Chapter 68: A Tale of Two Suitors

Kerrigan sat at her desk hours later, the morning’s tension still weighing heavily on her as she tried to focus on the work at hand. The journal, with its mysterious inscription and the apple blossom, rested on the corner of her desk where she could glance at it from time to time.

She had spent the better part of the morning poring over documents, pretending she was trying to wrap her head around the mess Kelan was causing, but all she was managing was to distract herself from the turmoil of her emotions.

Just as she managed to find some semblance of focus, the door to her office burst open, and Kelan Benedict strode in as if he owned the place. Kerrigan’s heart sank at the sight of him, his broad shoulders filling the doorway, his confident smirk practically daring her to protest his presence.

“Kerrigan, my dear,” Kelan announced grandly, as if he were addressing a ballroom full of admirers instead of a single, very unimpressed woman. “I’ve come to sweep you off your feet!”

She barel