Howl of the Forgotten

THE FIRST TEST

The next morning, Tessa arrived earlier than usual—nearly an hour before the rest of the staff. She needed the silence. She needed space to settle her nerves, to review her new responsibilities, and to make sure there were no flaws—no mistakes.

Mr. Kane’s office was on the top floor, behind a set of glass doors that required fingerprint access. A security officer was already stationed nearby.

Tessa took a quiet breath.

“You’re Miss Hart?” the guard asked, scanning her face.

“Yes.”

He nodded once and entered a new authorization code. “You’re cleared. Don’t lose your keycard. And don’t let anyone in behind you.”

There was an unspoken warning in his tone.

Rooms like this didn’t just hold files or schedules.

They held leverage.

The door clicked open.

---

The office was enormous—yet somehow quiet. Calm. No clutter. No personal photos. Not even a plant.

Just power, arranged into clean lines and precise geometry.

The city skyline spread below like something Elias Kane had designed himself.

Tessa stepped inside.

And there he was.

Already at his desk.

As if he’d been waiting.

“You’re early,” he said without looking up.

“So are you,” she replied before she could stop herself.

He paused.

Then looked up slowly.

A flicker of something—not irritation—something more like amusement—crossed his expression.

“Good. You’ll need to match my pace,” he said.

He handed her a tablet. “Your responsibilities begin now.”

Tessa took it, scanning the screen. A list of upcoming meetings, acquisition targets, and confidential correspondences opened in front of her.

But one item stood out:

9:10 AM — Meeting with Cassandra Pierce (Confidential)

Do not allow Pierce access to internal financials. Manage tone. Maintain distance. Watch for concealed agenda.

Tessa raised her eyes. “What do you need from me during the meeting?”

Elias leaned back.

“Observe,” he said. “Listen. And say nothing.”

His eyes held hers.

“People reveal more when they think you are insignificant.”

There it was again—that unsettling clarity.

He didn’t underestimate people.

He dissected them.

Tessa nodded once.

“I understand.”

---

By 9:05 AM, Cassandra Pierce arrived.

The kind of woman who walked into a room expecting the world to shift for her. Red lips. Perfect posture. A smile sharp enough to draw blood.

“Oh, Elias,” she said, stepping forward as though they were old lovers instead of business rivals. “It has been far too long.”

Elias didn’t move to greet her.

“Tessa, please take minutes,” he said instead, his tone flat.

Cassandra’s eyes flickered to Tessa—assessing, dismissing—then returned to Elias.

“I heard rumors,” Cassandra began, placing a folder on the table. “Your company is positioning itself to disrupt the shipping sector in East Africa. Which is interesting, considering that sector was already—how should I say it? Occupied.”

Her smile did not reach her eyes.

Tessa watched Elias carefully.

He didn’t react.

Not even a shift of breath.

“That’s incorrect,” Elias said simply.

Cassandra blinked—too quickly.

She had expected defensiveness.

Tessa wrote it down.

The silence stretched—just long enough for Cassandra to feel it.

“Then perhaps,” Cassandra said, leaning forward, “you and I should consider a partnership—before someone less… agreeable makes their move.”

Elias turned to Tessa.

“Miss Hart. The email from Shanghai. Read it.”

Tessa opened the message immediately. Her voice remained steady:

“‘Shipping lane rights between Kenya and Oman have completed transfer. Confirmation of ownership: Kane Global.’”

Cassandra’s smile froze.

Checkmate—executed with one sentence.

Silently.

Cleanly.

She had come to threaten.

She left outplayed.

Cassandra gathered her things—slowly, trying to recover pride she no longer had.

“Pleasure, as always,” she murmured, though her voice had lost its sweetness.

The door closed behind her.

---

Silence returned.

Elias didn’t look triumphant.

He simply continued working.

As though victory was the default state of his existence.

Tessa exhaled.

“You knew she didn’t have the rights anymore,” she said.

“Yes.”

“But you let her talk anyway.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Elias finally looked up.

“To see who she came here representing.”

Tessa felt a chill.

He hadn’t been defending himself.

He had been hunting.

Slowly, Elias closed the file in front of him.

“Remember this, Miss Hart,” he said. “People never come to you with their first intention. They come with their second.”

Their eyes held.

“And your job,” he continued softly, “is to notice the first.”

Tessa nodded once—because she did understand.

This wasn’t just business.

This was a game of shadows.

And she was now inside it.