Obsessed with space. Wants to be an astronaut. Something softened in Daniel's expression when he talked about her. She said you were brave for telling the truth in front of all those people. I don't think I've ever been called brave before.
Strategic, yes. Ruthless, frequently. But not brave. Maybe Lily sees something the financial analysts miss. Over the next 2 weeks, Victoria called maintenance seven more times.
A flickering light in the conference room. A door that supposedly stuck. The coffee maker making unusual sounds. Each time, Daniel appeared, fixed the non-existent problem in under 5 minutes, and stayed to talk for 20. She learned he'd been a marine engineer, that he'd lost his wife Sarah to cancer 2 years ago, that he'd left military contracting to find work with more stable hours so he could raise Lily alone.
He asked about her company, her childhood, whether she'd ever actually taken a vacation. "You know," Daniel said on his eighth visit, standing in her office doorway. "If you want to talk to me, you could just call and ask. You don't need to invent maintenance emergencies." Victoria looked up from her laptop, caught.
"Would that be inappropriate?" "Probably," Daniel said. Then he smiled. "But I'd still say yes." That evening, Victoria pulled up the building security footage from the lobby, something she'd never done before.
She watched Daniel interact with dozens of people throughout his day. The elderly man from the law firm on 12 who always forgot his key, the cleaning crew that came in after hours, the food delivery workers trying to navigate the service elevators. He treated everyone the same. Patient. Present.
Kind. Not special treatment. Just him. Victoria closed the laptop and sat in the darkness of her apartment, feeling something unfamiliar and dangerous taking root in her chest. Victoria was reviewing third quarter projections in the building lobby.
She'd started working down there occasionally, telling herself it was about being more accessible, knowing it was about the possibility of seeing Daniel, when she heard a child's voice echo across the marble. "Daddy, did you know Saturn has 83 moons? 83. That's more than any other planet." Victoria looked up.
Daniel stood near the security desk with a small girl whose dark curls were barely contained by a space-themed headband. She wore a backpack shaped like a rocket and was practically vibrating with excitement. "I did know that, Lil." Daniel said patiently. "You've told me approximately 83 times.
But did you know that Titan has lakes made of liquid methane? Also, yes." The girl noticed Victoria watching and waved enthusiastically. "Hi. Do you work here?
Do you like space?" Daniel's eyes widened. "Lily, that's Victoria." Victoria said, standing and walking over. She extended her hand to the child.