Caroline's POV
My first day back at Thorne Enterprises was incredibly hectic. Between Ava’s planned fight with Linda, Joseph showing up angry because Ava was attacked, and the general mess of returning to work after my break, I barely had time to breathe.
Linda’s firing was a relief, though. I couldn’t have worked next to someone who was clearly spying on me for Howard. The mood on the executive floor had gotten a lot better; the pressure had eased, and there was so much work that Draven and I didn’t even have time for our usual playful teasing.
It was Friday when, coming back from lunch with Ava, Howard stepped into the elevator with us. I felt Rory tense up right away inside me, her hackles rising in warning.
The doors shut, and the elevator started going up. Suddenly, Howard turned
