Hailey smoothed the skirt of her new suit as she stepped off the elevator. The air carried the faint buzz of phones, printers, the hushed voices of people who already knew each other’s names and places. She was the outsider, the newcomer—and worse, she was his assistant.

The stares followed her as she walked past rows of desks toward the corner office. Some were curious, some sharp with speculation. She caught the way one woman leaned toward another, whispering behind a manicured hand. Why ...