I could not find the box. The room stayed empty no matter how many places I checked, and the silence around me only made the frustration grow heavier in my chest.
Ashton stood not far away, his hands loosely folded as he watched me move through the room. His presence felt steady, controlled, the kind that naturally held authority without needing to assert it. I glanced at him briefly and said, "Go ahead and wash up first. I'll keep looking for it."
He stayed quiet for a moment before speaking. "Do you know what's inside the box Grandpa gave you?"
I shook my head. "I don't. Mrs. Eriksen only told me that if I ever didn't want this bond, I could give it to you. I don't know what he placed inside. Maybe he intended it as a way to keep you in check, tied to Fuller Corporation."
A faint, dismissive sound left him. "How shallow."
