The estate felt different at night.
Quieter. Heavier. Like the walls themselves were watching.
Charles stood in the hallway, waiting for instructions that hadn't come yet. Thirty minutes had passed since the lady in red disappeared into her office.
He didn't knock. Didn't wander. Just waited.
A door opened down the hall. A woman stepped out — sharp blazer, tablet in hand. One of her assistants.
"You're still here," she said, surprised.
"You told me to wait."
She smiled. Not warmly. Curiously. "She'll be a while. Come. I'll get you something to drink."
---
The kitchen was larger than any apartment Charles had ever lived in.
The assistant poured him water, then sat across from him. Too close.
"You know," she said casually, "she doesn't pay attention to most people. You're different."
Charles said nothing.
"She has… requirements. Demands. Most men leave within a week."
"Is that so."
The assistant leaned forward slightly. "But if you ever need someone to talk to — someone who understands how she works — I'm available."
Her hand rested on the table. Close to his.
Charles looked at it. Then at her.
"I'm good," he said.
She tilted her head. "You sure? No one has to know."
"I'm sure."
She studied him for a moment, then stood. "Suit yourself. But the offer stands."
She walked out.
Charles sat alone, staring at the water.
Another test.
He was sure of it now.
---
An hour later, the lady in red finally appeared.
She didn't apologize for the wait. Didn't explain.
"Follow me," she said.
He did.
She led him to a small office — not her private one, but a side room with a single desk and a cabinet against the wall.
"You'll work from here when you're at the estate," she said. "Simple tasks. Deliveries. Messages. Nothing you can't handle."
She pulled a small key from her pocket and placed it on the desk.
"That cabinet contains sensitive documents. Client names. Business details. Things that could ruin people if they got out."
Charles looked at the key. Then at her.
"Don't open it," she said.
"I won't."
She smiled faintly. "We'll see."
---
The first day passed without incident.
Charles delivered envelopes to addresses across the city. Returned with receipts. Said nothing to anyone.
The second day, an assistant he hadn't met before stopped him in the hallway.
"Tough job, isn't it?" the man said. "Working for her."
Charles shrugged. "It's work."
The man lowered his voice. "I heard she's in trouble. Big trouble. Something about a group called Wisteria."
Charles didn't react.
"You know anything about that?"
"No," Charles said. "And I don't want to."
The man laughed. "Smart. But if you ever change your mind… information pays well."
He walked away.
Charles stood still for a moment. Then continued down the hall.
He didn't mention the conversation to anyone.
---
That night, the lady in red called him into her private office.
She was seated behind her desk, laptop open, face illuminated by the screen.
"You've been quiet," she said.
"You told me to be loyal. Not loud."
She looked up at him. Studied him.
"Someone approached you today. Asked about Wisteria."
Charles's heart rate ticked up — but his face didn't change.
"Yes."
"And?"
"I said I didn't know anything."
She leaned back. "Did you want to know more?"
Charles held her gaze. "No."
"Why not?"
"Because knowing things that can get you killed… is how poor people disappear."
Silence filled the room.
Then she laughed. Quietly. Genuinely.
"You're smarter than you look, Charles."
She reached into her drawer and pulled out a folder. Slid it across the desk.
"Tomorrow, the real work begins."
He didn't open it. Just picked it up and nodded.
As he turned to leave, her voice stopped him.
"You didn't open the cabinet."
Charles paused. "You told me not to."
"And that was enough?"
He looked back at her. "Your word means something to me. Even if mine doesn't mean anything to you yet."
Her expression shifted — just slightly. Something unreadable.
"Goodnight, Charles."
He left.
Behind him, the lady in red opened her laptop.
A new email waited.
Tick tock.
She closed it without responding.
Then she wrote one word in Charles's file:
Trusted.