Linsy blinked in disbelief, her lashes fluttering like moth wings in the golden light. She looked up again at the man standing before her, Michael Helwart, his smile so warm and genuine that it made her heart skip a beat. For a second, she questioned if he was really speaking to her.

He had never praised her like that before.

Not even once.

“Really?” she asked cautiously, her voice barely above a whisper, as if speaking louder would shatter the strange, beautiful illusion she had ...