I'S

reflection in the glass doors showed a woman in a charcoal gray suit, hair pulled back in a professional chignon, carrying a leather portfolio that had cost more than I

alk into enemy territory armed with

g, abstract art that probably cost more than most people's cars. A security guard directed me to the e

the focused purpose of people who worked for a demanding boss. My desk-Elena Vasquez's former domain-sat adjacent

ance. Terrifying for

f files. "I'm Jennifer Walsh, from executive services. I've been covering some

tfolio on the pristine desk surface. "I ap

brilliant, but he has very specific ways of doing things. Elena knew all his preferences, hi

terrupt him for, how to prioritize the constant stream of emails and meeting requests. Elena had left detailed note

tings when possible-sha

up plans for trav

, replacement every two

ings on Fridays-he visits

y doing at a community center every Friday? It wasn'

y center visit about

Elena always blocked out Friday afternoons, said it was

at Gabriel Verity had layers beneath his public image, secrets

diately accelerated. He looked impossibly commanding in a navy suit that fit him like it had been des

oping my voice sounded steadier than

ttling intensity I remembered from the interview. "Jennifer, t

imagined from news photos-floor-to-ceiling windows offering panoramic city views, minimalist black furniture, a conference table that

g toward a high-end espre

Black i

lused palms that spoke of his construction background, no wedding ring. When he handed me the coffe

partment head meeting at ten, lunch with the mayor at noon, and a conference call with our London office at four

mething to focus on besides the way his shirt stretched across his broad

I'll want current data on our local employment numbers and community investment totals." H

is gaze directly. "But it might tak

t might have been approval in his expr

ornfield, VP of Operations, looked exactly like her corporate headshot-silver hair pulled back

n Industries proposal-" She stopped when

ing. Alexandra, Diana Thornf

letely cold. "Welcome to Verity Holdings, Alexan

warning rather than encouragement. "Thank you. I'm loo

r counteroffer came in this morning. Twenty percent above our initial bid, but th

details. I'll review them be

ana's eyes flicked to me briefly. "Along with some other

emind me of my place in the hierarchy. I was the new

ead. "Diana's territorial about infor

n personal. She'd assessed me as potential competition for G

te responses. Gabriel worked with the kind of focused intensity I'd only seen in emergency rooms-completely p

d the cleaning staff by name. How he insisted on personally calling an employee whose father had been hospitalized. The f

" he said when he caught me looking at the p

ike they're

be kids," he said quietly. "Too busy worrying ab

e I'd read. This wasn't just charitable tax deduction-this was personal

umber: *How's the first day going? Remember w

ickly deleted the message, hoping Gabriel

em?" h

ating how easily the lie came. "He wan

id thank you for the ex

employment history, but had it been thorough enough to uncover the fabrication? Dr. Sterling had assured me his documentatio

take place at The Cascade Club, an exclusive business establishment where I wouldn't be able to acc

s," I said as he prepared to leave. "I've prepared a summary of

approvingly. "This is exactly what I need. How did yo

local businesses, looking for evidence that you'd deliberatel

a mayor would want when considering infr

d for the elevator. "I should be back by two. If

cabinets secured, I couldn't access sensitive documents directly. But I could observe, lis

briel left, ostensibly to drop off budget repo

desk. Up close, he was even more polished than his corporate photos suggested-ex

said. "But Gabriel's

ir." Marcus leaned back in his chair. "Elena loved working

now why s

quick to interpret. "Family priorities, I think. S

twelve, hardly an age that would require her mother to quit a well-paying job. B

d Sterling. Brilliant man-I've read several

t understanding workplace

e team, Alexandra. I'm looking

seemingly open, but something about his interest in Elena's departure had fe

son, Head of Security, was particularly thorough in his questions about my background and experience. He had the kind of watchful e

terviews rather than just doing my job. Everyone wanted to know about the new person who would hav

na Thornfield returned, this time with a stac

im," she said, reachi

lied. "Part of my job is

sensitive contracts, Alexandra. I'm not sure

, that she could bypass me when she chose to. But I'd watched Gabriel's interactions with his department heads

his preference for handling sensi

at won't be necessary. I'l

hen he gestured her inside. Through the glass walls, I could see her pr

something that made Diana's expression tighten. W

slipped slightly. "Gabriel asked me to leave the contracts w

ed documents. "I'll make sure they're p

w," he said. "But part of your job is learning to handle sensitive documents. I'd rather

inning to rely on me, to see me as someone he could depend on. And I was lyi

I'll be very careful with

yes studied my face. "How was

orking for Gabriel Verity was intellectually stimulating in ways I had

ency. Don't pressure yourself to replac

d to process everything I'd learned. Gabriel wasn't the cold, calculating businessman I'd

g for him in ways that c

E'S

n I'd expected. She'd handled the constant interruptions and competing demands with grace, anticipated s

f the work. Elena had thrived on the challenge of supporting a demanding ex

files with the kind of methodical precision that spoke of genui

Mr. Ve

it wasn't explicitly discussed during the interview, bu

tion. "I don't have family obligations

least some social commitments that competed with professional responsibilities.

rtly, but I wanted to get your read on today's interacti

e was welcoming, though I got the impression that

ch

rison asked very detailed questions about my background." She p

appreciated that she was trying to understan

r position. James is naturally suspicious-it's what makes him good at his j

Mar

welcoming to new team members." I studied her exp

id it was for family reasons. But he seemed... p

fielding questions about Elena's departure for weeks, from employees who misse

e are naturally curious about sudden changes, especially whe

e was intelligent enough to recognize that Elena's departure was more complicated than anyone w

ob, but it also meant I'd need to be careful about what inform

to our manufacturing facility. It's about an hour outside the city, s

uld I arrange t

ly be there from eight AM to four PM, walking through production areas, meeting wi

operations," she said. "The more I understand about

me curiosity about the broader organization, the same des

leave from here

e her workspace for tomorrow. She moved efficiently, creating systems that would help h

memorizing details rather than just processing them. It could be thoroughness, the sign o

ensive, and Alexandra's credentials were impeccable. My suspicion was probably just

. "Thank you for a good first day. I

hat made her look younger and somehow more vulnerable. "Thank you for

sional, intelligent, and seemingly committed to doing excellent work. She'd handled Diana's territorial behavior and Jame

no bearing on her ability to manage my schedule-the way she tucked a strand of auburn hair behind her ear when she was concentrating,

nherent in our working relationship. But beyond that, getting personally involved with someone

trust and how much. Allowing my attraction to my new assistant to

the way Alexandra had looked when she'd smiled. Tomorrow's facility visit would give me a better sense of wh

ated than I'd anticipated. And despite all my careful risk management, I

t. Somewhere in that maze of traffic and streetlights, Alexandra Sterling was driv

job, of the people she'd met. But more than that,

rling really was. And despite my best intentions to keep things strictly professiona

for the first time in years, I was