Arriving at the imposing glass facade of "Sinnwell Enterprises," a towering structure that reflected the cold efficiency of the corporate world. The entrance featured sleek revolving doors that seemed to symbolize the constant motion of the business within.

Stepping into the lobby, Vicky was greeted by the soft hum of busy professionals engaged in conversations, their footsteps echoing on the polished marble floor. The company logo, a stylized "SE" in metallic letters, adorned the walls, emphasizing the corporate identity of Sinnwell Enterprise.

Navigating through the bustling lobby, Vicky entered the elevator that silently transported her to the executive floors. As the doors slid open on the top floor, she found herself in a corridor decorated with expensive artwork and subdued lighting.

Resolving herself, Vicky approached Mr. Sinnwell's office, observing the frosted glass door that bore the nameplate "Alexander Sinnwell, CEO." The office emitted an air of authority, with the dark mahogany furniture contrasting against the neutral tones of the walls. A grand panoramic view of the city skyline accompanied by a cloudy depressing sky.

Upon entering, Vicky found Mr. Sinnwell busily sorting through a pile of paperwork at his seemingly expensive desk. The room held an air of wealth and power, with the faint lingering smell of expensive cigars.

Noticing her arrival, Mr. Sinnwell grew a "business" smile as he began to collect the seemingly endless piles of paperwork and slid them to the side.

Although this wasn't the first time Vicky has seen Mr. Sinnwell, she still took note of his appearance with an analyzing gaze.

Mr. Alexander Sinnwell, CEO of Sinnwell Enterprises, was a commanding figure with a presence to match. Tall and impeccably dressed, he oozed confidence and superiority. His tailored charcoal-gray suit accentuated a strong and well-defined frame, hinting at his physical strength.

His face bore the marks of experience, with sharp, calculating eyes that missed nothing. His black haired only slightly tainted white by the growing of age, neatly combed, added a touch of distinguished maturity to his appearance. A chiseled jawline and a slightly furrowed brow hinted at a man accustomed to making tough decisions.

Behind a pair of designer glasses, Sinnwell's eyes harbored a sharp intelligence that had navigated the complex corporate landscape for years. Lines etched on his forehead spoke of the challenges he had faced, but they also hinted at a strong resilience that defined his character.

"Ah, Vicky Morgan. Please have a seat."

Mr. Sinnwell said while adjusting his glasses, interrupting Vicky's thoughts.

Hearing the bland and unwelcoming tone in Mr. Sinnwell's voice, Vicky silently assumed that this wasn't a good time to be a bearer of bad news. Regardless, Vicky cautiously sat in the chair directly facing Mr. Sinnwell.

"Vicky Morgan, it's a pleasure to see you. Coincidentally, I was planning on having a discussion with you regarding your performance. Thank you for saving me the stress of having to hunt you down."

Mr. Sinnwell said with a hint of relief in his voice.

"Vicky, your performance this year has been outstanding. I had my doubts at first, but you've proven yourself through hard work and dedication." Mr. Sinnwell said.

Vicky paused; she wasn't expecting to hear this.

"Thank you, Mr. Sinnwell. Though I would like to take this opportunity to request for a few weeks off."

The look Vicky caught in Mr. Sinnwells eyes didn't faze her. If she was worried about being intimidated, she wouldn't have entered this line of work in the first place.

"Hm. and why's that? The office has been quite busy as of late, we could use all hands-on deck." Mr. Sinnwell said, not breaking eye contact.

Vicky found it unnerving that she couldn't get an accurate read on him. 'It always seems like he knows just what you're going to say.' Still unfazed, Vicky replied, "I understand that Sir. Though something important has come up and will require all of my attention."

Mr. Sinnwell's brows furrowed; Vicky recognized this look. Mr. Sinnwell doesn't like surprises that don't fit in his calculations. She expected it, but still didn't help with the unnerving feeling.

"For a few weeks? Mind elaborating on that?" Mr. Sinnwell said.

"It is of no concern to you sir, with all due respect."

Vicky's reply to his question definitely surprised Mr. Sinnwell, who's brows shockingly furrowed even more.

"Pfft, I'm your boss" Mr. Sinnwell said dismissively, "Anything you do is of my concern. Vicky, I'm aware you've been very efficient and have shown great dedication to our objectives, though unfortunately, I think it's in the company's best interest to have you keep showing up. Can't let my best employee suddenly have a few weeks off without a few months' notice. So, unless you have something major like pregnancy. I'm afraid your request is denied."

A typical response from a boss who overworks their employees.

"Anything else?" Mr. Sinnwell said with a belittling tone.

Unwavering, Vicky replied, "Mr. Sinnwell, I'm sure you must've misunderstood me. Yes, I may be requesting, but that is purely for formalities. I will be taking the time off and I felt it right to inform you, though I could simply just stop coming."

Leaning more on his desk, Mr. Sinnwell still maintaining an intense eye contact, replied, "Are you threatening me, Ms. Morgans? Or have you suddenly forgotten how things work in this, no, MY company?"

"I assure you Mr. Sinnwell, my statement is not a threat. I haven't forgotten and neither do I care, it's unfortunate you're unable to be reasoned with." Vicky said with a stable voice.

"HA, me? Unreasonable? Vicky Morgans, I'm the most reasonable man in these hard times. I'm sure you remember when we found you half-dead in the cargo container being SMUGGLED into the States? Surely you haven't forgotten how much debt you owe to me. I'm a powerful man Vicky, it'd be wise not to cross me. Besides, you're chained to the company. I OWN you Vicky, you will do as I say and when I say." Mr. Sinnwell replied.

