He pried open the elevator doors just enough to see the car was stuck between floors.
The woman inside was crouched down, her knees hugged to her chest. She wore a sleek navy-blue suit, her hair pinned back tightly—someone who clearly wasn’t used to being helpless.
“Do you know how to get me out of here?” she asked.
“I do,” Ryan said calmly. “But I’ll need you to trust me.”
“I don’t even know your name.”
“It’s Ryan. Maintenance. And I’m not going anywhere until you’re safe.”
She nodded. “I’m Emily.”
It took nearly an hour to reset the elevator manually. As Ryan worked, he kept talking to her. He asked her about her family, her work, anything to keep her mind off the tight space.
“I’m CEO of Arcadia Tech,” she admitted at one point. “Everyone assumes I’m fearless because I run a billion-dollar company… but I hate elevators.”
“Well, CEOs are still people,” Ryan said gently.
Eventually, with a metallic groan, the elevator slid back into alignment with the floor. Ryan helped Emily out, offering her his hand. She took it, her grip trembling.
“I don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t been here,” she whispered.
“Just doing my job, ma’am.”
She stared at him, then down at his dirty work boots, and then noticed the drawing tucked in his shirt pocket—Lily had slipped it there earlier. A stick-figure of her and Daddy, holding hands under a purple sun.
“Is this yours?” Emily asked.
“My daughter’s,” Ryan said proudly. “She waits for me while I finish my shift.”
Emily blinked. “She comes to work with you?”
“Every night.”
“Why?”
“Because I can’t afford not to have her with me.”
Emily didn’t say anything. She just nodded, looking at him in a way that made him feel oddly… seen.
That night, as he and Lily walked home under the streetlights, he thought little of it. Just another day. Another problem solved.
