Chapter 4 — Sparks and Shadows

Dual POV

SOPHIE

The morning air in the office carried a quiet urgency, undercut by the faint bitterness of coffee that had been brewed just a little too long. Sophie adjusted the cuff of her blouse, glancing at the agenda on her tablet. Her desk phone buzzed softly with each new email notification, a steady rhythm that matched the low hum of voices and keystrokes around her.

Rachel’s earlier teasing still echoed in her mind, her friend’s grin and a pointed, “Your boss has the emotional range of a marble statue, doesn’t he?” making Sophie stifle a smirk. Rachel found Daniel Cross’s brooding demeanor endlessly funny; Sophie, however, wasn’t so sure.