Nathaniel's cold stare lingered on the door long after it closed behind Riya, his thoughts circling back to her words. Now that he had seen her true face, trust was gone, replaced by a wary resolve. Still, a thin strand of hope remained: that fear of exposure would be enough to restrain her from troubling Zara again.
A firm knock snapped him out of his brooding.
"Come in," he called, shifting his posture, straightening as he refocused on the laptop glowing before him.
The secretary slipped in, her expression tense and apologetic. "I'm so sorry, sir," she said quickly. "I tried to stop her, but she ignored—"
Nathaniel raised a hand, cutting her off with quiet authority. "It's okay. I don't blame you."
Relief flooded her face. She exhaled shakily, as though she had been holding her breath all this time. "Thank you, sir. Thank you so much," she said softly, her shoulders loosening.
