"Quick! Stop that person!"
A sudden commotion erupted outside. Hera held her breath and listened as the office door slammed shut with a bang.
She immediately breathed a sigh of relief. It was now dark all around. She pinched the webbing between her thumb and index finger, using the pain to stay alert.
The footsteps outside grew fainter, eventually becoming silent as everyone left.
Hera immediately turned on the flashlight on her phone, crawled from under the table, and moved to the window behind the desk. She lifted the curtain and saw the trees outside, budding with fresh leaves.
It was the backyard, and no one was around.
She opened the window and climbed out while cautiously looking around. She sighed with relief when she saw that there were no cameras.
She emerged from the bushes and brushed off the dirt on her clothes before walking along a pebbled path. Suddenly, a figure appeared ahead of her.
That person, dressed in a champagne-colored suit, leaned lazily against a lamppost.
He looked up, revealing a pretty face under slightly curly short hair. He had fair skin, and his lips had curled into a wicked smile. A deep brown mole under the right side of his eyes made him look especially alluring under the lamplight.
"What were you doing hiding in there?"
The man's magnetic voice carried a hint of teasing as if he had been waiting for her there.
Hera frowned. It seemed he had deliberately led the others away.
Uncertain if he was friend or foe, she feigned ignorance and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."
When Hera played dumb, the man gazed at her with his enchanting eyes and said, "Your body is quite flexible. That window frame is about one foot wide, but you managed to crawl through it. You must have practiced a lot.
"But crawling out like a dog at the end wasn't graceful. You might want to try a different pose next time."
Hera held her breath, watching him warily.
This meant he had been observing her the whole time as she struggled to climb out.
"So, what exactly were you doing in there?"
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