The city skyline stretched out beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the golden hues of the setting sun casting long shadows across the sleek modern decor of the executive lounge. You leaned back against the plush leather chair, swirling a glass of red wine in your hand, while Katya Petrova sat across from you, utterly unbothered despite the fact that Sam Winston was pacing in front of you both like a man on a mission.

"This isn't funny," Sam said, pointing a finger at Kat before turning it on you. "You two can't keep doing this—walking into board meetings like you're in a spy thriller and dropping classified-level information like it's casual gossip."

Kat shrugged, looking supremely unimpressed. "It's not classified if I got it from a source, Wilson. That's just called good networking."

"You blackmailed a guy."

"A little."

Sam pinched the bridge of his nose and turned to you. "And you—do you even care? You’re technically the head of PR. This is your problem."

You took a slow sip of your wine before responding, voice completely at ease. "If Nat gets fired, it's a problem. If I get fired, I start living off my husband's trust fund, and we'll call it 'wine o'clock'."

Sam blinked. "Wow."

From his seat behind his desk, Griffin Cross let out a quiet chuckle. He'd been pretending to focus on some business report, but his amusement was all too obvious.

"You hearing this, Fin?" Sam demanded, throwing up his hands.

Griffin barely glanced up, flipping a page. "What do you want me to do about it?"

"You're wrapped around her finger."

Griffin finally looked up then, and without a trace of shame, he smirked. "Wouldn’t have it any other way."

You raised your glass in a mock toast. "See? Perfect arrangement."

Sam sighed, dropping into the chair across from you. "This place is a damn circus."

Kat handed him a glass of whiskey. "And yet, you keep coming back."

"Against my better judgment."

Griffin leaned back, smirking. "You love it here, Winston. Admit it."

Sam muttered something under his breath, but he didn’t argue.