"Look, just because I spoke to you, doesn't mean I've forgiven you," Avery says. "You can break everything in this house and throw as many tantrums as you want, but I'm not going to forgive you for shooting Charles. Please leave me alone now. Oh, and while you're at it, get this window fixed. I don't want to catch a chill—it'd be bad for the baby."

Within a few minutes, a servant leads a maintenance specialist into the room. The man carries large flat sheets of colored glass and a small but very sharp looking saw. He deeply frowns when he sees the damage.

"What a shame," he says. "This glass is incredibly special, and the window was a real work of art. I'll do my best to repair it, but it's a damn shame this ever happened in the first place.

"Oh yes, it was really beautiful," Avery says politely. The window was certainly beautiful, but she's not interested in having a conversation with this repairman.

The man doesn't seem to get her cue and says, "This kind of color quality is hard to get. Usually, you have to powder certain gems and melt them into the pigment in order to get this level of depth."

"Hmm," Avery says, lifting her book to signal an end to the conversation.

The man gets to work, and the saw whines as he cuts the glass. He carefully fits each piece to the lead frame in the window and solders it with a small blowtorch. Avery tries to focus on her book, but she can feel Evan's furious eyes on her. Doesn't he have anything better to do? She wonders.

Avery feels her eyes growing heavy. She stretches out in the bed and puts the book down. Even the noise from the saw seems to fade away as she closes her eyes and relaxes into a deep, warm sleep. When she wakes in the morning, she realizes that Evan is spooning her from behind.

"Evan!" she whispers, trying to wriggle out of his arms. "Let go of me."

"Why do you need to get up so early?" he whispers into her ear.

She squirms and pushes against him but refuses to say a word. Evan loosens his grip and hovers hover over her, looking hungrily at her lips. She stares up at him in disgust and horror.

"I know how to make you talk now," he says, lowering his mouth toward hers.

She turns her head to the side and whispers into the pillow, "I'm going to D.O. today."

"What's D.O.?" Evan asks.

"It's Sophie's jewelry company," Avery says. "Now get off me, or I'm going to be late!"

Sophie told her she wouldn't have to go to the workshop, but Avery is eager to get out of the Howel house. She's looking forward to having her own space and her own life free from Evan and all his nosy servants. Besides, she wants someone at the company to teach her more about the design process.

"Don't go," Evan says. "Have you already forgotten that you were attacked yesterday? It's not safe for you out there. Besides, if you're bored, you can do more work for the Zuri Hotel."

"I thought you took care of that threat yesterday," Avery says angrily. "I heard the servants gossiping that you practically blew up one of the Oliver family estates."

"You think the Oliver family is just going to let that go?" Evan asks. "I chose an empty estate on purpose, but this is a war."

"I can't believe you, Evan," Avery says. "Why do you love violence so much? You're so stupid and impulsive. But, I think I'm safe for now. The Olivers will be planning their next attack, and they probably won't dare to do anything before you meet with Andrew."

"Fine, but you're not going anywhere without a team of bodyguards," Evan says.

Avery climbs out of bed and crosses to the dressing room. She's already decided on a simple, professional black dress and blazer. She steps into the dress and reaches around to pull the zipper, but it gets stuck halfway up. There's barely a bump on her stomach, but she has already gained weight. She tugs at the zipper, getting angrier and angrier.

She hears footsteps behind her, and warm hands skim her back. Evan takes the zipper and tugs it carefully but firmly until it goes up. He runs a hand down her back to smooth the fabric, and she fights the urge to arch into his touch.

Avery grabs her blazer and steps away from him to study her reflection in the mirror. The dress has a high neck with three quarter length sleeves. It brushes her mid-calves, and she's wearing it with simple black suede flats.

"A powerful but tempting woman," Evan says. "If I had things my way, I'd be taking that dress off of you instead of helping you put it on."

Avery meets his eyes in the mirror and scowls at him. Evan crosses the dressing room and twirls her long hair around his finger. He kisses the ends of the hair and lets it fall back down her back.

"What time do you want me to pick you up for our meeting with Andrew?" Evan asks.

"I'll just meet you there," Avery says quickly.

Evan always makes a show out of everything. If he gets her from the office, he'll probably show up with a small army of bodyguards and a fleet of sports cars. She doesn't want to draw attention to herself on her first day. She just wants to fit in at the company.

The D.O. headquarters in the city is an architectural marvel. The building is shaped like a diamond, and the surface is covered in blue glass that glints in the sun. In front of the building is a huge fountain with crystal clear water. The fountain is shaped like a circle with a hole in the middle. Anyone entering the building has the impression that the building is the sparkling jewel on top of a large ring.

"Good morning," a receptionist says brightly. "Welcome to D.O."

"Hello, my name is Avery Peters," Avery says. "I'm supposed to start working here today."

Avery asked Sophie to keep her identity a secret. She doesn't want the other employees to think she's getting special treatment just because she's married into the Howel family. The receptionist looks down at a tablet on the desk and nods.

She lifts the phone and buzzes up to one of the floors, "Miss Peters has just arrived."

Within minutes, a young woman steps out of the elevator. She's wearing a simple but stylish black suit, and she looks to be about thirty years old. She has straight black hair that falls just below her shoulders and around, open face. She walks toward Avery and warmly shakes her hand.

"Welcome, Avery," the woman says. "I'm Emily Johnson. It's great to meet you."

Avery instantly likes the woman. She seems professional and friendly, and there's something about her face that seems honest. Avery takes her hand and smiles with slight embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry to be late on my first day," she says. "Traffic was a nightmare."

"Don't worry about it," Emily says. "Anyway, Sophie wanted to be here to welcome you herself, but she was called away on business. So I have the honor instead. Are you ready?"

Avery nods, and Emily leads her toward a large bank of silver elevators. They get on a waiting elevator, and Emily pushes a button to the second floor.

"The building has eighteen floors," Emily explains. "The first is just the lobby, and the second is our company dining hall. Then we have workshops, offices, studio space, conference rooms, and the vaults. The entire 18th floor is Sophie's office, of course."

After a quick tour of the common spaces, Emily takes her to the Design Department on the 6th floor. A group of men and women are clustered around a desk, sipping their morning coffees.

"Did you hear that our department is getting someone new today?" a short, curly-haired woman asks. "I heard she was appointed directly by Sophie."

"Is she from abroad?" asks a tall man. "I know all the rising stars in this country, and none of them seem ready to work here. She must have done something extraordinary to catch Sophie's eye."

"I peeked at the woman's employee file," says another woman. "You know she hasn't even studied design?"

"You must be kidding," the man says. "There's no way Sophie would hire someone so inexperienced. She must have backdoor connections to get in here."

"I suppose that's a sort of skill," the curly-haired woman sniffs. "Though all of us had to rely on our actual talents to get in here."

"Yes, Crystal, we all know that your talent speaks for itself," the man says in a flattering tone.

"Crystal, have you had breakfast yet?" the other woman asks. "I can go buy it for you."

Emily looks awkwardly at Avery and says, "Don't mind them—they just love to gossip."

Avery bites her lip nervously and follows Emily over to the other employees.