Vanessa woke up a little bit later the following day. The clock showed 7 a.m.—around an hour later than her usual time for waking up. She got out of bed, made a double coffee, and enjoyed drinking it on the balcony with a few cigarettes.

A few minutes before eight, her phone rang.

"Good morning, Miss Blake." A male voice sounded on the other end of the phone. "It's Mike Rogers from Willker Enterprises Holdings."

"Good morning, Mr. Rogers."

"Miss Blake, you are approved for the Personal Assistant position. If you are still interested in the job, we expect you in the office today to discuss the details."

These words reflected on Vanessa even better than the coffee. "Yes, I'm still interested. Thank you."

"Very good. I will be waiting for you in the office at noon."

"I'll be there," Vanessa answered and hung up the phone.

There was no logical explanation for how and why she got the job, but the important thing was that she was already in. Vanessa intended not to lose that opportunity for anything in the world. The mistake she had made during the interview did not have to be repeated.

***

Meanwhile, Cole, who was going over some documents in his office, was interrupted by Mike.

"Cole, Vanessa Blake will come today."

"Okay. Meet her."

"Don't you want you to meet her?" Mike asked.

"No." Cole's answer was short.

Mike turned and headed to the door. "You are driving me crazy, you know?"

But that was more of a message than a question.

Then he left the office.

Cole lit a cigarette and stared outside for a while. He felt again that strange feeling he had felt the day before during the interview with that girl. It was a weird mixture of interest and curiosity but also a dose of irritability when he thought of her audacity.

***

A few hours later, Vanessa began preparing for her meeting at Willker Enterprises Holdings. After the impromptu outfit for the interview on the previous day, she decided to wear something more formal at today's meeting—a pencil skirt in dark red with a length to the knee, a black tank top covered with delicate lace, and a short elegant jacket. She finished her outfit with black high-heeled shoes, picked up her bag, and left the hotel room.

The lobby on the ground floor of the building was as lively as the day before, but the twelfth floor was calmer. There was no movement in the hallway, no people on the chairs in the lobby there.

Vanessa headed directly to the assistant's office. But just before she went inside, Cole's secretary appeared before her.

"Hi." Vanessa greeted her as kindly as possible, though the vibrations she felt from this woman were not good. It was already clear to her what kind of person she was—contemptuous, self-assured, over-ambitious, probably banging with her boss, but still a secretary at the end of the day.

But Vanessa could not afford to be rude to anyone in the company; in general, devoting time and energy to this type of people was not her thing anyway.

"Hello, Miss Blake." Marissa greeted her with an unfriendly tone and a visible rage in her eyes. "Mr. Rogers is expecting you."

"Thank you, secretary," Vanessa replied and winked at her. Something she knew would further irritate Marissa.

Without waiting for a response or gesture, Vanessa entered Mike's office, which she guessed would be her future office.

"Welcome, Miss Blake." As he greeted her, Mike respectfully stood up from his chair and pointed to the chair opposite him.

"Hello, Mr. Rogers," Vanessa greeted again politely, but it wasn't fake this time. Mike Rogers radiated undisguised goodwill without undue display of self-confidence or excessive concealment of emotion, like other people she had already met there. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine," Mike answered as Vanessa sat on the chair.

Besides the positive vibes from the man, Vanessa admired his excellent and stylish appearance, visibly well-kept body, and highly charming smile.

"As I said earlier on the phone talk, Miss Blake,"—Mike interrupted her thoughts—"you are approved for Mr. Willker's assistant."

"You can call me Vanessa or just Nessa."

"Okay, Nessa. I want to ask you a few questions. After that, you can ask me about anything you need to know."

Vanessa nodded.

"Where are you from?"

"I am from a small city here in California, but I lived in Europe for a few years, where I graduated from university."

"Tell me about your experience."

There was a lot to be said about Vanessa's experience—about her actual experience—but it was hard to fit into her CV.

"I worked as an office manager while studying at the university and a few years after graduating." Vanessa began to recount what could be read in her fake resume. "I also have experience with team leading as well as project developing."

"Very good. What are your ambitions in a professional plan?" Mike continued with his questions.

"The opportunity to work in such a large company as Willker Enterprises Holdings is fantastic. I think it would help me acquire new skills to be helpful in my work and strive for professional development."

"An accurate and clear goal, admirations."

"Thank you. Setting clear goals is central to my life."

"Now it's your turn."

"Okay. Don't get me wrong, but I am curious. Why are you the one meeting me, not Mr. Willker?" Vanessa asked.

