Sophie’s POV
The office was quiet now, the board gone, leaving only the low hum of the air conditioning and the faint ghost of smoke Cole had left behind. But the silence wasn’t peaceful—it was heavy, almost suffocating, loaded with the residue of what had just happened. I wanted to breathe, to release the tight coil in my chest, but Adrian’s presence made that impossible. He didn’t just stand beside me—he loomed, a dark wall of control and raw power, his very proximity making my pulse stutter.
“Stay close,” he murmured, voice low, rough with warning. “I don’t know what Cole’s playing at, but I intend to find out.”
I nodded, though my throat felt tight. My pulse wasn’t just fast—it was chaotic, a wild rhythm I couldn’t contain. His words weren’t a comfort; they were a lifeline. And yet
