"Oh my god, my feet are killing me!" Sophia announced, pulling off her heels the second the door had closed behind them as they walked toward the living room.Ansel stopped in his study doorway, turning around. "You should rest.""I will."Sophia watched him unfasten his bow tie, and the next thing he knew, he was off toward his study as he usually was, even after any social function.She often wondered when the last time he had truly worked less. "Ansel."She stated, as if they had a prior conversation, stopping him in the door with surprise on his face and his head slightly tilted. "Yes?"Sophia forced a weak smile, "Can you stay with me for a little while?" He blinked, then gave a small chuckle, "I hadn't planned to do any work tonight, what's up?" she glanced over at his study door. "That's what you always say."He glanced between his door and her for a moment, then clicked the door shut with a gentle noise and walked into the living room.He settled himself across from her on the

A comfortable silence hung between them for a minute or two, then Daniel lowered his gaze to the top of his mug before lifting it to her face again.A subtle shift in expression which instantly drew her attention. ‘Lara,’ he began, his voice softer now, almost intimate and the unfamiliar intonation instantly made her eyes fly to his. ‘Yes?’He took a slow, steady breath. ‘There’s something I have to tell you.’ All the levity of the last few minutes evaporated and Lara leaned back in her chair, the unfamiliar nervousness tightening her stomach. Daniel met her gaze directly. ‘I like spending time with you.’ The words were simple, and so direct they almost took her breath away, the subtext enormous and complicated and she stayed quiet, allowing the meaning of his words to settle in. ‘I look forward to seeing you each morning,’ he continued, his voice unwavering. He paused, then smiled gently at the edges of his mouth. ‘I love making you laugh. And I’ve discovered that it gives me a

There was always a subtle, almost palpable, shift in the atmosphere of the King’s Corporation headquarters the day after the annual charity gala. The change would have been invisible to the outside world, never to appear on any quarterly report or to be mentioned at a shareholder’s meeting, but to those who walked its corridors, it was as inevitable as the turning of the seasons. Decorum had loosened its grip just enough for personalities to finally seep through the veneer of corporate stiffness-executives who had communicated solely through their assistants suddenly remembered each other’s first names; partnerships that had only existed in spreadsheet columns transformed into hushed, giggling discussions over Champagne and foie gras.New material was uncovered which would fuel the company rumor mill for another year.This year, however, there seemed to be a different kind of hum throughout the building. By 8:30 AM, the executive lobby was already a veritable hubbub of activity. Regio