Chapter 31
Daphne
I was reviewing some documents in Jake’s office when the door opened behind me. I smiled automatically, expecting to see Jake with that determined expression he always wore after a meeting. But something in the atmosphere changed immediately. The energy in the room wasn’t his—warm and comforting—but something colder, like a blast of icy wind that cuts to the bone.
I turned slowly, and there he was: Mr. Sidle, imposing in his perfectly tailored suit, with an expression that could intimidate even the most self-assured person. It took me a second to process his presence in Jake’s office, and in that brief moment, his gaze was already fixed on me, as if it could pierce through me.
“Mr. Sidle,” I murmured, trying to maintain a composure that I felt crumble instantly.
He d
