The day after Thorne Kingsley drew a clean line in a crowded conference room and reminded everyone that questioning Caroline Hale meant questioning him, Valorith Group became suddenly, painfully courteous.
Caroline noticed it before she reached her office. People looked up sooner and offered crisp, practiced greetings, as if good manners could erase yesterday's tension.
"Morning, Ms. Hale," a woman from Legal said as she passed. She did not slow down, as if pausing might imply intimacy.
"Good morning," Caroline replied, matching the same professional tone she used for everyone.
A few steps later, near the copy room, voices dropped as she passed. She did not look back, but she caught her name threaded with the same two words she heard everywhere now: Kingsley and trial. She kept walking
