On Monday morning, Violet gathered the remaining three apple rose puffs and headed to the dojo earlier than usual. Her company's new show wasn't starting for another three weeks, so she was back on a somewhat normal schedule: 10 AM to 6 PM, for a while at least.

When she worked her later schedule, she typically visited Noah around 10:30 AM, but now she had to go at 8 AM or she wouldn't make it to work. Unfortunately, he had back-to-back toddler classes that didn't end until her usual visiting time.

She could only talk to him for about ten minutes between classes, but it was better than nothing. They were having dinner together that night anyway, but she still wanted to do something nice for him.

Violet knew how exhausted Noah got from chaperoning field trips. That's why she'd risked Nathan's wrath to sneak him the remaining apple rose puffs.

His first class didn't end until 8:30 AM, and the next started at 8:40 AM, so she caught the end of the class. Those little kids were so cute; they had absolutely no idea what they were doing.

Noah caught her eye as she walked in, and she waved. He waved back before returning to his students.

When class finally ended, four of his precious ten minutes were wasted talking to a parent, so he seemed a bit annoyed when he finally reached her. "Sorry about that, Vi. Unavoidable," he said.

"Don't worry about it! I know it's part of your job. I just wanted to deliver breakfast, courtesy of my brother."

"I love you," Noah said fervently, taking a bite of a puff. "I was secretly hoping there would be some left."

Violet laughed. She knew her friend too well. "Well, if Nathan notices they're gone and gives me a hard time, I hope you appreciate my sacrifice."

"Oh, I will."

She was about to say something else, but a parent from the next class arrived early and wanted to speak to Noah. He sighed heavily, and she barely suppressed another laugh. That's what he got for socializing at work.

Smiling, Violet called, "See you tonight," over her shoulder as she left. She belatedly realized she still had two puffs. She couldn't eat them; she'd indulged over the weekend.

Since her time with Noah was cut short, she had time to stop by her dad's office before work. If she gave them to him, he'd surely defend her against Nathan's retaliation for the pastry theft.

Violet didn't visit Hale Investments often—a previous encounter with her grandfather had scared her off—but the secretary still knew her. She constantly heard that Violet was the spitting image of her father.

Yes, he had been handsome, but she was a woman! No woman wants to be compared to her father. She'd much rather be told she resembled her mother.

At least people said she had her mother's smile. She wasn't identical to Aaron; they shared coloring and some mannerisms, but her features were undeniably more feminine.

"Go right up, Miss Hale," the secretary said without looking up.

Violet went to the elevator and began the ascent to the top floor. People came and went on different floors, but she was alone as she neared the executive management floor.

Until four floors from the top, when a handsome blonde man entered and did a double take. She frowned. What was that about?

The elevator lurched to a stop, stuck between floors. Fantastic. Just what she needed. Violet pressed the emergency button and was told to remain calm; help was on the way.

The man's eyes were still fixed on her. Annoyed, she snapped, "Why are you staring at me?"

He was immediately apologetic. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to stare. You—"

'Are the most beautiful creature I've ever laid my eyes on?' Violet had heard that before. Those men were never sincere.

"—look exactly like a female version of my boss."

Wait, what? This guy must work closely with her dad. Her eyes narrowed. Only one young man was in her dad's inner circle.

"Jeremy Ward, I presume?"

He seemed surprised she knew him but smiled. "Well, if you know my name, you must be Violet Hale."

"Yes," she admitted. "My dad talks about you a lot."

He laughed. "What a coincidence. He talks about you a lot too. I feel like I already know you."

That was alarming. What had her sentimental father been saying? Jeremy noticed her expression and clarified.

"It's nothing bad! Mostly, he brags about you being the prima ballerina of the New York City Ballet."

Yep, that was definitely her dad. He bragged about his family's accomplishments. But was that all? Knowing her profession wouldn't make someone feel like they already knew her.

Violet eyed him warily. She would definitely be talking to her father about gossiping about her to his underlings.

(The final promotional sentence was removed as it was unrelated to the text cleanup.)