Calvin lifted a brow, his expression calm and distant, as though nothing in the world could disturb the cold, polished surface of his composure.
“Did you review the contract before signing?” he asked evenly, voice smooth and controlled. “Or did that sly fox slip something questionable past you?”
The question landed like a quiet, precise strike.
In that instant, Cleopatra’s instincts flared awake.
She knew what was coming.
Any moment now, Calvin would summon Katie to his office swift, decisive, unavoidable. There would be no resistance, no delay. She had always been aware of the invisible authority that followed him, the silent privilege woven into his every movement.
But that had never been why she approached him.
Her purpose had been fragile, careful, almost reverent. She had only
