“Have a seat,” Riven said, gesturing to the empty chair at the other end of his desk as Thira stepped into the office.

This was supposed to be a routine meeting—formal orientation, a rundown of her responsibilities, a confident monologue about the dos and don’ts of the company, especially in her new role as the firm’s financial analyst. Nothing he hadn’t done thirty times before. But from the moment she walked in, Riven knew this wasn’t going to follow the usual script.

He ...