The office was too quiet, the kind of silence that made every small sound feel intentional. Delphine didn't look up when she heard the voice behind her, but her typing slowed slightly as if her body already recognized who had entered. "You're still here," Wilson said from the doorway, his voice calm but carrying that familiar weight that made the air feel heavier. Delphine finally turned her chair slightly, keeping her expression steady. "I said I would finish the reports," she replied. "I don't leave work unfinished." Wilson stepped inside slowly, his gaze fixed on her. "Most people say that," he said quietly, "but most people don't actually prove it."

Delphine straightened in her chair, refusing to let his presence unsettle her. "Then I guess you're not used to people like me," she said, trying to keep her tone even. That made Wilson pause for a second before he moved further into the room, stopping near her desk without asking permission. "People like you usually last two weeks here," he said. "After that, reality adjusts them." Delphine tilted her head slightly, holding his gaze. "And what makes you think I'll be like the rest?" Wilson's eyes narrowed just slightly. "I don't think," he said. "I observe."

The word "observe" lingered in the space between them, making Delphine more aware of how closely she had been watched since she arrived. She leaned back slightly, folding her arms. "So tell me what you've observed so far," she challenged. Wilson didn't answer immediately, his eyes drifting briefly across the scattered files on her desk. "You compensate with control," he said finally. "People who do that are either hiding something... or running from it." Delphine's lips tightened slightly. "And which one am I?" she asked.

Wilson stepped closer to the desk, lowering his voice slightly. "That's what I'm still trying to figure out," he said. The honesty in that answer was more unsettling than anything else he had said. Delphine exhaled slowly. "You make it sound like I'm a case file," she said. Wilson's gaze lifted to hers again. "Everyone here is a case file," he replied. "The only difference is how quickly they break under pressure." Delphine met his gaze firmly. "And you enjoy watching that happen?" she asked.

For a moment, Wilson didn't answer, and that silence felt sharper than words. When he finally spoke, his voice was lower. "I don't enjoy it," he said. "I prevent it when it matters." Delphine studied him carefully. "That sounds like a contradiction," she said. Wilson's expression shifted slightly, unreadable again. "It only sounds like one if you don't understand the system you're in," he replied. Delphine frowned slightly. "And what system is that exactly?" she asked. Wilson leaned slightly closer to the desk. "One where ignorance is expensive," he said quietly.

The intensity in his voice made her pulse quicken slightly, but she refused to look away. "You talk like you've already decided what happens to people here," she said. Wilson didn't deny it. "I haven't decided," he said. "I anticipate." Delphine leaned forward slightly now, her tone sharper. "And what do you anticipate about me?" Wilson's gaze locked onto hers. "That you're either going to survive this place," he said slowly, "or become part of its history." The words landed heavily between them.

Before Delphine could respond, her phone vibrated sharply on the desk. The sound cut through the tension instantly. She hesitated, then picked it up, her eyes scanning the screen. Her expression changed slightly. Wilson noticed immediately. "What is it?" he asked. Delphine didn't answer right away, her thumb hovering over the message. "It's another unknown number," she said finally. Wilson's voice dropped slightly. "Read it." Delphine hesitated, then read aloud softly. "Someone is watching you tonight."

The atmosphere in the room shifted immediately. Wilson didn't move, but his expression sharpened. "That's not random," he said. Delphine looked up at him quickly. "Then what is it?" she asked. Wilson stepped slightly closer, his tone lower now. "It means you're already inside something you didn't agree to," he said. Delphine's stomach tightened. "Inside what exactly?" she pressed. Wilson didn't answer immediately, his gaze drifting toward the glass wall behind her desk instead.

Delphine noticed it and followed his line of sight slowly. "Wilson," she said more carefully now, "you're not answering me." He finally spoke, his voice quieter than before. "Because the answer depends on whether you're ready to hear it," he said. Delphine turned fully toward him now. "Try me," she said. That earned a faint shift in his expression. Not amusement. Not irritation. Something closer to concern. "You're not supposed to be the target," he said quietly.

Delphine's breath slowed. "Target?" she repeated. Wilson's eyes didn't leave hers. "Not yet," he added. The word "yet" made her chest tighten. She tried to steady herself. "Then why does it feel like I already am?" she asked. Wilson didn't answer immediately. Instead, his gaze dropped briefly to her phone again. "Because someone is testing how close they can get without you noticing," he said.

Delphine's fingers tightened slightly around the phone. "And you?" she asked carefully. "Are you part of that test?" The question hung between them for a second too long. Wilson finally stepped back slightly, breaking the closeness. "If I was," he said quietly, "you wouldn't be sitting here asking me that." Delphine studied him, still unsure. "That's not very comforting," she said. Wilson's gaze held steady. "Comfort was never part of this job," he replied.

