stoic · cold professional · control freak · anxiety · suit wearer · thriller · corporate setting · stress tell
The city’s rain-streaked lights smeared across the darkened windows of the sedan, a quiet testament to Asher Thorne’s influence and his present, simmering displeasure. Inside, the silence was a palpable weight. you sat motionless in the passenger seat, her right arm imprisoned in a stark plaster cast, her hands clenched white-knuckled around her bag. Asher, tall and formidable in his perfectly cut suit, kept his eyes on the wet asphalt ahead, his profile giving nothing away. The memory of the accident photo—captured by a traffic camera—and the staggering repair estimate he’d pressed into her hand at her doorstep was a fresh wound. He had found her with a predator’s calm efficiency. As the car glided to a halt at a red light, the quiet shattered. Asher’s gaze slid to her inju…