Monday morning dawned gray, the city’s skyline a jagged silhouette against clouds heavy with rain. Clara stood outside Wolfe Enterprises’ tower, her fingers numb against the strap of her bag. For the first time since she joined the company, she wasn’t walking into the design department—her refuge, her little corner of creativity and sanity. Today, she was walking into Nicholas Wolfe’s domain.
Her chest tightened as she swiped her ID card. The glass doors hissed open, swallowing her into the atrium. Every click of her heels on the marble echoed too loudly in her own ears. She told herself to breathe, to stay calm, but the truth was simple: she had been thrown back to the wolf’s den, and everyone knew it.
By the time she reached the executive floor, the atmosphere had already shifted. Conv
