LOGIN(Mia)Three days later I am standing in my mother’s sitting room wishing I had brought Calder for moral support.“No,” I say.My mother stares at me. “No?”“No giant event. No magazine spread. No six hundred guests. No florist flown in from Milan. No designer fittings turned into a media circus. This is not an A-Lister event.”She looks offended already.“This is your wedding day, Mia.”“Exactly, mine. Not yours.”My mother folds her arms. “You are being dramatic.”“I am being clear.”“Let her have it however she wants,” my father says.Mother looks at him like he is supposed to fix this. He doesn’t.She turns back to me. “People will expect something elegant.”“People will survive disappointment,” he says.“This is not the way the Vincents do things.”“That is exactly the problem. I don’t want it done the way the Vincens normally would.”Her expression changes.“This is my day,” I say. “Not yours. Not Harriet’s. Mine.”“And Calder’s,” Donald says quietly.“Yes. And Calder’s.” I look
(Mia)Four Weeks LaterWhen they call our names first, I already know we haven’t made top three.I can see it on Lena’s face before I even stand up.She feels it too.We walk over together anyway because losing still needs to be done with dignity.One of the judges smiles at us, but not in the way winners get smiled at.He waves us into the private room and closes the door. “Take a seat, ladies.”We sit on the plush chairs. “Is this where we get our participation ribbon?” Lena asks.He smiles. “Mia. Lena. First, let me say this clearly. What you’ve built is extraordinary.”That should feel good.It does and it doesn’t.Another judge steps in. “Your ideas are ahead of where the market is right now. Ahead of where local regulation is. Ahead of what most investors think they can sell.”Lena folds her arms. “So you’re saying the world isn’t ready for us.”The woman smiles. “That’s exactly what we’re saying. We deliberated for many hours, days, in fact. But marketability and commercialism
(Calder)A week has gone by and while things are feeling more normal for me, I’m worried about Emma.She doesn’t seem to be able to take a step forward emotionally.I’m not judging her or rushing her. But I hope she can begin to heal soon.By the time I get to Emma’s house, it’s just after six.I’ve got food with me because she still isn’t eating properly and I know if I ask, she’ll say she’s eaten.I’m halfway up the path when I hear a man screaming from inside.Who is that?I stop briefly and beckon my security detail.Emma said she needed complete privacy and she couldn’t bear the thought of someone watching her go through this.So I made them leave for a few days.I hear Emma cry out. I take action and security are right behind me.The front door isn’t fully shut. I push it open hard and go straight in.Emma is crouched beside the couch with one arm over her head. A man is standing over her with his hand raised.“What the hell is going on here?” I yell.They both look at me.Emma’
(Mia)I don’t tell Lena until I am already packed.She looks up from her laptop when I drag my case out of the bedroom and stop in the middle of the suite.“You’re leaving? What the hell?”“I want to be with Calder for the scan.”Her face changes. “Are you sure. Emma will hate that.”“Yes, she will probably hate it. But… this is very important for him. If we’re going to build a life together, I need to be there.”“Mia…”“This matters to him. He was building the crib himself, Lena. He’s all in. I can hear it in his voice. I want to share this time with him.”She gets up and comes over to me. “You’ll be back though? You haven’t given up on this competition?”“Yes. Of course I’ll be back. Private jets are very handy. You’ll barely know I’m gone.”“I know you love him, but honestly, another woman is having his first kid...” She hugs me. “That would be a hard nope from me. I hope this works out for you.”“I know it seems crazy. I ask myself am I just being crazy. But it feels so different
(Mia)Lena drops into the chair opposite me. “So he’s gone back?”“Yes, but we’ve made some decisions.” I shut the laptop. “We’re going to try.”Lena leans back. “Try?”“We’re doing this properly. Not the marriage we had. Not the version built on panic and pressure and everyone else deciding things for us.” I take a breath. “Us. Properly. Because we both want it.”Her face changes.“Well,” she says. “He better be serious about you.”“He finally is. He still has his demons and I still have some of mine. But we’re working on them together.”He chose me while everything was still hard.And I chose him back.“Calder wants to divorce and start fresh.” I tell her all about the prenuptial stuff.“Wow… that is pretty hectic. I can understand why you feel like a fresh start is a good idea.”“I guess it’s when we can get to do it all. Get a divorce through and find the time between the baby and if I’m here… I don’t need a huge wedding. Just one that has real meaning behind it.”Lena watches me.
(Calder)I pull her into me and hold her.“I love you, Mia. I choose you. But let’s clean this mess up that I made and start again properly.”“That sounds perfect.”“I still need to go home. I need to deal with my mother. I need to speak to Emma face to face. I need to make it clear where I stand.”She nods. “I know and you better run.”The attendant approaches and clears his throat. “Mr. Wynn, this is the last chance.”I look at Mia.Part of me wants to stay right here and let the plane leave without me.She knows it.“You need to go,” she says. “Go do what you have to do.”“I don’t like leaving you.”“You’re not leaving me. You’re going to sort things out.”I nod.“Don’t hold back on the competition,” I tell her.She looks at me. “What?”“Still try to win. Be who you are supposed to be. We’ll deal with the rest after.”“You think we can make this work long distance?”“Yes.”“With Emma pregnant. With your family. With all of it?”“It won’t be simple.” I kiss her. “But nothing has bee
(Mia)The in-house boutique takes up half the lower floor of the mansion.Racks of gowns, shelves of shoes, trays of jewelry, fitters waiting, hair and makeup already set up with staff there as well.Lena looks around. “Wow.”One of the women says, “Senator Vincent asked us to tell you both to char
(Mia)“Holy shit. Those stairs are no joke,” Lena says as we huff and puff at the top. “I’ve lost all feeling in my legs.”I laugh. “You need to get to the gym more often.”“What’s that? I need gin more often? I totally agree.”“You are crazy.”“Crazy and allergic to workouts. Unless they are on th
(Mia)Calder gets back mid-afternoon.I’m just finishing my lunch, then I’m heading in to work with Lena.“How was everything?” I ask.“Hectic.”“How did lunch with Emma go?”He sits at the table with me. “She’s still angry, the board’s angry, the public are angry. How did it go with your mother?”
(Mia)The next day, Calder has arranged to pick me up after work.Things were quiet at home last night. We never talked about anything. But he did sleep in the same bed.We never touched though. I know he had a lot on his mind, so I let it go.Him picking me up is unusual. But even stranger is that







