Proximity and Pressure

By ten forty-three, the office was a tomb of hushed technology and dying light. Mara stared at the document on her desk until the ink blurred into a single, condemning smear. The Crest Trust subpoena was no longer a threat; it was a deadline. It demanded immediate compliance, threatening asset review and board notification if she failed to account for every dependent claim linked to the firm’s legacy. It was a surgical strike, designed to expose the one thing she had spent three years burying: Iris.

The door didn't just open; it was occupied by Julian. He didn't look like the man who had played the role of the devoted fiancé at the gala hours earlier. The charm was gone, replaced by the cold, calculated stillness of a predator who had finally cornered his prey.

"You don't come in her

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