The Business Trip Mandate

POV VAL.

"Val?"

Sienna's bright, cheerful voice sliced through the roaring static in my ears, snapping my paralyzed brain back to the present. I swallowed the thick knot of panic lodged in my throat and forced my spine to straighten. My feet felt encased in concrete as I pivoted on my heels, my joints locking with every millimeter. Forcing my lips upward, I plastered a strained smile onto my pa