was the weight of what had happened in the elevator. Elena felt as though she were walking through a dream,

rs with her head down, her mop bucket trailing a scent o

only way to survive was to know everyone's secrets while keeping her own behind a wall of bitterness. She had seen the way Ju

spent ten years being ignored by men like Jul

floor-to-ceiling windows. The city lights were blu

s," Sarah's voice sliced through the silence.

was leaning against the doorframe, her

glass," Elena stammered, tucking a

veling to the mahogany desk where the origami crane still sat. "You're playing a dangerous

, the heavy oak doors swun

takeover. He stopped mid-sentence when he saw both women in his office. His eyes went straight to

hone, hanging up without waiting for an answ

mock-humility. "I was just telling Elena here that she needs

enter of the room, his presence making the air feel thin. "Elena is doing her job p

A protective

nal files? Since when do the cle

icy register. "Do you have other floors to attend to, Sarah? Or should I cal

of pure, unadulterated venom at Ele

of an impending storm. Elena stood by the window, h

s," Elena

til he was standing just outside the circle of her personal space. "She

er eyes were bright with unshed tears. "You're the CEO. You just lied for a c

t, his fingers brushing against her arm-not the navy fabri

lena gasped, her pulse leap

world of glass walls. Everyone is watching you. And I... I'm the person who

looked down at her, his grey eyes stormy and desperate. He wanted to pull her t

of being the vi

g thing, a heat that made the room feel like it was on fire. He wa

n his desk buzzed-a shar

waiting in the confere

r one agonizing second. He let out a ragged breath and stepped

y on her phone, her voice a low, frantic