Returning to work felt strange, like stepping back into a house that looked the same but no longer smelled familiar.
The corridors of Wolfe Enterprises buzzed as always—heels striking against marble, the low hum of phones ringing, the faint hiss of the espresso machine down the hall—but beneath the rhythm, Clara sensed a shift. Subtle. Uneasy. Like the moment before a storm when the air thickened, charged with something no one wanted to name aloud.
People looked at her differently now. Not openly hostile, not warm either. Just… lingering. Eyes caught hers for a second too long before sliding away, as though she carried a secret and they were trying to guess the shape of it.
A pair of associates passed her, their conversation breaking off mid-sentence. One of them offered a quick, tight
