Chapter 115

• The following days at B&H Publishing unfolded much like the last, but Derek Hanes couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that had taken root in his mind since that chaotic moment by Gemma's desk. He noticed things—the way she held herself, her nervous glances towards the door, how she flinched at simple sounds like the ringing of a phone or the rustling of papers. It was alarming how such subtle changes could transform the vibrant, ambitious woman he had seen during the interview into someone burdened by an invisible weight.
• Derek found himself studying her more closely, his instincts kicking into high gear as he observed her interactions in the office. Whenever he walked past her desk, he caught her stealing glances over her shoulder, as if expecting someone—or something—to appear from the shadows. It was unsettling. He had worked with enough people to recognize fear when he saw it, and Gemma carried it with her like a shroud, clinging to her despite her attempts to shake it off.
• On one particularly busy afternoon, Derek had been standing in the break room waiting for his coffee to brew when he overheard a couple of coworkers chatting about Gemma. “She seems different lately. I don’t know; there's just something… off,” one of them had said, her voice a mix of concern and curiosity.