The late afternoon sun filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting long shadows across the conference room. Ava’s laptop lay closed on the table, documents stacked neatly, untouched. Her mind wasn’t on numbers or charts. It was on him—Hunter. He had called her in with an urgency she hadn’t seen before, and the subtle weight of that command had sent her pulse racing the moment she stepped into the building.
Hunter stood near the window, his arms crossed, the faint outline of the city behind him framing his broad silhouette. He didn’t move as she entered; instead, he watched.
“Ava,” he said. “Close the door.”
She obeyed, each movement careful, though her hands trembled slightly with anticipation.
He turned then, walking slowly toward her. “You have learned much,” he said. “B
