"You look like hell." Thompson commented bluntly as soon as Freya entered the office.
"Looks like you didn't have enough sleep. You've been working too hard, clearly." He said, shaking his head in mock concern.
Freya gritted her teeth, knowing that he loved to poke and prod at her weaknesses.
"I'm fine," she said, despite her appearance telling a different story.
Thompson smirked, as if enjoying seeing her squirm. "The writing you submitted is nothing to write home about. But your article on the meeting was quite fair, so I'll let it slide. But I expect better next time."
"Thank you sir," she bowed and immediately turned to leave before she said something she'd later regret.
"You're mentoring the new intern. She starts today." His voice drew her back.
Freya blinked.
She couldn't resist poking the bear, even if it might land her in trouble later.
"What? Since when do I mentor people? I couldn't even write a decent article."
"Since I said so." He rolled his eyes at her, fully aware that she was mocking him. "Don't get smart with me, Freya,"
"Her name's Flora. Be useful." He said in a gruff tone.
Freya suppressed a snicker, amused by the irony of the word 'useful' after being insulted for her incompetence moments ago.
Before she could argue, he waved her away like an annoying mosquito.
Back at her desk, Freya dropped into her chair and rubbed her temples. She instantly got absorbed in a few articles.
It wasn't until a shadow loomed over her desk a few minutes later that she looked up and realized someone was standing next to her.
"Hi... I'm looking for Freya Davis?" She heard a soft voice.
Freya looked up.
A young woman stood there, beautiful, with big brown eyes and curly hair pulled into a neat bun. She wore a modest blouse and a warm smile that seemed just shy of nervous.
"That's me. You must be Flora?"
"Yes. It's my first day."
Freya stood and shook her hand. "Welcome to hell."
Flora laughed lightly, and Freya grinned. "I'm kidding. Mostly. Come on, I'll show you around."
As they walked the floor, Freya pointed out the usual stations—editorial desks, photo room, the coffee machine that only worked when it felt like it.
Flora nodded attentively, asked a few thoughtful questions, and even complimented Freya's article on last month's corruption piece.
"You read that?"
"Of course. You have a really clear voice. Very bold."
Freya smiled. That was... unexpectedly flattering.
"Thanks," she said. "Most people only read the headlines."
They returned to Freya's desk, and Flora settled beside her with a notepad. Freya gave her some basic data entry tasks to start with.
She seemed capable. Friendly. A little quiet, maybe, but that was to be expected.
Still, something about her eyes—the way they watched everything—made Freya pause.
Not in a bad way. Just… something she couldn't quite place.
---
By mid-afternoon, Freya had mostly forgotten her suspicions. Flora had settled in quickly, and even cracked a couple of dry jokes that made Freya laugh harder than she had in days.
They were finishing up some page edits when Alex appeared with a bright smile.
"Lunch? I'm starving and I don't trust the vending machine not to kill me."
"Sure," Freya said. "Flora, you wanna join?"
Flora smiled, then glanced at the time. "Actually, I need to finish updating this layout before two. Rain check?"
"Sure," Freya said. "We'll bring you back something."
As Freya and Alex walked off, Flora turned slightly in her chair. She pulled her phone from her bag and snapped a photo of Freya's screen while no one was looking.
Then typed a message:
TARGET IN POSITION. WATCHING CLOSELY.
She slid the phone away just as another co worker walked past.
---
Meanwhile, a man posted in a black van across the street from the office building adjusted his camera lens. He snapped photos of Freya entering the building, leaving with Alex, even the angle of her computer from the open office window.
Inside the car, the dashboard tablet displayed a real-time data feed: timestamps, GPS pings, and facial recognition markers.
He sent the compiled info with a short message:
FREYA DAVIS. SURVEILLANCE REPORT: DAY ONE. ACTIVITY NORMAL. CONTINUING.
The report landed in Henry's inbox. He reviewed it quickly, then forwarded the relevant files straight to Arnold Connor with a simple subject line:
"Update: Subject Movement Log Attached."
Arnold didn't respond. But Henry knew he had seen it.
—
Back at Greg's safehouse, a second phone lit up. A smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he read the update.
So far, so good.
"Soon enough, I'll know everything there is to know about you, Freya Davis."