The silence that followed felt heavier than before. Delphine slowly placed her phone back on the desk, trying to regain control of her breathing. "So what now?" she asked. Wilson looked at her for a moment longer than usual before responding. "Now," he said quietly, "you finish your work... and you don't leave this office alone tonight." Delphine frowned slightly. "That sounds more like an order than advice," she said.

Wilson didn't deny it. Instead, he turned slightly toward the door. "Call it what you want," he said. "But ignore it, and you'll understand the message in that phone better than you want to." Delphine watched him carefully. "And if I stay?" she asked. Wilson paused at the doorway. "Then I can at least make sure you're still here to ask the right questions tomorrow," he said.

And then he stepped out.

Delphine sat in silence for a moment, staring at the empty doorway, her thoughts racing faster than she could control. She reached for her phone again instinctively, but before she could unlock it, the screen lit up on its own.

A new message appeared on Delphine's phone without any number or sender, the screen lighting up in the silence of the office and pulling her attention away from everything else. Her fingers hesitated before touching it, but her instinct pushed her to open it anyway. The moment she read the words, her breathing shifted slightly, and her grip on the phone tightened without her permission. "You should have listened to him."

Delphine whispered under her breath, "What does that even mean... who is this?" but there was no answer, only silence pressing heavier around her. Her eyes lifted slowly from the screen, and she forced herself to speak again, though her voice was lower now. "Wilson..." she called without turning fully, uncertain if she even wanted him to respond. The unease in her chest deepened when she realized how quiet the office had become.

From outside the glass wall, something moved again, closer this time. Delphine froze immediately, her voice breaking slightly as she said, "Tell me I'm imagining that." Wilson didn't answer right away, but when he finally spoke, his tone was controlled and sharp. "You're not imagining it. Don't move." The way he said it made her body go still, as if his words carried physical weight.

Delphine swallowed hard, forcing herself to stay calm even as her pulse climbed. "Then what is it?" she asked, her voice tightening. Wilson stepped slightly forward but didn't take his eyes off the glass. "Someone wants you to notice them," he said quietly, almost like he was measuring every word. That made her stomach drop because it meant he had seen it too, and he wasn't surprised.

The shadow outside didn't leave. Instead, it lingered just beyond the glass, as if waiting for the exact moment she would react again. Delphine whispered, "This isn't normal... is it?" and for the first time, Wilson didn't respond immediately. His silence stretched long enough to feel like an answer on its own, before he finally said, "No. It's not normal. And that's the problem."

Delphine's hand tightened around the phone again as she forced herself to look back at the message. Her voice dropped even lower as she said, "Then why does it feel like this started before I even got here?" Wilson's gaze shifted slightly toward her for a brief moment before returning to the glass. "Because someone didn't wait for you to arrive," he said. "They were already ready for you."

Delphine paused at the office door before entering, gripping her bag tighter than necessary. Wilson's voice came from inside, calm but sharp, "You're five minutes late. That is not like you." She stepped in quickly, forcing a steady tone, "Traffic was heavier than usual." His eyes lifted slowly, studying her. "Or something kept you out longer than you're saying."

Delphine dropped her bag beside the desk, trying to ignore the tightening in her chest. "Are you interrogating me now?" she asked, half nervous, half defensive. Wilson leaned back slightly in his chair. "I'm assessing patterns. That's what good lawyers do." She frowned, "And what pattern do you see in me?" He didn't answer immediately, which made her more uncomfortable than words could have.

Wilson finally said, "A woman who is being followed and still insists on walking alone at night." Delphine stiffened instantly. "You don't know that," she replied quickly. He tilted his head slightly. "Then explain the message you tried to hide yesterday." Silence fell between them, heavy and immediate, as her pulse began to rise.

Delphine exhaled slowly, forcing control into her voice. "So you did see it." Wilson stood up, walking closer to her desk. "I see everything that matters in my office." She swallowed, refusing to step back even though his presence was overwhelming. "Then tell me what it means," she asked, "because I'm starting to think I walked into something bigger than a job."

Wilson stopped just beside her chair, his voice lowering. "You didn't walk into it. You were already inside it." Delphine frowned, "Inside what exactly?" He didn't answer right away, only watching her like he was deciding how much truth she could survive. Then he said quietly, "That depends on who is trying to reach you."

Delphine's phone vibrated sharply on the desk, cutting through the air between them. She hesitated before picking it up, her fingers tightening around it. Wilson didn't move, but his eyes sharpened instantly. "Open it," he said calmly. She obeyed slowly, her breath catching as she read the message.

