I drank the PB and Fruit smoothie—which was actually quite tasty—and gathered my things for class. Jared walked me to the Escalade, but I put my hand on his arm before we left the drive. “I almost forgot. I have to stop by Titan and speak to Sasha.”

“Oh, yes. To banish her to the file room.”

“Her ridiculous crush is costing me money,” I grumbled. “She hired a calligrapher to write names on the new client packets!”

Jared made a strange face, unsure how to react, and then turned the wheel toward Titan. I practiced what I might say to Sasha during the drive. Part of me wanted to smash all of her hopes and dreams like she deserved; the other insisted on breaking it to her gently. By the time Jared pulled up to the curb, I had given up on my dastardly plan of revenge, instead settling on a gentler speech. That decision put me in a less than amiable mood.

“See you soon,” Jared said, kissing my cheek.It took some doing to find Sasha, but after looking everywhere else, I headed to the file room in the basement. The room was missing several lights; the only one fully lit was blinking. I stepped in, the concrete echoing under my feet.

“Sasha?”

I slowly walked down the aisle, looking to each side of me.

A small, muffled noise came from a dark corner of the room. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I was alone, but something was inside that room with me.

I took a breath, and then walked as quietly as I could to the end of the aisle, turning toward the noise. A dark, huddled figure was slumped with its back turned to me. In the failing light I could see it shivering.

“H…hello?”

The figure froze. Adrenaline seared through my veins. Immediately every move, every act of defense I had learned replayed in my mind. My hands balled into fists, and I braced myself for a fight.

“Go away,” Sasha hissed. She gasped, and her body shivered again.

Every taut muscle in my body released, and anger served as an outlet for the adrenaline. “What the hell are you doing down here?”

Sasha turned, wiping her eyes. “Peter said Grant was out for the day, and that I needed to straighten up down here until you came in. Does he think I’m stupid?” She stood. “Why would I want to work for someone that doesn’t appreciate me, anyway? I wouldn’t. I am far too talented to be sentenced to the file room.”

“Sasha. You misused company resources.”

“It was approved!”

“You’re an intern. Interns don’t hire calligraphers or order cappuccino machines.”

“Grant loves cappuccinos!”

“Then he can buy one for his office.”

“He’s the CEO!”