Matthew remained silent, his gaze fixed on Yvonne.


    She didn''t even bother to look at them. She paid the bill, and then she and Sandra left the restaurant. Sandra had to return to the office, so Yvonne hailed a taxi. As the car made its way toward the Spencer residence, her phone rang. Without checking the caller ID, she answered.


    "You were following me," Matthew''s voice said, a statement, not a question.


    "Are you always this paranoid?" Yvonne shot back.


    “Queena mentioned that you don''t even know proper dining etiquette. Yvonne, I know you''re not over me. If you regret your decision, I might be willing to take you back."


    Yvonne was incredulous. "And what about Queena?”


    "The two of you don''t have to conflict."


    She almostughed. "So, you want me to be your mistress?"


    His silence was all the confirmation she needed.


    "Matthew," she said, her voice dripping with contempt, "you are the definition of disgusting." She hung up.


    For the next month, Yvonne dutifully went to work at the finance department: She spent her days drinking coffee, eating chips, and pretending to look at ledgers. Most of the time, she was nappingin her executive chair.


    One evening, long after closing time, the department had emptied out. Yvonne was still in her office, her eyes closed, seemingly asleep.


    The assistant and a cashier were thest to leave. "She''s still sleeping in there," the cashier noted. "Should we wake her?"


    "Let her sleep if she wants to. It''s not our problem," the assistant replied, switching off the main lights and pulling her colleague out the door.


    The entire department was plunged into darkness, save for the faint moonlight filtering through the windows.


    In the quiet, Yvonne''s eyes snapped open, sharp and alert. She sat up opened a desk drawer and pulled, out a small, specialized toolkit. Then, she walked to the director''s office.


    Peter was a cautious man. His office was always locked when he wasn''t there. Yvonne knelt by the door and, with a few deft movements, picked the lock.


    Inside, just as Sandra had said, was


    a safe. It was an older model,


    imported, but thankfully not connected to a mobile rm


    system still it was aplex lock. Yvonne set to work, and afternearly an hour, she finally managed to get it open.


    Just as she was about to reach inside, the office door swung open.