Jessica's POV
The sharp knock on my office door pulled me from the documents scattered across my mahogany desk. Paisley stepped inside, her expression carefully neutral as always.
"Your father has arrived," she announced, and the words hit me like ice water.
I lifted my head, meeting her gaze before giving a curt nod. My fingers trembled slightly as I pushed back from the desk, rising to my feet with practiced grace.
The small compact mirror emerged from my drawer with mechanical precision. I retrieved my crimson lipstick from my leather purse, applying another layer over the already perfect coating on my lips. Each stroke was deliberate, methodical.
