– First

ta hadn't fully awakened yet, but her pulse certainly had. She adjusted the strap of her structured tote bag and walked

executive floor a

office with a cup of black coffee in hand. He gave h

unctual,"

way

priority contact list. Reyhan doesn't tolerate clutter, so keep everything in folder

t i

lightly toward her. "Don't ever rearrange anything on his desk.

ep that

eady dressed in his usual monochrome suit-charcoal grey today-with his shirt crisp and

he said flat

into the office, her heels s

ancel the 10:30 with Mr. Kusuma-I've lost interest in that project. Move my lunch with t

get st

ok at her then.

, s

tants ask me to repeat

ot to waste

e-long enough to feel like scrutiny, bu

ff. "Then don'

e a sleek desk had been assigned to her. Everything had already been arranged: dual mo

own and g

0 a

is hit earlier

been a miscommunication about a quarterly report deadline. The

ummarized the chain of emails into bullet poi

is office wit

prised by her boldnes

"It wasn't your fault. Their departme

out on his desk with

ed through the first fe

're

t like

said, dry amusement flickering in his voi

but the corner o

not

ve, he spoke again. "Why did

ght her

use

er university. Fluent in French. You could have

nd. "Jakarta is chaos I understand. Sw

ange, but something in t

derst

kly as it cam

ntract reviewed by 3 p.m.," he

s,

r phone vibrated with

hed your legs. He's

45

andwich with the other. Reyhan, as it turned out, didn't eat. He stared out the wi

wice. He didn't move much. Didn't fidget. He was terrif

pe. She had been

stil

0 p

gnature. Nadira brought them in, but paused before pla

rted alphabetically or ch

een. "Chronologically. I

them swiftly on his de

is glance toward the docum

g odd-he was still looking at her.

f memory behind his eyes. Recogni

the frame out

else, sir?

etly. "But... do

blinked

is head. "

eturned like

-

at the ceiling fan spinning overhead, Na

remem

nd it. And though the face of the boy from her child

kind world. A boy who hated to be tou

d it

s probabl

er and turned

egun to ask questions her m

-

contin