes went back to the first paragraph as I read all the sentences to the end, this time more slowly. I swallowed the last bite of my pizza with difficulty before reading it for the third time. But no matter how many times I read it, the content remained the same – a notice of debt settlement. My debt, which should not have been paid off until next year.

Could they have the wrong information? I walked towards the phone next to the kitchen but reconsidered after glancing at my watch, which showed 5 PM. Calling the bank now would be useless, so I decided to check my bank account online.

I opened my laptop in the bedroom and powered it on, my forehead still wrinkled. A minute later, I accessed my online bank account, and there it was – information similar to the letter I just read. All my debts had been paid off.

But who paid them? My hand clicked on the more detailed information, and a second later, dozens of lines about my last account transactions appeared on my laptop screen. My gaze immediately focused on the transaction made a week ago. I clicked on it again, and several lines detailing the transaction appeared on the laptop screen. But only three main lines froze me in my seat, three lines containing the name and bank account information of the person who paid off my debt.

Nicholas E. Shaw

Bank of Manhattan

295 Wall St. East Manhattan