A new message appeared with no number attached. Only five words.

"You should have listened to him."

Delphine froze. "Who is him?" she whispered. Wilson's expression didn't change, but something in his gaze hardened. "Put the phone down," he said quietly. She looked at him sharply, "No. I deserve answers." He stepped closer again, voice controlled but lower, "Not all answers are safe for you right now."

Delphine stood up abruptly, frustration breaking through her fear. "Then stop talking in riddles, Wilson. Someone is clearly targeting me." He didn't deny it. That silence alone made her stomach tighten. Instead, he said softly, "Sit down before you make a mistake you cannot undo." But she didn't move.

Delphine's voice came out sharper than she expected as she stepped closer to Wilson's desk. "So what you're saying is someone inside this building is watching me?" Wilson didn't deny it. He only replied calmly, "I'm saying someone here knows more about you than you think." She narrowed her eyes. "That sounds like a very dangerous assumption." He answered quietly, "It's not an assumption."

Delphine folded her arms tightly, trying to control her breathing. "Then tell me the truth, Wilson. Why would anyone in your firm care about me?" Wilson's gaze stayed fixed on her. "That's the part you're not ready to hear." She shook her head slightly. "I don't like being kept in the dark." He stepped closer, voice lowering, "And I don't like you being exposed."

Her pulse tightened at his words and she quickly replied, "Exposed to what exactly?" Wilson hesitated for the first time, then said slowly, "To something that started long before you walked into this office." Delphine frowned. "That's not an answer." He looked at her more directly now. "It's the only warning you need right now."

Before she could respond, her phone vibrated again on the desk. Delphine didn't move immediately. Wilson noticed. "Open it," he said quietly. She hesitated. "What if it's another threat?" Wilson replied without looking away from her, "Then I need to see it too." Slowly, she picked it up, her fingers trembling slightly.

Delphine read the message and her breath stopped for a second. "It says I shouldn't be here alone with you," she whispered. Wilson's expression didn't change, but his voice dropped lower. "That message is not wrong." She looked up instantly. "Excuse me?" He stepped slightly closer. "You heard me."

Delphine took a step back, her voice rising slightly. "So now you're part of the threat too?" Wilson shook his head once. "No. I'm part of the reason you're still safe." She frowned deeply. "That doesn't make any sense." He replied calmly, "It will when you understand who is behind this."

Delphine's breathing became uneven as she looked at him. "Why does it feel like you already know who it is?" Wilson didn't answer immediately. That silence alone made her stomach tighten. Finally, he said, "Because I've seen this pattern before." She stepped forward again. "Seen it where?"

Wilson's eyes darkened slightly. "In any case I should have never taken it." Delphine went still. "So this is about your past?" she asked carefully. He nodded once. "And now it's touching your present." She whispered, "And I'm in the middle of it." Wilson replied quietly, "Yes. And that is exactly why I told you not to ignore the messages."

Suddenly, the office lights flickered once again. Delphine turned sharply. "Did you see that?" she asked quickly. Wilson's voice became more controlled. "Yes. And it's not a coincidence." She backed away slightly. "Then what is it?" He didn't answer immediately. Instead, his eyes shifted toward the glass door.

Delphine followed his gaze. "What are you looking at?" Wilson said quietly, "Someone is outside." Her body stiffened immediately. "Outside the office?" she asked. Wilson nodded slightly. "And they are not walking away." Her voice dropped. "How do you know that?" He answered simply, "Because I can feel them watching."

Delphine whispered, "This is insane." Wilson stepped closer to her again, voice firm now. "Stay behind me." She shook her head slightly. "I don't need protection." He looked at her directly. "This is not about what you need. It's about what you cannot survive alone."

At that exact moment, the office door handle began to move slowly from the outside. Delphine froze instantly.

"Wilson..." she whispered. He didn't move. "Don't speak," he said quietly. The handle turned again, more deliberately this time, as if whoever was outside knew they were already being watched.

Delphine's voice barely came out. "Who is it?" Wilson's answer was low, controlled, and final. "Someone who should not know I'm here with you." The handle stopped turning.

A silence fell between them, heavy and unnatural, as if even the air inside the office had stopped moving. Delphine's lips parted slightly but no words came out, because something about the atmosphere had shifted in a way she could not explain. Then, from outside the glass door, a voice broke through the stillness, soft but clear enough to freeze everything inside her chest. "Wilson... I know she's with you."

