Tom's ever-present smirk barely flickered as Zoe's furious tirade intensified. If anything, he seemed to lean into the confrontation, squaring his shoulders as if bracing for the full onslaught.
"Maybe take a beat there, Zoe," he said, his tone utterly unruffled. "I know this looks pretty sketchy on the surface, but I promise you - we had valid reasons for getting you out here like this. Reasons that are gonna make a lot of sense real soon."
Zoe let out a disbelieving scoff, her glare swinging between the two of us like a woman realizing she was suddenly surrounded by lunatics.
"Valid reasons?" she echoed, the words dripping with disdain. "Is that what you marketing types call unforgivable deceptions and gross violations of trust these days? Because where I come from, that's called insu
