LOGIN"Finish that sentence." My voice cut across hers. A beat passed. A shift crossed her eyes. Then she said it anyway. "Cleaned houses for people like us." The room went completely quiet. "My mother." I stopped. "Worked with her hands for people who believed that made her less than them. People exac
Alicia’s POV The pen was in my hand. I hadn't moved since the door closed. The page in front of me, the same line, and now I knew someone had been observing me return to it, watching long enough to count each return. I had spent three years believing he never saw the parts that weren't performed.
"He also mentioned Vera Sorel has made her attendance at the follow-up conditional on yours," I said, letting the other piece of the weight land between us. "He wanted me to know that." The pen halted in her hand. She took a breath, slow, through her nose, and the line of her throat moved once befo
Edward's POV Phillip arrived at twenty past ten. He settled into the chair across my desk and set his coat on the arm of it. The draft was already in his hand before he opened his mouth. "Signed and filed as of this morning. Your name on the minority position. Clean." He set a single folded page
"I don't know." "You said it to him. Not here." The pause that followed remained too long to be casual. "What are you afraid of?" I didn't rush it. "That I'm seeing it right. And it still falls apart anyway." She shook her head slightly. "That's not uncertainty. That's you refusing to close y
Alicia's POV Elena didn't turn when I came in. She was at the counter, spoon hovering over a bowl she hadn't touched in a while. The kettle had gone cold long enough to feel intentional. My bag hit the floor by the door. She didn't look at it. "You came back wrong." "I came back two days ago."
Alicia's POV My phone buzzed on the desk. Delivery outside. I glanced at the time, it was already past noon. I'd been formatting campaign materials since mid-morning—budget breakdowns, stakeholder templates, contact sheets. The kind of work that requires focus but not creativity. I stood. Stret
Edward's POV I pulled into the family estate just after noon. The gravel crunched under my tires. The house rose ahead: stone, ivy, windows catching the afternoon light. I turned off the engine. Sat there. My phone had been silent all morning. No messages. No calls. Nothing. I got out. Walked
"You threw that." "Yeah." A pause. "That's... unexpected." "I'm full of surprises." His jaw moved. Just barely. But I saw it. "I came to see Lily," he said. Calm and measured. "Make sure she's getting proper follow-up care." I laughed. Sharp. Bitter. "Right. Because you care so much about my
Edward's POV The elevator doors closed. And she was gone. I stood there. Staring at brushed steel. My heart was pounding. I know what you did to my father's company. The words looped. I turned. Looked down the empty hallway. What the hell was she talking about? I walked back to where we'd b







