×
Contingency plan.
She heard too much. A lot of things she didn't need to know. Things that could ruin him and Darren.
Their career. Their life. Everything.
He could have stopped Darren from blurting out their secrets, but, too late. And Jessiah could've called the cops already.
Dammit. Too risky. He needed to do something now. No time for procrastination or feigning optimism. Jenson swore in his head. He slid a pill into his pocket.
Maintain control of the situation. Not let more shit hit the fan. A lot was at stake.
Before rushing out the door, he glanced at Darren in the corner. The guy remained on the divan, clutching his phone, facing the wall while lying on his side, almost in a fetal position. Darren seemed sedated now. No longer crying. Or hysterically shouting things no one should hear a
× Right. The CCTV cameras. Of course she didn't forget. She probably memorized every inch of his office like the back of her hand. She was observant as much as she was hardworking, meticulous, and creative. Talented. Nice. Caring. Intelligent. Beautiful. Damn. Why was she still single? Sometimes it boggled his mind but it was none of his business, so he didn't pry. Once she left, he would check the camera that was pointed towards the doorway. Just to make sure that it was still on standby mode, not actually recording any real-time footage. Jessi didn't know that. Good thing he didn't tell her yet. "Safe flight." As they stood beside his work desk, Jessi leaned forward to hug him. He froze while her arm wrapped around his back. It wasn't an intimate embrace, but it still surprised him, leaving him speechless in her arms
×No surprises. No phone call. Nothing.Charmaine plainly ignored him and his quick rant via text. It'd been hours now. She didn't even care to return his calls or reply with a short message. Not even a single "OK".He was sure she read his message already. The green icon and "online" status on her email profile told him so. Like always, he and their relationship weren't a priority.He shouldn't have expected otherwise. Fine. He would just have to wait. As usual. It pissed him off beyond words, but his pride held him back.If she wanted to fix things, Charmaine would call him now to talk to him. If not, then he would have to move on and just figure out a way to make the breakup easier for both sides.Maybe she thought he only wanted to call off their engage
× "Hi." "Hey." Jenson walked straight into his office when he saw his mask-wearing assistant sitting alone in front of his work desk. The office unsurprisingly looked tidier than how he left it last night. She must've arrived here much earlier than the medical team who just collected her swab. Jessi reclined in her seat and stared at him. A face mask hid half of her pale face. Her hair was in a tight bun that showed off her slender neck and shoulders. Her plain yellow hoodie was paired with dark yoga pants that matched her gym shoes. The bored look in her eyes and her laid-back posture confirmed that she had been stuck in here alone in his office for a while. Just waiting for the test results like him. "You good?" He eyed her and dropped the knapsack full of his personal belongings for his scheduled trip. Jessi nodded. "You? Feeling kinda weird or something?" "Not really. You?" "Just a little anxious." "Same." He sighed and assessed her overall appearance again. She seemed
×"So, we're stuck here. Three days." Jessi sat on the edge of the desk and eyed her boss. "What now?"After giving a shrug in reply, Jenson reclined in his chair and kept his eyes focused on his phone. They both wore masks, still, although they were confident their lab test results would come back negative in an hour or so.Or they could be presymptomatic. Meaning, the virus could still be incubating, so they had to sit tight, observe and wait for any changes in their physical condition for the next few days.Staying here in his office for 72 hours straight wasn't an issue for her, but, obviously Jenson got pissed. He didn't want to be stuck here in LA all weekend just to quarantine himself with her. He had a scheduled work trip to New York, and he was the type of guy who didn't like sudden drastic changes to his plans or his routine.
× "Shit. I'm sorry." "For what?" "It's kind of, my fault." Jessi sighed in frustration as she sat in front of his desk. At this point there was no one else to blame for their current situation. Reclining in his swivel chair, Jenson squinted at her and placed his phone on the desk. "What?" "I should've sat far away from Jonah...after he told me he was at a party. He sat close to me again during lunch." "But you wore a mask the entire day." "Yeah, but no eye covering," she muttered while absently toying with a pen. "Sorry." "I'm fine." Jenson frowned as if bothered by her apology. He sat behind his desk, no longer wearing a face mask. What's the point? They already caught the bug just because someone on their creative team couldn't stay hunkered down at home for another night. Besides, the room felt stuffier than usual now. Perhaps they'd just been too cooped up in this office after another busy work week. Thus her unpleasant thoughts and feelings. She felt fine, though. No
Day 1 of Quarantine× 11:52PM ×"The kid wasn't responding to the heavy meds or the therapy. Just out of control. Can't re-learn the rules one by one.""What'd the parents say?""Dead," Magnus muttered on the other line. "He killed 'em the other night. Broke his mother's neck. Slashed his father's throat when he tried to grab his gun. Left him bleeding to death in bed. Too far gone.""Right." Jenson sat back in his swivel chair, alone with his thoughts in the dark, imagining the bloody rampage the young werewolf allegedly caused. "At least they weren't resting in pieces this time.""But you know it's not gonna be his last kill.""Yeah, if he's completely out of it." Jenson pulled a face. His uncle's new clean-up guys couldn't seem to handle the other part of the job. So now Magnus wanted him to finish it up.
Day 2 of Quarantine×A bad, pulsating headache. Sweating from head to toe. An aching back. Limp arms and legs.Oh no... Were these new symptoms? Or the rare ones? Was she getting sicker? She took in deep breaths and exhaled loudly several times, testing her lungs as panic crept into her groggy thoughts.Her muscles felt weak but her chest felt fine. No breathing issues or brain fog. But would it get worse? Would she end up getting wheeled into an ambulance today? Barely able to breathe and clinging to dear life like her co-worker?Jessi hauled herself off of the divan, wincing and cussing under her breath when the throbbing in her skull intensified. She grabbed her phone to check the time.Nine hours. Almost nine hours of sleep. Why did her entire body f
Day 3 of Quarantine × "When will you leave for New York?" "Before this weekend." Jenson winced, awaiting a sigh of disappointment from his late-night caller. He sat down in his office chair after he caught the impatience in his uncle's tone. "Why not today?" Magnus sighed briefly on the other line. "Still waiting for the paperwork." "What did the new test say?" "Negative. They collected two samples to be sure," Jenson muttered in response. The good news should relieve him of anxiety and stress, but it didn't. Especially after Jessi told him that she lost her sense of smell and taste barely three hours ago. Plus some weird rashes on her skin suddenly turned up. "And they're sure? No symptoms at all?" Magnus gainsaid. "None. I'll leave LA once the paperwork's sorted out." "What about her?" Jenson glanced to the other side of his office, where his assistant had been hiding from him all day. Containment measures and all. "Jessiah? She's showing a few, but nothing serious.