The office felt unusually quiet on Monday morning. Ava arrived earlier than usual, hoping to bury herself in spreadsheets and emails before anyone else showed up. After Friday night, she needed distance, clarity, and as much normalcy as she could grasp.

But normalcy didn’t exist in the same universe as Ethan Blackwell.

She had just set her bag down when his voice came, sharp and precise. “In my office. Now.”

Her heart stumbled. She looked up to see him standing at his door, suit jacket ...