Emily’s POV

The heavy oak doors of Daniel’s office clicked shut behind me, instantly cutting off the suffocating tension inside.

I stood in the quiet executive corridor, leaning my back against the wall as my knees shook violently. My chest was heaving, my core was still throbbing from where Daniel had claimed me on his desk ten minutes ago, and my hands were trembling around the ten thousand dollars in cash stuffed into my handbag.

"Emily?" Ethan’s voice called through the phone speaker. "Hey, are you still there?"

I took a deep, steadying breath, forcing a bright, sweet tone back into my voice. "Yeah! Sorry, Ethan. The elevator doors were...