The office had gone quiet, but Ashcroft barely noticed.
His attention was fixed entirely on the phone in his hand, his gaze locked on one name as if it carried more weight than it should.
It didn’t make sense. It shouldn’t have mattered this much.
And yet—here he was, hesitating.
For a man who had never struggled to make a decision, this felt… ridiculous.
He was about to press it—then stopped, his thumb hovering over the screen.
With a quiet exhale, he changed his mind and opened Messenger instead.
He typed, We need to talk.
Ashcroft stared at the words for a full second before frowning and deleting them.
Too serious.
He tried again.
Let’s talk when I get there.
He studied it, jaw tightening—then deleted that too.
Too stiff.
A breath left him as he dragged a hand over his fac
