BOOK 2: CHAPTER 6: The Unwanted Visitor

I’m staring at spreadsheets when the intercom buzzes.

It’s Monday morning, and I’ve been at my desk since six, throwing myself into work because it’s easier than thinking about the two flower arrangements currently sitting in my living room. The peonies are on the coffee table. The roses are by the window. I keep moving them around like different locations will somehow make the decision easier.

“Ms. Moore?” My assistant’s voice crackles through. “There’s someone here to see you. He doesn’t have an appointment, but he says it’s important.”

I don’t even look up. “Tell them to schedule through you like everyone else.”

A pause. “He says his name is Adrian Moore.”

My pen stops mid-signature.

The office suddenly feels too small, too hot. I can hear my heartbeat in my ears, that familiar panic response that comes from years of being ambushed, cornered, made to feel small in my own space.

Except this is my space now. My company. My empire.

And he doesn’t get to just show up here.

“Tell him I’