which now included Ethan in a small, high-security suite on the 40th floor. The setup was intentional: two private offi

forced to watch Ethan

a look she remembered being reserved for weekend plans. She watched the female subor

ons were brutal

a five-day blackout," Ethan would state in Ela

documents without lifting her head. "I need you to shave that down

pect, Mrs. Thorne

d interrupt, using his first name only to remind

rim satisfaction in her control. He had wanted ambiti

vate dinners that were strictly networking events. In the penthouse, he was distant. They slept in separate, climate-cont

examining a wrinkle in his shirt cuff. "And investments require

now, the small, quiet comfort of her old life wa

was heavier than usual. It wasn't just the

celebrating their "dating-versary" not with lavish gifts, but with a cheap b

electricity between them, the tight coil of shared h

the suite and stopped at Ethan's glass wall. She w

desk as the team inc

" the deliver

disruption, stepped out. "That

id, consulting the tag. "They're from yo

of the woman he had chosen over her, delivered in the very offi

p quickly, told the delivery woman they had the wrong location, and ordered

, now," Elara said co

If this is about the delivery, Mrs. Thorne, I assure you

tty jealousy down. "The next time a personal matter disr

k. "I apologize for allowing my personal business t

itle was a weapon for him now, a constant

she said softly, r

nt of her desk, and the look in his eyes was something she hadn't seen

audible. He wasn't talking about the flowers. He was talkin

a small, worn piece of paper-a folded movie stub. He laid it ca

t night we held hands," he said, his voice

each out or shout he added one final, devas

lara. But I know you l

e of ambition over her own heart. He had broken the rules, shattered the professiona

r office, the door cl

r complex, cold present. She reached out and crumpled the paper in her fist, the emotion too much to bear. She could