The next morning, the executive floor of Blackwood Industries felt a shift before Maeve even stepped off the elevator. Usually, the office was as quiet as a library, but today, the air smelled like fresh peonies.
By 9:00 AM, Maeve had already made herself at home. She moved a small, gold-trimmed chair into Cassian’s office and replaced his empty glass vase with a massive burst of bright, colorful flowers.
Cassian sat at his desk, his jaw tight as he watched her move around. He was trying his best to get back to his normal rhythm—the steady, serious pace that usually kept his life in order. But every time he looked up, Maeve was there. She was a bright blur of color in his gray-and-white world, and it was driving him crazy.
"Maeve, I have a budget review in ten minutes," Cassian said, h
