Chapter 23: Update.

Vanessa stepped out of Liam’s building and walked two blocks before she allowed herself to exhale.

The afternoon sun had shifted, casting long shadows across the sidewalk. She found a bench under a tree and sat down, crossing her legs. Her phone was already in her hand, thumb hovering over Mrs. Harriet’s contact.

"That was strange

," she thought. "

Really strange."

She pressed call, Mrs. Harriet picked up on the first ring.

["Well?"] Her voice was sharp, impatient. Not the voice of a woman who had time for small talk.

Vanessa leaned back against the bench. "I met him."

["And?"]

"And he’s not what I expected." Vanessa chose her words carefully. Mrs. Harriet wasn’t the kind of woman who appreciated vague answers, but Vanessa also didn’t want to sound incompetent. "He didn’t look at me. Not really. I crossed my legs. I leaned forward. I gave him every opportunity to... you know. And he just stared at my face like I was a witness."

Silence on the line.

["He didn’t react at all?"] Mrs. Harriet asked.

"He reacted when I crossed my legs the second time. Looked at my thighs. But that was it. No wandering eyes. No awkward comments. No trying to sit closer but more importantly, he told me he would think about the offer." Vanessa paused. "Are you sure he’s not gay?"

["He’s not gay,"] Mrs. Harriet said flatly. ["He had a girlfriend. A younger woman. Very attractive, he was obsessed with her but hearing he gave you the same answer as he did me shows he isn’t as easily swayed as I thought."]

Vanessa shook her head even though no one could see it. "He said he’d think about it. That’s all. No commitment. No counter-offer. Just... ’I’ll think about it.’"

["That’s not nothing,"] Mrs. Harriet said. But her voice carried disappointment. She had wanted more. Needed more.

Vanessa understood now. The promotion offer, the bonus, the sudden interest in a terminated employee. Mrs. Harriet wasn’t just being generous—she was scared. And Mrs. Harriet needed him on the payroll before he figured it out.

"And she wanted me to use my body to make it happen,"

Vanessa realized.

Mrs. Harriet hadn’t said it explicitly. She never did. That wasn’t her style. But sending Vanessa—young, blonde, built like a centerfold—to a vulnerable man’s apartment? That wasn’t a coincidence.

The question was: why hadn’t it worked?

["You’re not done,"] Mrs. Harriet said, cutting through Vanessa’s thoughts.

Vanessa blinked. "Excuse me?"

["You heard me. You’re not done. I need him to take this position, Vanessa. However long it takes, however many visits. You keep showing up. You keep being friendly. And you keep me updated."]

"And the promotion?"

["Happens when he signs."]

The line went dead.

Vanessa stared at her phone for a long moment. The screen dimmed then went black.

She kissed her teeth in irritation.

"Typical,"

she thought.

"Promise everything. Deliver nothing until I do exactly what they want."

She stood up from the bench and started walking. Her apartment wasn’t far—thirty minutes on foot. She needed to clear her head anyway.

The conversation with Liam had left her off-balance, and Mrs. Harriet’s demands had only made it worse.

"He didn’t even look at me."

The words repeated in her head like a song she couldn’t shake. Men always looked. It was the one constant in her life. At work, at bars, at the grocery store—their eyes followed her like she was wearing a sign that said LOOK HERE.

But Liam had looked at her like she was a door-to-door salesman.

It was infuriating.

Vanessa shook her head. No. She wasn’t going down that road. He was a mark, a job, a means to an end. Nothing more.

She turned onto her street and walked up the steps of a modest two-story building. The paint was peeling on the railing. The buzzer for her unit was broken, so she used her key.

Inside, the hallway smelled like old carpet and takeout. She climbed to the second floor and unlocked the door to her apartment.

"Vanessa? That you?" A voice called from the kitchen.

"Yeah, it’s me."

Penina appeared in the doorway, drying her hands on a dish towel.

She was petite—barely five-two—with dark skin and sharp features that caught the light in interesting ways. Unlike Vanessa, Penina didn’t have the bust or the curves. Her body was slender, almost delicate. But her face? Her face was stunning. High cheekbones. Full lips. Big brown eyes that made men forget she was barely a B-cup.

Penina was the kind of woman who got called pretty instead of hot. And she was fine with that.

"You look stressed," Penina said, tossing the towel over her shoulder. "What happened?"

Vanessa dropped her purse on the couch and flopped down beside it. "Work stuff."

"Work stuff or work work stuff?" Penina sat across from her, pulling her legs up onto the chair. She knew Vanessa well enough to read between the lines.

"Both." Vanessa ran a hand through her blonde hair. "Mrs. Harriet sent me to talk to a former employee. Guy got fired. She wants him back. But not back-back. She wants him at some rundown branch in New York."

"And?"

"And he’s weird. He didn’t flirt, he didn’t even seem to notice I was... you know." Vanessa gestured at herself.

Penina raised an eyebrow. "A man didn’t notice you? I didn’t know that was possible."

"Shut up."

"I’m serious. You walk into a room and ceiling fans change direction."

Vanessa laughed despite herself. "He’s different. I don’t know how to explain it. He looked at me like I was a problem to solve, not a woman to chase."

Penina tilted her head. "Maybe that’s why Mrs. Harriet sent you. Maybe she knew he wouldn’t respond to the usual... approach."

"Or maybe she overestimated my abilities."

"Or maybe," Penina said carefully, "you’re overthinking this. He’s a guy. They’re all the same. Give it time."

Vanessa shook her head. "I don’t have time. She wants him signed yesterday."

"Then what are you going to do?"

Vanessa stood up and walked to the window. The street below was quiet. A cat darted across the sidewalk. Somewhere in the distance, a car horn blared.

"I’m going to figure him out," Vanessa said finally. "Everyone has a weakness. I just haven’t found his yet."

She turned back to Penina, a small smile on her face.

"Besides, she promised me a promotion. Junior partner track. I’m not letting that slip away because some blonde lawyer has self-control."

Penina grinned. "That’s the Vanessa I know."

Vanessa waved her hand, dismissing the conversation. "Don’t worry about it. I’m about to rise up the corporate ladder. Just watch."