bronze logo, several security guards wearing Cole Holdings patches were already stationed at the elevators.
Raymond parked the car beside the private executive lift and stepped out to open the passenger doors. Evan stepped out onto the clean concrete, buttoned his suit jacket, and extended a hand toward Darla.
She hesitated, then took his hand to steady herself as she stepped out of the low sedan. His grip was firm, supportive, and entirely professional—the gesture of a man who held no petty grudges.
They entered the elevator together, Raymond standing beside the control panel and scanning an executive keycard. The lift rose smoothly and silently toward the fiftieth floor, where the corporate boardroom was located.
With every passing floor, Darla’s heart beat faster against her ribs, her breath growing shallow and tight. When the doors eventually slid open, the sound of raised voices spilled out into the marble foyer.
A
