Novels by Debbie book

SOFIAI got to the office at eight fifty-nine.I was supposed to be there at eight.The moment the elevator doors opened, I knew I was already in trouble.The office was busier than usual. People were moving between desks, phones were ringing, and the sound of conversations filled the floor.I lowered my head slightly and walked toward my desk, hoping I could make it there without attracting attention.It was a stupid hope.Ethan Cole was already in the office.I knew because his office door was open.And because I could see him through the glass wall, standing beside his desk with a file in his hand while Daniel spoke quietly to him.My stomach tightened.He had probably been there for a while.Of course he had.Ethan was never the kind of person who arrived late.I reached my desk and placed my bag down as quietly as possible.I sat.Opened my laptop.Pretended everything was normal.My hands didn't agree with the act.They were still slightly shaky.I stared at the screen and tried

POV SOFIA My mother's text came in again. Your father is not feeling well. Come home. I stared at it for a moment and thought, Is this how badly they wanted the money? Then I grabbed my bag and left. Because no matter how many times they had taken from me, no matter how many phone calls had ended with me feeling smaller than when I picked up, they were still my parents. And some part of me that hadn't learned better yet still responded to that word like it meant something unconditional. I went. The house looked exactly the same as it always did. I stood outside for a moment before knocking, taking in the familiar door, the familiar window, the exterior of a place that had never quite managed to feel like home no matter how many years I spent inside it, and told myself it would be quick. Check on my father. Make sure he was okay. Leave. I knocked. My mother opened the door. She looked at me like I was nothing to her. And strangely, that didn't bother me.

SOFIA POVHe still hadn't looked up.I had been standing in the middle of Ethan Cole's office for four minutes and he had not acknowledged my presence once.I looked at the bookshelves.Actual books — not decorative ones placed there to look impressive. The spines were worn in the way spines got worn when they had been opened repeatedly. Someone actually read these.I moved my eyes across the titles slowly.I had nowhere else to be."Ms Brennan."I looked away from the bookshelf.Ethan Cole was looking at me from behind his desk — finally — with an expression that gave away absolutely nothing. Not irritation at being kept waiting. Not acknowledgment that he had made me wait. Just — looking. The way he looked at everything. Like he was processing information and hadn't decided yet what to do with it."Mr Cole," I said.He gestured to the chair across from his desk.I crossed the office and sat down and set my notepad on my knee and looked at him with the same direct calm I brought into

POV SOFIA I arrived at Cole Enterprises at eight fifty five. Five minutes early. I was always five minutes early. It was one of the few things in my life I could consistently control and I held onto it quietly — simply because it was mine. The building looked exactly as it had the first time. Enormous. Deliberate. The kind of structure that had decided long ago it owned its piece of the skyline and had never once reconsidered. I looked up at it for exactly two seconds. Then I walked in. Daniel was waiting in the lobby. He greeted me with the same efficient precision I remembered from the presentation — nodded, checked his watch, confirmed I was on time and led me to the elevator without unnecessary conversation. The doors opened on the thirty eighth floor. I stepped out. Floor to ceiling windows running the entire length of the corridor. The city spread out below like it existed purely to be looked down at from up here. Glass walled offices where people moved with the foc

POV SOFIA I had prepared for every question.Or so I thought.Ethan Cole had other ideas.He stopped me four times during the presentation — not aggressively, not rudely, just with the quiet precision of a man who had heard every pitch and knew exactly where the weak points were before you finished your first sentence."The third quarter projection. You've assumed twelve percent market growth. Justify that."I justified it."Your competitor analysis. It doesn't account for the eastern expansion announced last quarter.""Yes it does." I clicked forward two slides. "Page fourteen. I addressed it here."He looked at page fourteen.He Said nothing.I kept going.By the time I reached the final slide the room had the particular quality of a space where something had just happened that people were still processing. I set the clicker down and looked across the table and waited.Ethan Cole was looking at me.Not at the screen. Not at his notes.At me.With an expression I couldn't read — unr

POV SOFIA The announcement came on a Tuesday morning. Marcus called the whole team into the conference room and stood at the head of the table with the particular energy and trying very hard to contain something significant and not quite succeeding. "Cole Enterprises," he said. The room went quiet. Everyone knew that name. You didn't work in finance and not know that name. Ethan Cole billionaire, his very cold and his kind of man who built empires while other people were still drawing blueprints. His company had been untouchable to firms like ours for years. "They've agreed to a meeting," Marcus continued. "One meeting. One chance to present our partnership proposal." He paused. "If we land this account it changes everything for this company. The contract alone would be the biggest we have ever signed." Someone asked about the bonus. Marcus named the figure. The room exhaled collectively. I sat very still and did the math in my head. That number — that single number — was