From the fifteenth floor, the view of the courtyard was usually calming, rows of manicured hedges, the curved driveway, employees crossing briskly between buildings. But today, the scene below was chaos. A ring of bodies had formed in the center of the drive, phones held aloft, voices echoing against the glass. And in the middle, unmistakable even from up here, was Kade. On his knees.
My stomach clenched at the sight.
Even at this distance I could see the tension straining through his body, the way his fists dug into the pavement as though he’d rather crush it than admit defeat. Standing before him was Rowan, tall, dark, unbothered. His presence was like a drawn blade, and everyone within reach of his aura had been pulled into silence, watching.
“Mirabel,” I said tightly, turnin
