"You're here," Karen said, her voice soft but strained.
It was a statement more than a greeting, an acknowledgment of the inevitable.
Her eyes trailed slowly from the floor to the man standing before her.
Ross—tall, broad-shouldered, and still as a mountain—looked exactly as she remembered and yet somehow entirely different.
His face was unremarkable by ordinary standards, but the weight of his presence made everything around him fade into insignificance.
He didn't need beauty to draw attention; his confidence did all the work.
Every movement, every breath he took seemed deliberate, calm, and absolute.
Karen swallowed hard. There was something terrifying about a man who knew exactly who he was.
"Only because you called for me to be here," Ross said with that half-smile she remembered too well.
"Your manager, by the way, is quite a lovely lady. Very persuasive."
Karen forced a small laugh, though it came out hollow.
