The office was unusually quiet that morning, the kind of quiet that hinted at something shifting beneath the surface. Phones still rang, keyboards still clacked, people still moved—but everything felt slower, tighter, like the air itself was waiting.
I was sorting files at my desk when the atmosphere changed.
I didn’t hear him come in.
I felt him.
A ripple passed through the hallway—subtle, but unmistakable. The kind of presence that drew attention without asking for it.
A tall man stepped through the glass entrance and into the office:
Broad shoulders.
Hands casually in his pockets.
Suit fitted, expensive, slightly undone at the collar.
A relaxed confidence Jayden never wore.
He didn’t smile.
He didn’t speak.
He didn’t need to.
He looked like someone who walked into rooms exp
