Chapter 23: In the Presence of Power.

Willow Goods.

Third Person POV.

Matilda crouches beside Mr. Willow’s office, her gaze fixed on him through the window. His fingers hover over the keyboard, their rhythmic tapping the only sound in the otherwise quiet room. His face is an unreadable mask—emotionless, impassive. It’s unsettling, this stillness.

This isn’t the man she’s used to. Usually, by now, he would’ve thrown one of his sarcastic remarks her way or cracked a biting joke. Instead, there’s nothing. Not even a flicker of interest.

Her pulse quickens as she watches, a knot of unease forming in her stomach. She can’t explain why it bothers her so much. She’s here to work, not to be teased or tormented. But this—this silence—it throws her off balance. It feels like a void she can’t quite fill. He hasn’t even asked for coffee once this week. And she, for reasons she can't articulate, misses the routine, the quiet comfort of making him his usual drink.

“Matilda?”

Javier’s voice cuts through her thoughts, a soft whisper t