The office was unusually still, the hum of the AC and the faint clack of my heels against polished floors the only sounds. Everyone else had left, leaving me alone with the files—and the quiet anticipation that always followed Shawn Reid’s presence.
It wasn’t just silence. It was the kind that settled into your skin, pressing in from all sides, making every movement feel deliberate, every breath louder than it should be. The executive floor, usually alive with motion and muted conversations, now felt suspended—like the building itself was waiting.
Waiting for something to shift.
He was leaning against the edge of his desk when I arrived, reviewing the latest reports. His gaze lifted as I entered, assessing, measured, and just slightly softer than usual.
That softness—it was new.
Subtl