Delphine's body reacted before her mind could catch up, her fingers tightening instinctively against the edge of the desk as the words sank in. Her throat went dry instantly, and she turned her head slowly toward Wilson, searching his face for confusion or denial. But what she saw instead made her stomach drop even further, because he wasn't startled, he wasn't questioning it, he was simply still, like the voice had already reached somewhere inside him before it even spoke again.

Wilson's expression changed in a way Delphine had never seen before, not fear, not shock, but something deeper that made her breath catch without permission. "That voice..." she whispered without thinking, but Wilson didn't answer her, his gaze fixed on the door like he was measuring something only he could see. The silence that followed was no longer empty, it was loaded, like the entire room was holding its breath with them, waiting for what would come next.

Delphine forced herself to speak again, though her voice came out thinner than she intended. "Wilson... who is that?" she asked, but even as she said it, she realized he wasn't looking at the door anymore. He was looking at her. And in that moment, she understood something she didn't want to understand, because whatever was outside that door wasn't just looking for him anymore, it was looking for both of them.

And then Wilson finally spoke, but his voice was lower now, controlled, almost dangerous in its calmness. "Don't move," he said quietly, not taking his eyes off her. "Whatever happens next... stay exactly where you are."

The office had fallen into a heavy silence that felt almost unnatural, the kind of silence that made even the air feel like it was waiting for something to happen. Delphine kept her eyes on the glowing screen in front of her, fingers moving quickly over the keyboard, but her focus was slipping with every passing minute. The files around her looked endless, the pressure heavier than usual, yet she refused to stop because stopping meant falling behind, and falling behind meant failure.

“You’re still here.”

Wilson’s voice broke through the silence without warning, and Delphine’s fingers paused instantly over the keyboard. She didn’t look up immediately, forcing herself to steady her breathing before responding. “I didn’t realize it was this late,” she said, trying to keep her tone normal even though his presence alone was already affecting her focus.

His footsteps came closer, slow and deliberate, until she could feel him standing near her desk. “You always say that,” he replied quietly, his eyes moving over the scattered documents in front of her. “As if time is something you can ignore just because you want to finish work.”

Delphine finally looked up, meeting his gaze with controlled calm. “And you always act like I should stop,” she replied. “But this is my responsibility. I don’t leave things unfinished.”

Wilson studied her for a moment, his expression unreadable but sharper than usual. “That’s not responsibility,” he said quietly. “That’s self-pressure.”

She frowned slightly, refusing to be shaken. “You don’t know what I have to handle outside this office,” she said. “So don’t reduce it to something simple.”

His gaze didn’t move away from her. “I’m not reducing it,” he replied. “I’m observing it.”

The way he said it made her chest tighten slightly, though she refused to show it. “Then stop observing me like I’m one of your case files,” she said quietly.

For a moment, silence stretched between them, heavier than before. Wilson didn’t respond immediately, and that alone made the space between them feel more intense. When he finally spoke, his voice was lower, less professional. “You think I’m watching you because of work?”

Delphine hesitated. “Aren’t you?”

Wilson stepped slightly closer, and the distance between them suddenly felt too small for comfort. “No,” he said simply. “Not tonight.”

That answer unsettled her more than she expected. She leaned back slightly in her chair, trying to regain control of her emotions. “Then why are you here?” she asked quietly. “It’s late. You don’t usually stay this long.”

His eyes stayed on her. “Because you don’t know when to stop,” he said.

“That’s not an answer,” she replied immediately.

“It is,” he said calmly. “You just don’t like it.”

Delphine turned back to her screen, forcing herself to refocus, but his presence behind her made it difficult. “I can handle myself,” she said firmly.

Wilson’s voice lowered slightly. “That’s what worries me.”

The words lingered in the air, heavy and unexpected. Delphine slowly looked back at him. “Why would that worry you?”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, his gaze stayed fixed on her as if he was deciding how much truth to reveal.

“Because people who always say that,” he said quietly, “are usually the ones who never see the danger coming.”

Before she could respond, her phone vibrated sharply on the desk, cutting through the silence like a warning. Her heart tightened immediately as she picked it up.

The message was short, anonymous, and cold.

“You are not supposed to be with him right now.”

Delphine’s breath stopped as she read it again, slower this time. Her grip on the phone tightened, and when she finally lifted her eyes, Wilson was already watching her face closely.

“Who sent that?” she asked quietly.

Wilson didn’t answer immediately. His expression had changed slightly, not fear, not confusion, but something deeper and more controlled. “Show me,” he said calmly.

She hesitated for a second before turning the screen toward him.

He read the message once, then again, and the silence that followed felt heavier than anything before. His jaw tightened slightly, barely noticeable, but enough for Delphine to feel that something had shifted in him.

“Delete it,” he said finally.

