Emily Blair brushed it off with a careless, “Alright, alright, it's my fault. Totally my fault."

Tristan Davis frowned and poked her on the forehead with his finger. "You'd better

"Tristan Davis!"

A sharp female voice rang out from behind him. Emily leaned to the side to look- sure enough, the girl from earlier had caught up to them.

Tristan's face went pale. Emily struggled not to burst out laughing.

He shot her a glare. Emily quickly raised her hands in surrender, “Okay, okay, I get it. You're single, Tristan. Single, got it. I'm done laughing. Promise.”

The girl marched over in her heels. Emily arched a brow. "So, what now? Are you coming to the office with me, or...?"

The girl's voice grew even louder. Tristan closed his eyes for a moment, patience thinning. "You go on ahead. I'll deal with her and catch up. Don't wait for me."

Just then, the elevator arrived. Emily stepped inside, calling out, "Alright, see you later."

As the doors slid shut, she caught a glimpse of the girl flinging herself at Tristan for another hug. Tristan stepped back, lifting a hand to stop her.

Emily just shook her head, grinning.

By the time Tristan reached the office, Emily had already taken care of the bug with her team-he wasn't needed.

As she exited the conference room, Sadie approached. "Ms. Blair, Mr. Davis is here. He's waiting in your office."

Emily nodded. "Thank you, Sadie. Could you bring in some water?"

"Of course, Ms. Blair."

Emily pushed open her office door and set down the glass Sadie had brought in front of Tristan. "All sorted out?" she asked casually, circling around the desk to sit across from him.

Tristan gripped the glass but didn't drink, turning it between his palms as he fixed his gaze on her. He gave a quiet nod.

Emily nodded back, but Tristan seemed to realize his answer was too brief. He added, "She's my neighbor's daughter. She snuck out again, and her parents called me because they were worried about her being alone. So I had to take her back to my place for a bit. I just called her parents-they've come to pick her up. I won't let her come over again."

Emily looked up from her paperwork, surprised at how much he'd just shared. "Alright, got it."

Tristan seemed to be waiting for her reaction, watching her with a nervous, hopeful look in his eyes.

She thought for a second, then said, "You did the right thing. I wouldn't let a kid wander around so late at night, either."

She figured, surely that would put his worries to rest.

But Tristan didn't look relieved. Instead, his brows knit together, his expression growing tense and agitated. He opened his mouth to speak, hesitated, tried again, but no words came out. He did this several times, and Emily was practically dying from the suspense.

She signed her name at the bottom of the file. “Just spit it out. Don't make that face.”

Tristan suddenly lifted his glass and drank deeply. Then, in a rush, he blurted, "One more thing her pajamas, they really were mine. But they were brand new, I'd never worn them before. The moment she changed out of them, I tossed them in the trash. I won't wear them, ever."

Something in the way he said it made Emily pause, catching a hint of a different emotion behind his words.