by the window, arms crossed, staring out at the sprawling skyline below. The office was empty, save for her and Damian, who had been eerily quiet

Café's future, at least temporarily, had faded into frustration. What she had once hoped would be a straightfo

l details about reports and documents that she was certain could be handled by anyone. But his presence-h

an's voice cut through it, smooth b

eventually. She refused to turn around, even though she c

more defensive than she intended. "I'm ju

s so sure of himself, so confident in his control over every s

ep closer. "You seem to think I'm manipulating y

c laugh. "You've got a f

om his intense gaze. "I'm just here to do my job. You wanted my help with the café-fi

"It's not a charade, Sage. This is business. Real business. And if you want to stay in

h her deeper into the web he'd woven around her. She hadn't asked for this world. She'd never

tion with indifference. "Do you have another meeting for me to si

ing. Then, as if deciding something in his mind, he moved toward

awed at her. What w

d her, his expression unreadable. "I need you to look over these docu

ed, skeptical. "W

ntly took it, flipping it open. The pages inside were filled with dense le

, shaking her head. "You exp

g her closely. "I expect you to try. You've been in this posi

mother's dream, flashed before her eyes. The responsibility she had taken on to

t that every time she took a step fo

her voice lower than before. "Why do you

indow, standing next to her but not quite touching her. He stared

said, his voice soft yet firm. "Not i

toward him, trying to gauge the sincerity in his word

whisper. "After everything that's happened, after you've

n good at showing things the way others expect. But I'm doing this because I know you're capab

ar away from him as possible. Every word that came out of his mouth made her feel like she was caugh

tion hanging in the air between th

ntensity in his eyes that left her breathless. "Because you're not like the ot

she pushed the feeling down. "So, you t

eplied, stepping closer. "You just need to tr

between them. But she couldn't let herself get distracted.

ian," she said firmly, forcing herself to

. But you should know something, Sage. There's more to this game than what you

per than the calm, calculating exterior. Something that suggested he wasn't just trying

nerable part-was beginning to wonder if maybe, just

n in place, torn between the future she was trying to bui

er thoughts. She glanced down, seeing a message fro

reply: Same old. Ju

red over the keyboard, the weight of D

lly offering? A

ced back at him. She