"It's alright. As you already know, I am, well, I was Cole's assistant. One of my responsibilities was conducting all the company interviews and approving the candidates. Correspondingly, I also conduct this meeting now."

It seemed that the fact that Cole interviewed her himself the day before had been some exception. And, obviously, somehow, that worked in her favor.

"I hope I'm not crossing a personal line, but why aren't you Mr. Willker's assistant anymore?"

"As long it is about the work, it is not personal. It is normal for you to want to know why there is a replacement for the position's employee."

Okay, too much talk instead of just saying you're taking a higher position... Do you think I haven't checked this already!? Vanessa thought, quite bored.

"I can reassure you that the reason is not bad." Mike continued answering. "Cole founded a new sub-company, and I will manage it."

"Congratulations!"

"Thank you! Do you have more questions?"

"The recruitment agency introduced to me the position's job description, but honestly, I have around a million questions about my responsibilities."

"I am sure you have. Cole will let you know all the details tomorrow. You start at 8 a.m."

"Alright. Well, see you tomorrow, Mr. Rodgers," Vanessa said as she stood up from the chair.

"It's Mike."

"Have a nice day, Mike."

After leaving the office, Vanessa returned to her hotel room. The tension had left her, and she felt good about the meeting and the way things were going.

She changed her clothes, and right after that, she headed to the gym. Two people were training there, one of whom left shortly after she arrived.

Vanessa started hitting the punching bag.

A few minutes later, she heard a male voice behind her. "What a passion!"

"Wanna try it?" she asked the man, turning to him.

"I don't wanna hurt you," he replied, approaching her.

"It's like you can," Vanessa said convincingly, winking at him simultaneously.

The next moment, she swung to hit him. The man crouched down to avoid being hit, and as he stood up, he struck back at her. Vanessa also avoided his punch, and after several more unsuccessful attempts to hit him, she knocked him to the ground with a kick.

She sat on top of him and put her hand on his chest. Her hair parted from the ponytail it was tied and fell freely along her face.

"Do you give up?" There was a hint of seduction in Vanessa's tone rather than a threat.

"As long as I am feeling you on top of me, I am ready to give up."

"Yeah?" Vanessa brought her face closer to his, and their lips almost touched.

"Oh, I missed this feeling," the man said.

"I missed you too, stranger."

"Won't you tell me your name already?"

"Shhh. Just kiss me."

The man buried his hand in Vanessa's hair, pressing her face hard against his. His kisses were passionate, and quickly began to move them down her neck.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a slight cough. Turning their heads, they saw two guys standing next to them.

"Let's go to a more private place, huh?" The man below Vanessa suggested.

The two got up from the ground and headed for his place, as they usually did.

Vanessa had met Matt—as this man's name was—in the gym not long ago. He was a tall, athletic, and devilishly sexy man. He was about 30-35 years old, with dark, long hair that he wore in a man bun. They ran to each other from time to time in the gym, and from a slight flirtation, their meetings started to end up in his apartment, which was located nearby in the same neighborhood. Vanessa didn't have the time or desire for any serious relationship, so her relationship on a sexual level with Matt was perfect for her. She had never told him her name nor asked him about his.

That was enough. No feelings, no obligations. Just sex.

***

Meanwhile

Somewhere in the Central Eastern Alps

At a remote mountain residence, several people gathered for a meeting. Most of them were pretty old. Only one boy stood out, apparently aged around or even under thirty.

They settled in the house's main room—something like a living room, furnished in the style of a hut, but from a distance, it was evident that everything was costly and stylish. The large fireplace on one wall heated the room and made it cozy simultaneously. As the men were talking to each other, another man came in—perhaps even older than the others—with completely gray hair, but his gait and apparent shape contradicted his age.

Robert Danforth.

There was silence.

Everyone turned to him.

He sat in the massive dark brown leather chair behind the huge desk and began to speak. "I assume you all know what we're here for? We have to discuss the progress of all zones."

"The project 'Blake' started." The young boy named Jack Turner added.

"You are so naive, gentlemen," Robert retook the floor. "This project started many, many years ago. Known as 'The cobweb' program."

"But that program was closed over thirty years ago," Alberto De Fiore—the Italian sitting on one of the sofas in the room, exclaimed.

"Well, I reborn it twenty-two years ago and renamed it project 'Blake.'"

"I can't believe it," Valery Egorov—another person in the room—exclaimed, too.

"Believe it, my friends," Robert answered, nodding his head. "Believe it."