I didn't even have time to reflect on what had just happened during the trip to Bilmirage and back.
By the time I walked into the office, it was already noon—which meant lunch break.
Which also meant Val.
Most of the team was already gone, scattered across the street for food or lounging in the small café downstairs. The place felt emptier than usual, the low hum of the air conditioner filling the silence that usually buzzed with chatter and phone calls.
It was just me and Tasha.
She walked over to her desk without saying a word, gathering a few files and pretending to check her phone. I was about to turn to my computer when the sound of heels clicked from the hallway, light but steady, familiar enough to make me look up.
And there she was.
Val.
Walking in with that food flask in her hand like she owned the place.
