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The sun came through the Thompson Group building's sleek glass windows in the morning, casting a warm light over the shined-up conference table where Saben and Jenny sat with their colleagues. The conference room was buzzing as the meeting was in full swing, echoing with the quick-spoken details. The deal they were negotiating was big—a high-stakes, high-reward opportunity—and everybody was invested in making sure things ran smoothly.Saben, as ever, was the model of concentration. His piercing, calculating eyes ran over the papers on the table before him as he nodded periodically throughout the meeting, providing concise but incisive input. Jenny, beside him, was a mirror image of his intensity, her fingers flying over her laptop as she noted, crunched numbers, and provided strategic suggestions where needed. The air was filled with the clacking of keyboards, the soft muttering of discussion, and the shuffling of documents.The minutes crept by like hours. Jenny's attention was laser
But how could he not? Jenny had turned into a complication that he never anticipated. She had awakened feelings that he wasn't convinced he was prepared for, and Clarisse's unexpected revelation made everything more complicated. It was as if his past was on the verge of drowning the present.But just as he was able to process more of his own thoughts, his phone rang on the table, cutting across his whirling mind. He looked down and saw Jenny's name lit up on the screen.Perhaps now is the time to speak with her, he considered, the struggle building within him. Jenny had been cold towards him recently, but this was something he couldn't brush off. They needed to speak. He needed to know what was happening in her mind, where they both were.Reaching out without thinking, he picked up the phone."Jenny?" His tone now was softer, nearly hesitant, not knowing what she'd respond with."Hey, Saben," she said, voice steady but cool. "I was just curious if we could sit down and talk. About las
But even so, in spite of the draw he felt towards her, in spite of their history together, he knew in his heart that things were different now. Something had changed in him someone had changed him.He considered Jenny, her inner strength, the way she had kept herself together in spite of the trials that had befallen her. He recalled their talks, the times she had talked to him about things, even when it seemed to him she was still trying to get a handle on what she was feeling. Jenny was unfamiliar ground. Jenny unsettled him in a way Clarisse never had. With Jenny, there were no quick answers, no tidy bundles. And that was scary, but it was exhilarating.He gazed at Clarisse, his heart hurting as he viewed the vulnerability she was sharing with him, the honesty she had exposed. But he could not deny that he did not feel what Jenny made him feel. And that alone was enough to make him waver.Saben breathed slowly, raking a hand through his hair as he looked at her, careful with his wor
Saben leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on her. There was something in her tone, something deliberate about the way she spoke. “You came here just to check on me?”Clarisse smiled, a faint one playing at the edges of her mouth, but her eyes sharpened, as if she was weighing each word. "Yes, and no. I just wanted to check on things. On you. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, Saben.""Thinking about what?" Saben queried, his brow wrinkling. He was beginning to sense the change in the atmosphere between them, the way her words weighed more, carried something more than simple talk.Clarisse hesitated, placing her glass down carefully, then meeting his gaze. There was something unsaid there, something that made his heart race, a thread of unspoken tension that he couldn't escape."I've been thinking about us," she whispered softly, the words suspended between them. "I've been thinking about what we had… and what I let slip away."Saben's heart skipped a beat. He had not expec
Clarisse Campbell's sudden appearance had thrown Jenny off guard. Her mind was racing with a thousand different thoughts as she made her way out of Saben's office. What had just occurred? She was here to do business, not to find herself entangled in an unspoken knot of emotions and history she hadn't requested. And yet, there she was, making her way out of the Thompson Group building with more questions than answers.Jenny recognized Clarisse's appearance was not random. Saben and Clarisse had a history—one which, judging from what she'd heard, had not ended well. She'd caught snippets of conversations, and Eliana had spoken of Clarisse occasionally, usually tinged with somewhat begrudging indifference. But today, viewing Clarisse entering Saben's office as if she had every right to be there—it was unnerving.What was she to Saben now? And why had she returned to his life at this particular point in time?Strolling through the city streets, Jenny's thoughts zigzagged. She had question
Morning sunlight poured through the glass panes of Jenny's apartment, illuminating long shafts of light on her compact but neat living room. She went through the motions of morning routine coffee making, hair tied into a plain ponytail her thoughts well away from the peaceful stillness of her morning.Last night's happenings still churned inside her mind like a tornado. The evening at the Thompson mansion had left her torn Saben's presence, the confusion, the silence. She had assured herself she would forget it, but now, standing in front of her closet, that dreaded unsettledness arose again.What was all this about? What exactly did Saben want from me?After a few minutes of gazing blankly at her outfit, Jenny rummaged for a plain blouse and slacks, realizing the day tomorrow would prove to be as complicated as the previous one. She was still Jenny White, the diligent representative of Zina Bank nothing had been altered. She was not going to get caught up in some contrived romance wi