Cassie made sure everything was settled before she even thought about leaving.
She waited until Tristan had showered and gone to bed, personally checking with the maids to confirm the door to his room was closed.
Only then did she quietly gather her things, slipping her laptop into her bag, fingers moving with practiced efficiency. The house had gone still, the kind of silence that only existed late at night, soft, heavy, and intimate.
All she wanted was to let Franklin know she was leaving.
She found him in the hallway instead.
"Excuse me?" she said softly.
Franklin paused, clearly surprised. For a brief moment, something unreadable flickered across his face before he forced a polite smile. "It's nothing," he said.
Then, as if thinking aloud, "But isn't it too late
