The boardroom echoed with silence as the last of the employees filed out, their shoes clicking against the marble floor. Sasha lingered, her fingers clutching the strap of her bag as she made her way toward the exit. Her heart was still racing from the unexpected moment-the way Xavier had looked at her, not just once, but repeatedly. He hadn't said a word to her beyond the professional warning, yet she felt him all over her skin.
She thought she was alone until she heard it.
A soft sob.
Then another, deeper now, like something breaking inside.
Sasha froze. Her head turned.
There, at the far corner of the room, was the woman Xavier had just fired,middle-aged, her hair pinned tightly but now loose strands clung to her tear-streaked cheeks. Her shoulders trembled as she muffled the sound
