10

Silence fills the room for a couple of seconds. I’m thinking of a reason to divert his attention.

“The painting!” I cry. “Uh... the girl in the painting, she’s beautiful. Who is she?” I ask, then swallow hard, praying he won’t remember what I’ve just said.

How can I be so stupid? One doesn’t make comments expressing admiration for such a dangerous person. How could I even say those words so quickly? All I wanted was to know why he was hiding from the world when he had nothing to be ashamed of.

His expression is annoyed. He stares at me with a questioning look, then takes a deep breath.

“I could fire you right away for being too nosy. You’d better be thankful that the information you have won’t make you a jobless newbie.”

Wow! I exclaim mentally. Am I supposed to thank him then? It was he who made such fuss about it after telling me he was still going to fire me. I only protected my rights.

“Yes, and unfortunately, I still have that information,” I retaliate. His sex appeal shouldn’t o