Asher's POV
Through the tinted glass wall of my corner office, the entire floor was visible to me.
I watched Parker sitting in Elena's cubicle, talking to her in low tones. For the first time since she'd joined the company—since she had walked through those double doors with her sharp mind and quiet determination—she looked genuinely hurt.
She wasn't angry. She wasn't frustrated or throwing a quiet tantrum.
She was hurt.
Something about that specific expression unsettled me in a way I couldn't immediately categorize. I disliked unnecessary emotions in the workplace. I despised inefficiency, sentimentality, and personal grievances interfering with operations.
Yet... the image of her downcast eyes refused to leave my mind.
By four in the afternoon, the sun had begun its slow descent,
