Kameron Vale was ice in designer heels. Everyone at ValeCorp knew it, everyone except, apparently, her assistant Margo Lin, who somehow navigated her moods like it was a sport.

Late at night, the office was quiet except for the soft hum of the city outside. Kameron stood by the floor to ceiling windows, dressed head to toe in black as always, a sleek vape between her fingers. The faint scent of cigars still clung to her from her break on the rooftop.

“You are still here?” Kameron asked without turning around. Her tone was sharp and clipped, the kind that made grown executives tremble.

Margo did not even flinch. “You told me to finish the quarterly summaries tonight.”

Kameron exhaled a thin ribbon of vapor, watching it fade. “I did not think you would actually listen.”

“Well,” Margo said as she stepped closer, “you hired me because I do.”

Kameron turned toward her, her dark eyes catching the city lights. “I hired you because you are competent.” Her gaze flicked over Margo, slow and assessing. “And annoyingly persistent.”

“That sounds like a compliment coming from you.”

“It is not.”

But the edge in her voice softened, barely but noticeably. Margo always noticed.

Kameron moved past her and picked up her coat. “Come with me.”

“To where?”

“The penthouse,” Kameron said simply. “There is a hot tub. And I need to think. You are better at keeping me organized when I am not drowning in meetings.”