39 A Vacant Desk and Bitter Coffee
39 A Vacant Desk and Bitter Coffee
Quentin paced in his living room, phone pressed to his ear. After three rings, the call connected. O
“Well, this is a surprise,” Vivienne’s voice carried through the line, cool and composed.
“Did you know?” Quentin demanded without preamble.
“You’ll have to be more specific,” Vivienne replied, the sound of papers shuffling in the background.
“About Elara Vance joining YodaVision,” he snapped. “Julian Croft brought her in as head of the AI division.”
There was a brief pause. “I was aware she left Thorne Industries. I didn’t know where she’d landed.”
Quentin stopped pacing. “You don’t sound surprised.”
“Should I be?” Vivienne’s tone remained casual. “She’s always had a knack for landing on her feet.”
“But she took the position that should have been yours,” Quentin insisted. “Aren’t you upset?”
Vivienne laughed lightly. “I’m too busy preparing for my racing competition next month to worry about Elara’s career choices.”
“Don’t you find it strange? She abandoned her position at Thorne Industries without warning.”
“Not particularly,” Vivienne replied. “Though I am surprised she used connections rather than pursuing further education. She only has an undergraduate degree, after all,”
Quentin snorted, “Julian claims she’s some hidden genius.”
“My sister has always been good at making people believe in her,” Vivienne said dismissively. “Is there anything else? I have a strategy meeting in five minutes.”
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39 A Vacant Desk and Bitter Coffee
“No,” Quentin muttered, frustration evident in his voice. “Good luck with your race.”
“Thanks. I don’t need luck, but I appreciate the sentiment.”
After the call ended, Quentin tossed his phone onto the sofa. Vivienne’s lack of concern only increased his irritation. Something about this situation felt wrong, and he was determined to figure out what it was.
At Thorne Industries, Damien Thorne’s imposing figure cast a shadow across his pristine office. He pressed the intercom button on his desk.
“Coffee,” he stated simply.
A few minutes later, a knock sounded at his door. Olivia Monroe entered, carrying a mug with careful precision.
“Your coffee, Mr. Thorne,” she said, placing it on his desk with a slight tremor in her hands.
Damien didn’t acknowledge her, his attention fixed on the financial report before him. Olivia hesitated for a moment before quietly retreating.
Damien reached for the mug without looking up. His first sip made him pause. He frowned, placing the mug back on his desk with deliberate control.
He pressed the intercom again. “Ms. Monroe.”
Olivia reappeared almost instantly, her expression anxious. “Yes, Mr. Thorne?”
“This isn’t my coffee.”
Olivia’s cheeks flushed. “I followed the instructions exactly as Ms. Vance showed me last week. Two shots of espresso with-”
“Make it again,” Damien cut her off, his voice cold.
Olivia nodded quickly, taking the offending mug away.
When she returned with a fresh cup, Damien took another sip. His frown deepened.
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39 A Vacant Desk and Bitter Coffee
“This still isn’t right.” He fixed her with a sharp stare. “Where’s Ms. Vance today?”
Olivia shifted uncomfortably. “I’m not sure, sir. I was just assigned to handle coffee this morning.”
your
“Get Ethan,” Damien ordered.
Minutes later, Ethan Stone entered the office, his normally confident demeanor slightly subdued under Damien’s scrutiny.
“Why is Ms. Monroe bringing me coffee that tastes like dishwater?” Damien asked without preamble.
Ethan cleared his throat. “She’s new to the task, sir. I’m sure she’s just nervous.”
“That doesn’t explain why Ms. Vance isn’t handling it,” Damien said, his impatience evident. “Where is she?”
A flash of confusion crossed Ethan’s face. “Ms. Vance resigned last Thursday, Mr. Thorne. I submitted her exit paperwork to HR that afternoon.”
Damien went still. “Resigned?”
“Yes, sir,” Ethan confirmed, looking increasingly uncomfortable. “She cleared out her desk that same day.”
Damien leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. “And who authorized this
resignation?”
1
“I… assumed you had, sir,” Ethan said cautiously. “The paperwork came through the proper channels.”
