[Veritas PR – Elle's Office, 3:07 PM]
Elle was trying to work. Really, she was. But it's hard to focus on editing a crisis memo when your entire body has been turned into Jell-O by a surprise stairwell cuddle from your boss-slash-secret-boyfriend.
She'd typed the word "transparency" six times.
Then deleted it.
Then Googled, "What to do when your boss is hot, possibly in love with you, and also runs a billion-dollar company with six-pack abs."
Spoiler: the internet was no help. Reddit was chaos. Quora suggested moving to the woods.
A soft knock interrupted her spiral.
She looked up, fully expecting Greg—with his second HR complaint of the day and another thrilling monologue about his vitamin D deficiency.
Instead—it was Ava.
Her office mate, best friend, and walking human lie detector. Iced matcha in one hand, oversized blazer hanging off her shoulder, and a look that screamed "spill now or I'll read your texts aloud at the next board meeting."