"No. Not any longer. It's a shame that things had to go this way, it would've been much easier if you'd just understood. Though I guess that's how it goes when dealing with men with massive egos. Anyhow, Mr. Sinnwell, I wouldn't have come here without a back-up plan. I have documents depicting your crimes in very fine detail ready to be laid right in the NYPD's lap. This company wouldn't last a day in court against a well-prepared prosecution. So, I think it's in your best interest to settle this matter and move on."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Vicky had hoped her leverage would at least bring out something in him that she could read. To her surprise, it worked.

"You ungrateful bitch! You don't quite understand Vicky, I've had you tailed since your first job here. Do you really think I'd just trust some random skank with handling MY companies' sensitive matters? Every fucking move you've made, every fucking nap you took, every fucking shower you've taken. Do you understand Vicky? You'd simply go down with us, assuming your 'leverage' ever made it to the NYPD's hands."

Vicky had known about the tail and the hidden cameras in her apartment. She was a cautious type, could never be too careful.

Although the revelation of the stalking wasn't news to her, she still acted accordingly to seize some control over the situation.

"You came in hopes that I'd let you go just because you have some blackmail? Vicky, this is the corporate world, we all have secrets and ways to find other's secrets." Mr. Sinnwell said.

Vicky noticed the slight change in his demeanor, as if he wasn't bothered by what she said. Though it still didn't change the situation and Vicky knew that. With her only trump card played, she came to an unsettling realization.

"You motherfucker! You knew?!" Vicky said, for the first time becoming unsure of her approach.

Mr. Sinnwell stood and faced towards the grand panoramic view of the city.

"You see Vicky, I am no fool. I knew you were snooping around, and I let you. Every word of information you've gathered, was hand spooned to you. All the information you have is incorrect in one form or another, but you wouldn't have known. It was entertaining seeing you scurry around like a sneaky rat, so I let the facade continue." Mr. Sinnwell said.

Vicky shifted in her chair nervously. Realizing that she had nothing and spent the last few years just playing in the palm of his hands, her head drooped.

"Though I am nothing but a reasonable and forgiving man and like I said, you are my best employee. It'd be a shame to have you disappear when I could continue to benefit off your hard work. So how about this, you continue to do good work for my company and in return you keep your life?" Mr. Sinnwell said.

With no other options, Vicky felt pressured to accept his offer. Thinking it over for a bit, Vicky came to the conclusion that it would be nice to keep her head on her shoulders and begrudgingly said, "I accept."

Mr. Sinnwell turned around with an arrogant smirk on his face and replied, "That's a good girl, now please get the hell out of my office."

Feeling completely devastated and having a growing feeling of hopelessness, Vicky followed his words and left the office.

*DING*

While walking back towards the elevator, a message notification noise came from her pocket. Digging in her pocket to grab her phone, Vicky figured it'd be Mr. Sinnwell's assistance with another job for her. But to her surprise it was from a random number, curiously, she checked the contents of the message.

From: 222-521-5689 (Unknown Number)

"Victoria 'Vicky' Morgans, do you wish to be free? Are you tired of having no control over your life? Do you want the power to rule over others? Reply YES if you want to change your predetermined destiny."

Vicky stopped and stared at the cryptic message. 'How did... how did they know my full name?' Vicky thought.

"Who is this? And how do you know my name?" Vicky replied.

Vicky waited a minute for an answer, but annoyingly, none came. Looking around, she figured this wasn't the best time or area to confront the unknown sender. She put her phone away and continued her path to the elevator.

Later that day, Vicky sat in her car, a 2023 Hyundai Palisade, with nothing but her thoughts parked in the employee garage. She was contemplating just killing Mr. Sinnwell outright and being done with him forever but couldn't bear to think of the manhunt that would surely ensue. Then she remembered the message from the anonymous number.

She pulled out her phone and read the message again. Disappointed to see there still was no reply from the anonymous sender, Vicky decided to reverse search the number. After spending ten minutes and not finding anything remotely close to any identification, Vicky thought some more.

"Mr. Sinnwell and his assistant are the only people with this number. They are also the only people who know my name. I've been extremely cautious sharing my personal details with others, so how did this person get my number and my name.?" Vicky silently thought.

"It wouldn't hurt to entertain the thought though. If I can get them to tell me more information about themselves or more details, I can just use that to find them."

Using that as her reasoning, Vicky replied, "YES." Then instantly, a bubble with three moving dots appeared, showing that the person on the other end was typing. And just as fast as the dots came, they disappeared followed by a new message.

From: 222-521-5689 (Unknown Number)

"Good decision Vicky. You assimilation into the system will begin when the local time is 1900. Goodluck Seeker!"

Vicky waited for a follow up message to appear. After waiting for a minute, she knew that another message wasn't coming. Now completely irked, Vicky replied, "Give me some details and at least tell me who you are. You seem to know about me, it's only fair if I know more about you."

After waiting ten minutes, no reply had come. Vicky wrote again.

"I will report this to the police, you have no idea who you're messing with. Give me some explanations NOW!"

Still no reply.

Resigned, Vicky threw her phone into the back seat and let a few years' worth of anger out with a loud scream and banging on her steering wheel.

"I didn't ask for this life. I didn't ask to work under that deceiving douchebag. I came to the States to be free. Why do I have to suffer because of it? Why ME?" Vicky said with tears building up in her eyes.

"Why?"