As I entered the office, the first thing I saw was the shattered glass scattered across the floor.
It crunched softly under my shoes as I took another step in, the sound sharp in the quiet room. The air felt heavy, like it had been holding its breath before I arrived. Papers were pushed aside on the desk. A glass lay broken near the edge, shards catching the light.
Zander was sitting behind his desk.
His head lifted the moment he heard me walk in.
For a split second, something flickered across his face—relief. Raw and unguarded. It hit me harder than I expected, because it was gone almost immediately, replaced by anger so fast it was like it had never been there at all.
He stood up, slow and controlled, his chair scraping faintly against the floor.
“where the hell were you?”
His voi