Delphine frowned immediately. “Why would I delete it? Someone is threatening me.”

Wilson looked at her directly now, his voice lower and sharper. “Because whoever sent that message isn’t guessing anymore,” he said. “They know where you are.”

Delphine’s throat tightened. “Then why are you still here?” she asked.

Wilson held her gaze for a long moment, and when he spoke again, his voice carried something heavier than before.

“Because I already knew this was coming tonight.”

The air in the office seemed to change at that moment, as if something unseen had shifted around them. Delphine stared at him, trying to understand what he meant, but before she could speak again, the lights in the office flickered once, then twice, then held still.

And in that sudden silence, Wilson’s expression changed slightly as his eyes moved past her, toward the glass wall behind her desk.

“Don’t turn around,” he said quietly.

Delphine froze.

But it was already too late.

Because behind the glass, something had moved.

Delphine did not move immediately, even though every instinct in her body told her something was wrong. Wilson’s voice had dropped so low it barely carried through the room, yet the weight in it was enough to freeze her in place. She could feel her pulse rising as she slowly asked, “What do you mean don’t turn around?”

Wilson didn’t answer right away. His eyes stayed fixed beyond her, toward the glass wall behind her desk, his expression sharpening in a way she had never seen before. “Stay exactly where you are,” he said quietly, controlled but firm, as if one wrong movement could trigger something irreversible.

Delphine swallowed hard, forcing her voice to remain steady even though her hands had already begun to tremble slightly. “Wilson,” she whispered, “you’re starting to scare me. What is behind me?”

His jaw tightened, and for a moment he didn’t speak, as if weighing whether telling her anything would make it worse. “I said don’t turn around,” he repeated, this time slower, heavier, almost protective in tone, though it carried a warning she could not ignore.

But Delphine was no longer just afraid, she was alert, every nerve in her body screaming that she was not alone. “I need to know what’s happening,” she said, her voice breaking slightly despite her attempt to stay composed. “I can’t just sit here blind.”

Wilson finally moved, stepping slightly closer behind her chair, his voice lowering even further. “Someone is outside the glass,” he said. “And they are not supposed to be able to reach this floor.”

Delphine’s breath caught sharply at those words, her fingers gripping the edge of her desk without realizing it. “Security?” she asked quickly, though her voice lacked confidence now.

Wilson didn’t respond immediately, and that silence was enough to make her stomach tighten. “Not security,” he said finally, and his tone carried something colder now. “If it was security, I wouldn’t be this calm.”

Her heart pounded harder as she slowly forced herself to whisper, “Then who is it?”

Wilson leaned slightly closer, his voice now almost only for her. “Someone who already knows your name,” he said. “And came here because of it.”

Delphine felt her throat tighten painfully. “Because of me?” she asked, barely able to believe it. “That doesn’t make sense. I don’t even know anyone like that.”

Wilson’s gaze remained locked ahead, his expression unreadable but tense. “That’s what makes it dangerous,” he replied. “Because they know you, even if you don’t know them yet.”

A silence fell again, heavier than before, as Delphine struggled to process what he was saying. Her mind raced through every possible explanation, but none of them made sense, and that only made her fear deepen. “Then what do we do?” she asked quietly.

Wilson didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he shifted slightly, positioning himself closer behind her as if instinctively shielding her without touching her. “We don’t panic,” he said. “And we don’t give them what they want.”

Delphine tried to steady her breathing, but it was difficult when she could still feel the tension radiating from him. “And what do they want?” she asked.

Wilson hesitated for the first time, just briefly, before replying. “To confirm you are here,” he said. “And that you are not alone.”

The words made her stomach drop. “That means they are watching us right now,” she whispered.

Wilson didn’t deny it.

Instead, he said something that made her blood run cold.

“They’ve been watching longer than tonight.”

Delphine’s fingers went cold as silence wrapped around them again, thick and suffocating. She wanted to turn, to look, to confirm what was outside the glass, but something in Wilson’s presence kept her frozen in place, as if any movement would break something she could never repair.

Then it happened.

A faint knock came from the glass wall behind her desk, soft but deliberate, like someone acknowledging that they knew she was there.

Delphine’s breath stopped completely.

Wilson’s expression changed instantly, not fear, not shock, but something far more controlled and dangerous.

And then a voice came from the other side of the glass, calm, familiar, and completely unexpected.

“Wilson,” it said softly. “I know she’s with you.”

Delphine felt her entire body go cold at once.

Because Wilson didn’t move.

Didn’t speak.

But for the first time since she had met him, his composure cracked in the smallest possible way, and she saw it clearly in his eyes.

Recognition.

And that was worse than fear.