Page 36 of Claim Me
We step into the elevator and ride up. I’m still slightly dazed. Simon glances at me discreetly while I put on the mask and check my reflection in the mirror, but he doesn’t say anything. We ride in silence, and I’m not exactly in the mood to talk either.
So I’m a Lowen now? Fuck.
That’s… I can’t even wrap my head around it.
We step out at the top and walk down a corridor.
I quickly realize this entire floor belongs to Malden Pharmaceuticals. There’s no doubt about it; their massive logo stretches across one of the walls. Offices and conference rooms line the entire hallway. From what I can tell, this is probably just a small administrative division of the company, located inside the skyscraper owned by Blue. Based on what I’ve read, Blue owns several mansions, but one of them is on the roof of this building, a luxury penthouse with heavy security, a pool, and arooftop garden. There’s even a helipad. Apparently, Blue works literally two floors below his home.
I immediately know which conference room he’s in. It’s the one guarded by two bodyguards standing outside.
I vaguely recognize them from the fair, since they were wearing the same black mesh masks as me now. To be fair, you can kind of see through them; when you get close enough, you can make out a person’s general expression, but they definitely make recognition much harder.
Simon approaches them and says,
"Hector, Ruben, this is Gabriel, the new bodyguard. I think you've met already."
What stands out is that Simon doesn’t use our surnames; apparently, everything is confidential for security reasons.
They shake my hand. Under the masks, I can make out expressions that seem cold and guarded.
Simon turns to me. "When Mr. Lowen is inside the building, he’s usually accompanied by two bodyguards. When he leaves the building, it’s four, but right now Rolf and Lionel are in the security office."
"Security office?"
"Yes." Simon gestures toward a glass door at the end of the hallway. "That’s what we call the security control room."
"Okay," I mutter.
Hector and Ruben watch me without moving a muscle.
"What about my suitcases?"
"Oh, right. For now, you can leave them in Mr. Lowen’s office. Come with me. There’ll be time to take them up to the penthouse later."
With the silent stares of both bodyguards on my back, I follow Simon.
There’s no direct entrance to the office, so we first pass through a room where four more people are sitting. I assumethey’re additional assistants. Simon introduces me, but I barely register their names because I can feel the tension building in my chest.
I only catch typical corporate job titles like Assistant to the Executive Assistant, Junior Executive Assistant, Administrative Assistant, and Office Assistant. Looks like Mr. Lowen has an entire fucking army of assistants.
Then we enter the office, and it looks exactly like I imagined. Huge, minimalist, but elegant. A mix of white, black, metal, and wood. The whole space feels stripped down, as if everything unnecessary has been removed.
Black couches sit against one wall, while a massive half-ellipse desk dominates the center, its black surface completely empty. Behind it, tall cabinets blend into the wall, and a large mounted screen hangs dark and inactive, reflecting faint shapes from the room.
Soft lighting runs along the edges of the ceiling, highlighting the geometric structure of the office. The floor is smooth and spotless, probably stone. The panoramic window stretches across the far wall, revealing the city below, distant and reduced to a gray blur.
I set my suitcases down next to the couches and turn around, meeting Simon’s gaze.
"Mr. Lowen will be done in about," he checks his phone, "seven minutes. Would you like to wait here or right outside the conference room?"
The idea of standing next to those bodyguards doesn’t appeal to me at all.
"I can wait here," I say. I’m not exactly eager to make awkward small talk with them. That’s really not part of my nerdy personality.
"Of course. Please wait here then. Dimitri is right outside if you need anything. He’s Mr. Lowen’s Junior ExecutiveAssistant," Simon adds with a peculiar smile, as if he knows I didn’t catch the names before. "I’ll head back to the meeting for now. I had to step out for a moment."
He leaves, closing the door behind him.
