Chapter 7 - THE SECRET BEHIND HER APPLICATION
Caitlyn had applied to Hamilton Enterprises for two reasons.
The first was money.
Tommy's rehabilitation costs were enormous.
The salary offered by Darius's company was almost twice what she could earn elsewhere.
The second reason was more complicated.
Her mother.
Three years earlier, shortly after Tommy's accident, Caitlyn had found an old photograph among Marianne's belongings.
It showed her mother standing beside Richard Hamilton.
On the back was a handwritten note.
The truth is still in the records.
Caitlyn had searched for information about the warehouse fire.
She found almost nothing.
The official investigation was closed.
The company denied wrongdoing.
Most of the people involved had moved away or refused to speak.
Then she saw a job posting.
Executive assistant to Darius Hamilton.
Richard Hamilton's son.
She applied.
At first, she told herself she would investigate.
But within weeks, Tommy's medical bills consumed everything.
Her secret mission became secondary to survival.
She worked.
Saved.
Sent money home.
And gradually stopped searching.
Now, after three years, the past had returned.
When Darius asked to meet, Caitlyn agreed.
They sat in a conference room at a neutral office chosen by their attorneys.
Luca waited outside.
Evelyn Ross sat beside Caitlyn.
Darius arrived alone.
For several seconds, he simply looked at her.
Then he said, "Marcus told me you applied to my company for a reason."
Caitlyn felt her stomach tighten.
"He's right."
Darius's expression remained controlled.
"Tell me."
She took a breath.
"My mother worked for your father."
"I know that now."
"She left behind documents I didn't understand."
"Did you join my company to obtain information?"
Caitlyn looked down.
"At first, yes."
Silence.
Darius leaned back.
"How much did you find?"
"Nothing."
He frowned.
"Nothing?"
"I was your secretary, Mr. Hamilton. Not your intelligence officer."
Despite himself, he almost smiled.
Caitlyn continued.
"I spent my days arranging your meetings, fixing your schedule, reviewing contracts, and making sure you remembered to eat lunch."
Darius looked away.
"Yes."
"Eventually, I stopped looking for information about the fire."
"Why?"
"Because I was too busy keeping my brother alive."
The words settled heavily between them.
Darius looked at her.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Caitlyn laughed softly.
"Would you have hired me if I'd said I wanted to investigate your father's death?"
He considered that.
"No."
"Exactly."
She folded her hands.
"But I never stole company information. I never shared your private schedules. And when I found suspicious documents, I reported them."
Darius nodded.
"I know."
Caitlyn looked surprised.
"You believe me?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
He studied her.
"Because your actions support what you're saying."
Her eyes filled unexpectedly.
For three years, she'd feared that one mistake would destroy everything.
Now the man whose judgment once terrified her was listening.
Darius leaned forward.
"There's something you should know."
"What?"
"Marcus is under investigation for the warehouse transactions. His access to the company has been suspended."
Caitlyn swallowed.
"Did he confess?"
"No."
"Do you think he caused the fire?"
"I don't know."
She nodded.
Darius continued.
"I also learned that my father may have been involved in activities I didn't understand."
Caitlyn looked at him.
"Does that change what you want?"
He was quiet for a moment.
"Yes."
"How?"
"I used to want to protect his reputation."
"And now?"
"I want the truth, even if it changes how I remember him."
Caitlyn studied his face.
Something about him seemed different.
Less untouchable.
More human.
Then Darius asked a question she hadn't expected.
"Do you want to keep working for Hamilton Enterprises?"
She froze.
"I don't know."
He nodded.
"That's fair."
Caitlyn stared.
"You're not going to fire me?"
"No."
"Even though I applied for the job partly because of my mother?"
"Your work has been exceptional. Your private reasons for applying don't erase that."
She looked down.
Darius continued.
"But the company failed you. We allowed unreasonable workloads and inadequate oversight. You deserve a workplace where your value doesn't depend on exhaustion."
Caitlyn blinked.
For a moment, she couldn't speak.
Then whispered, "I don't know what to do with that."
Darius smiled faintly.
"Neither do I."
She laughed.
It was a small sound.
But it felt like a beginning.
After the meeting, Caitlyn returned to Pennsylvania.
Tommy was waiting.
He looked at her face.
Then typed:
GOOD DAY?
She smiled.
"Maybe."
He typed another message.
BOSS NICE?
Caitlyn laughed.
"Sometimes."
Tommy grinned.
Then pressed two buttons.
YOU LIKE HIM.
Caitlyn went scarlet.
"Tommy!"
He laughed.
It was an uneven, breathy sound.
But unmistakably laughter.
Caitlyn covered her face.
"Oh, you're impossible."
Tommy smiled.
Then typed:
HE LIKE YOU?
Caitlyn thought about Darius.
His quiet voice.
His careful questions.
The way he'd let her sleep.
The way he'd begun treating her as a person rather than an extension of his calendar.
"I don't know," she whispered.
May you like
And for once, not knowing felt exciting instead of frightening.
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