Chapter 43 - Aftershock

The heavy door of Nadia's office creaked open, and Devon stepped out, his broad shoulders filling the frame for a moment before he strode into the research department's open-plan workspace. His dark hair was slightly mussed, his shirt wrinkled at the collar, and a faint sheen of sweat glistened on his brow, but his gait was all swagger, his lips curled into a smug half-smile that dared anyone to comment. The air in the office seemed to freeze, the hum of fluorescent lights and the distant clatter of keyboards falling silent as every pair of eyes turned toward him. The colleagues hunched over laptops and charts, their coffee cups and notepads scattered across desks, stared, stunned, their faces a gallery of shock, disbelief, and something akin to scandalized awe.