Xander wasn’t used to silence. Not this kind. The kind that settled into the floorboards and slipped into the corners of the hallways. The kind that followed him like a question he didn’t know how to answer.
He entered his study, expecting the usual rhythm of his day—meetings, reports, decisions. But instead, there was a single envelope waiting on the desk. Plain. No seal. Just his name, written in handwriting he would know anywhere.
Aria’s.
He stared at it for a second longer than he should have, as if not touching it would change what was inside. His fingers moved anyway, breaking it open. No hesitation. But everything in him stilled the moment he read the first line.
Please accept my resignation…
The words were short. Cold, even. Professional. No warmth. No softness. No room to res
