The following morning, Lawson Holdings returned to its familiar rhythm.
Phones rang across the executive floor. Assistants hurried between offices carrying schedules and contracts. Department heads prepared presentations for the afternoon board review, while security personnel quietly continued the tighter protocols introduced after the recent attacks.
To everyone else, it looked like another ordinary business day.
To Caro, nothing felt ordinary anymore.
Ever since the previous evening, Peter's quiet smile had refused to leave her thoughts.
It wasn't dramatic.
It wasn't romantic.
It was simply... genuine.
For the first time in a very long while, she had seen warmth in his eyes without suspicion shadowing it.
That single moment had become far more dangerous than any argument they had shared.
Because it gave her hope.
And hope had a way of making people careless.
Caro was reviewing investor correspondence when Peter stepped out of his office.
