CHAPTER 65: (RESISTANCE IS FUTILE)

IVAN

“Back to work,” I grunted.

The glow from the glass walls of my office cast long streaks of morning light across the polished floors. Chicago buzzed beneath me, a restless city that thrived on ambition and achievement.

My fingers drummed lightly against the large office desk as I scrolled through the latest acquisition reports. Numbers never lied, but people did. That was the lesson Amy had driven into me.

My jaw flexed involuntarily at the thought, but I forced the muscle to still. She no longer mattered. She was dust in the wind— ashes I had already blown off my palms.

A knock at my door snapped me from the spiral.

“Come in.”

My assistant, Mia, stepped inside with her usual briskness, dropping a thick file onto my desk. “Quarterly breakdown from finance. We’re above projections by twelve percent.”

“Not enough.”

Her mouth twitched nervously. She knew better than to argue. I flipped the file open, scanning the pages with practiced ease, eyes darting from profit margins to operat