Julian found Ivy alone at her desk late one evening, long after most of the floor had cleared out for the night. He set a cup of coffee down beside her keyboard, the same easy gesture he'd offered on her very first day, though something more serious sat behind his expression now.
"You should hear this from me before you hear it secondhand," he said, pulling a chair over to sit across from her. "Nathaniel's been asking questions. About you specifically. Your background, your father, the whole history with the company."
Ivy's stomach dropped. "What kind of questions?"
"The kind that suggest he already knows most of the answers and is just looking for a way to use them publicly." Julian's voice was careful, worried in a way that felt different from his usual easy warmth. "I think he's plan
