The new assistant was late.But not by much—barely a minute. But late was late.
Sam clocked it the moment the black town car curved into the driveway like it had something to prove. She was already perched in her favorite velvet chaise, pretending to read a boring economics report while watching the camera feed from her tablet.
The girl stepped out like she didn't belong to the world she came from. Too precise. Too unbothered. Most assistants showed up either terrified of Sam, or starstruck. But this one? She looked like she'd already judged the estate, the staff, and probably Sam too.
Interesting.
Sam twisted her lollipop slowly between her teeth, watching the security feed with one brow arched. Her new "assistant" was scanned, cleared, and led through the house with practiced ease.
No flinch. No nerves. No tells.
Only people with nothing to hide were that calm. Or... people trained to hide everything.
She smirked.
Another lollipop. Another disguise.
When the girl finally stepped into the sunroom, Sam didn't bother to look up at first. Let her speak first. Let her try to win. Let her squirm.
"You're late," Sam said coolly, flipping a page she hadn't read.
"By ninety seconds. You're observant said Lila."
Oh? Lila's voice was smooth. Confident. Just enough bite.
Sam flicked her eyes up.
Lila was short, but had a "don't-mess-with-me" Vibe to her, not a runway model way. Buttoned-down. Ice in her eyes. But there was something in her stance—like she was ready to jump in front of a bullet or throw one.
"I'm bored," Sam replied, twirling her lollipop again. "And I don't like strangers. Especially ones who show up pretending to be useful."
Their eyes locked.
And for a half-second, Sam's heart stuttered.
Lila didn't blink. Didn't flinch. She measured her.
"I'm not here to be liked," Lila said. "I'm here to keep your life from going up in flames."
Sam's blood prickled.
If only she knew.
"My life is a fire," Sam whispered, and smiled like it was a challenge.
The rest of the day was a game.
Sam was good at games. She poked, prodded, threw curveballs and watched the girl—Lila Greene, supposedly—field everyone without a drop of sweat. But Sam could feel something.
It was in the way Lila scanned each room before entering. The way Sams fingers twitched near her side when someone got too close. With the faint tension in her jaw when Lila asked about her childhood.
Lila Greene was a lie.And Sam?She was going to find out the truth.Before she let herself fall for another ghost.
That night, Sam couldn't sleep.
So, she went where she always went when the nightmares got too loud—the roof.
And there she was.
Sitting cross-legged, headphones on, eyes on the dark horizon. Like a gargoyle. A beautiful, deadly gargoyle.
"You don't blend in very well up here," Sam called.
Lila didn't flinch. Of course she didn't.
Sam padded barefoot across the cold stone and sat beside her. Their knees touched. Her heartbeat did something untrustworthy.
Sam should've left it at silence. But she didn't.
"What are you hiding, Lila Greene?"
The smirk that followed was slow and practiced. "Maybe I haven't."
Lila rolled her eyes. "And maybe I'm the tooth fairy."
But Sam's chest tightened anyway.
Because maybe—just maybe—she wanted Lila to be real.
Because secrets were safer when you weren't the only one keeping them.
[END SAM'S POV]