was barely audible, but it carried a weight th

ed, wondering if she should turn back. But before she could m

replied. "I'll follow yo

quickening. She leaned closer, her mind racing with question

Stallion said, his tone firm,

to come out. She darted around the corner, pressing herself against the wall as she watched the man exit, a grim e

was sitting at his desk, his face a mask of calm, but she couldn't shake the feel

e playing on his lips.

k him directly what he had been discussing, but she knew better. Wh

ything else you needed for the meeting tom

. "Always so diligent

ration that felt almost dangerous. She tried to keep her composure, but hi

or now," he said, his voice softe

of relief and disappointment. "Al

d to leave, his

va

ing back at him,

ntinued, his eyes fixed on hers. "This

stop, to keep things strictly professional, but another part of her – the part she tried to ignore – wanted to

murmured, her voi

his eyes that hinted at something deeper, something darker. She felt a shiver run do

e warmth of his hand on hers, and the quiet intensity in his eyes. She had tried to brush it off, to tell herself it was just her imagination, but deep dow

meetings, but the thought of Stallion lingered in the back of her mind like a shadow she couldn't shake. Even

thin. She needed clarity

ze. She couldn't stop thinking abo

focus on work. But she felt a chill, as if she wer

e noticed something odd – a message with no subject line, from an unknown sen

few lines, but it was enough

im. He's not who

ing. Who had sent this? And what did it mean? She looked arou

f. She wanted to delete it, to pretend she hadn't seen it, but something stopp

he tried to keep her distance from Stallion, to avoid his gaze, but s

l reeling from the message. As she walked home, her mind was a whirlwind of fear and doubt. She wanted

. She tried to shake off the feeling, to tell herself she was just being paranoid,

way fr

erything she'd heard, everything she'd seen. She knew she was probably overthinking

was that man? And why did Stallion need something handled "quietly"? She tried to push the

knew she had a choice to make: she could ignore the warning, continue on as if nothing had happene

down her spine, a sense that she was standing on the edge of so

ew that she had to uncover