ELENA
The ride to the office is quiet, the silence in the car thick with a pressure that feels as suffocating as the slight annoyance and anxiety still swirling inside me. Drake drives with a smile set to his jaw, and I stare out the window, watching the familiar landscape blur by.
I can’t look at him, can’t stand the sight of a man who just praised a thief for stealing my work. He’s talking about a brilliant idea, a great plan, a way to help the rogues, and all I can hear is the sound of my life’s work being taken from me.
When we get to the office, he unbuckles his seatbelt and looks at me, his eyes filled with a question I don’t have the energy to answer.
“Are you coming inside?” he asks, his voice soft, almost hesitant. “They’re waiting.”
“I’ll be there in a minute,” I say, my v
