The man moved so quickly that Lily instinctively fell silent. They stared into each other's eyes, each trying to gauge the other's thoughts. He snorted, his friendly facade vanishing. "Listen," he said dryly, "don't ever try to learn about things you shouldn't."

He walked toward the door without a backward glance. "I told you R10 isn't complete. Even if you used it on me, you wouldn't get the results you expect. Don't you want to hear what I think?" Lily watched him go, deciding to gamble.

She didn't know him, and their interaction had shown him to be difficult. She didn't know his weaknesses, so R10 was her only leverage. The entire experiment revolved around it, and she was confident the organization valued it highly.

He paused at the doorway, seemingly hesitating. But just as Lily thought she'd swayed him, he left, shutting the door firmly behind him. Lily stared at the closed door, alone again. 'He's so unpredictable; it's impossible to know what he's thinking,' she mused.

For the first time, she felt utterly powerless.

Alexander sat at his desk on the top floor of La Beaute Group's office building. His laptop, tablet, phones, files, and various communication devices were strewn across the surface. He hadn't slept in two days, consumed by accumulated work and following up on reports from his men. His eyes were bloodshot, his exhaustion palpable.

His office phone rang. He pressed speakerphone. His secretary's voice: "The Public Relations and Sales Departments have submitted their reports, Mr. Russell. Should I deliver them?"

"Just send the soft copies," Alexander replied gravely, checking his email. "As I said, don't enter my office. Call me if you need to discuss anything."

"Yes, sir," his secretary responded, hanging up.

Alexander had been back in the office for two days, but she'd only seen him briefly upon his return. She'd heard noises and opened the door to offer coffee, but he'd shouted at her to leave immediately. She found his behavior unusually abrupt, puzzled by his instructions to leave files outside the door. She could only obey. She'd noticed he hadn't gone home; he was there when she left and still there when she returned. 'Did he fight with his wife?' she wondered.

Other employees suspected the same, assuming his bad mood stemmed from a marital dispute. They didn't know the immense pressure he was under.