Lucas’s POV
It had been weeks since that conversation with Mandy. I’d spent most of those weeks walking on eggshells, trying not to overstep, trying to be more patient, more understanding.
But what I’d learned in all that time was that patience wasn’t something I was particularly good at. I was used to getting what I wanted, to making things happen with a push, with influence, with money.
But none of that worked with Mandy despite knowing her all my life. She wasn’t like everyone else. She was stubborn, but not in the way I was. She wasn’t built to rely on anyone, not even me.
I leaned back in the chair in my office, staring out the window. The view was the same—tall buildings, busy streets—but today, it felt different. More distant.
Maybe because I wasn’t feeling as in control as I usually did. The business, my life, everything had always been about control. But Mandy, she wasn’t someone I could control, and that had been a hard lesson for me to learn.
I picked up the phone, about
