herself for severity-expected some kind of villain's lair, all sharp edges and intimidat

rmth. Honestly, she didn't know exactly what she imagi

angles that made her feel like she should adjust her posture on instinct. The desk-at least a continent in itself

ere the chaos below just blurred into monotone abstraction. The kind of outlook that quiet

t was the hush that filled every inch of the room, thick and pressurized and, frankly, suffocatin

th. The guy just sat there, eyes fixed on her, looking c

nods people do to put you at ease. He just... stared. His eyes were much darker in person, an

him, clinging to the folder in her hands like it might suddenl

like giving ord

ed, not smart, but once they'd landed, there was no taking them back. Something stubborn i

self." If he cared,

harder. That folder... She'd dragged it out of the elevator, squeezing it s

suffocating air again. "D

he answered, and it was

, like he was running a calculation. No emotion on his face, no tells. Sh

st blurted it out like he wa

at a time, like listening to a bad voicemail. Maybe her hearing and her br

mmered. Maybe she'd misheard. May

rry

ed at him, half-expecting him to crack a smile, to reveal-ta-da!-it was all a joke, that she'd been punked and there was a camera in a

ask: "Is th

ser

maybe there'd be a director popping out with a megaphone to shout, "Cut!" Nope. Just vast, echoing silence. The only proof she hadn't h

f with how fast it came. Like her mouth was playing

t li

ay from a malfunctioning vending machine about to explode. Insti

. "I know about the loans and th

d had rushed to her cheeks, but it wasn't quite embarrassment. It was the kind of burning mort

it-barely a nervous tic. She got the feeling this was the closest this guy ever got to discomfort. "I know your finance

h fury. This went way beyond invasion of privacy-it felt lik

napped, and somehow manage

ow en

but only one rage-sentence comes out and sounds pretty much li

eone's life like it's all there for the taking and throw it in their face so they'll bounce

have a

wrong, that human emotions were still a thing in his world. Maybe she saw something flicker-just for a

act. You'll have your own lawyer, your own money, a penthouse, medical and benefits from day one, and a payout after-it's enough to clear the slate

but your feet are cemented to the floor? Yeah, that. She d

he said. "You have

shatter this impossible proposition into pi

a cha

nee

d. "I don't need

debt won't disappear just be

inical, like a doctor breaking bad news in the world's worst bedside manner. The s

he operated with. He looked almost bored with her resistance. Not smug, not mocking. Like he'd me

She stopped, just for a beat. Couldn't say why-maybe just hunting for a last

all his impossible offers-sitting in that beautif