“Did she provide a reason?” Damien’s voice was deceptively casual.
“Personal reasons, according to the form,” Ethan replied. “She didn’t elaborate.”
Damien’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. “That will be all, Ethan.”
When the door closed, Damien remained motionless for several long moments. Then he picked up his phone, scrolling to Elara’s contact, His thumb hovered over the call button before he changed his mind, setting the phone down.
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39 A Vacant Desk and Bitter Coffee
He turned to his computer instead, pulling up her personnel file. Seven years as an employee at Thorne Industries, rising to head of the secretarial team. Impeccable performance reviews. No formal complaints or disciplinary actions. Nothing to indicate she’d been planning to leave.
Damien’s gaze lingered on her employee photo. The image showed Elara as she always appeared at work – composed, professional, with that reserved smile that revealed nothing.
The intercom buzzed, interrupting his thoughts. “Mr. Thorne, your 10:30 appointment
is here.”
“Send them in,” he replied automatically.
As his attention turned to business matters, Damien pushed thoughts of Elara’s unexpected departure from his mind. She’d probably just needed a break. Perhaps she was feeling overwhelmed with her responsibilities.
She would return soon enough. Elara always did what was expected of her. 2
Elara sat in Julian’s spacious office, watching as he reviewed her notes on the neural network project.
“This is excellent work,” Julian said, looking up with genuine admiration. “You identified issues that Quentin’s team has been struggling with for weeks.”
“The framework needs restructuring,” Elara explained, pointing to her diagrams. “They’re trying to force a traditional architecture to perform functions it wasn’t designed for.”
Julian nodded. “Can you implement these changes?”
“With Yandel’s help, yes,” Elara replied. “He knows the existing system better than
anyone,”
“And how is Yandel treating you?” Julian asked, concern evident in his voice.
Elara smiled slightly. “Better than I expected. He’s professional, if not warm. The others are still keeping their distance.”
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“That will change once they see what you can do,” Julian assured her. He hesitated before adding, “Has Damien contacted you?”
Elara’s expression closed off. “No. And I don’t expect him to.”
“He must have realized you’ve left by now.”
“Damien never paid attention to my comings and goings,” Elara said, her voice carefully neutral. “He probably hasn’t even noticed.”
Julian studied her face. “You seem different today.”
“How so?”
“More confident. Like you’re settling into your own skin again.”
Elara considered this. “I feel more like myself than I have in years. It’s strange how quickly it’s happening, actually.”
“Not strange at all,” Julian said. “You’re back where you belong, doing work you love.”
A knock at the door interrupted them. Yandel stood in the doorway, his expression slightly less guarded than the day before.
“The team’s waiting in the conference room,” he said. “We should start the presentation soon.”
Elara gathered her materials. “Thank you for letting me take the lead on this, Julian.”
Julian smiled encouragingly. “Show them what you can do.”
As Elara walked toward the conference room, she felt a strange lightness in her chest. For the first time since she’d decided to divorce Damien, she wasn’t thinking about him or wondering what he was doing.
Instead, her mind was filled with algorithms and possibilities, problems waiting to be solved. It felt like coming home to herself after a very long absence.
As evening settled over the city, Damien sat alone in his expansive office. The building had emptied hours ago, leaving him in solitude with his thoughts.
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39 A Vacant Desk and Bitter Coffee
He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a small notebook. Inside were detailed
–
instructions for his coffee preparation – written in Elara’s neat, precise handwriting. She had given it to his previous assistant years ago, but somehow it had found its way into his possession.
Damien traced the familiar curve of her letters with his finger. Seven years of marriage, and he couldn’t recall ever asking how she took her own coffee.
He closed the notebook and returned it to the drawer. Elara’s resignation was nothing more than a temporary absence. Perhaps a reaction to something minor that had upset her.
She would come back to Thorne Industries. She always did what was expected, what was proper. That’s who Elara was – reliable, predictable, constant.
1
Damien reached for his phone, scrolling to her contact once more. After a moment’s hesitation, he placed the phone face down without calling.
She would return on her own. She always did.
