Chapter 80: The Balcony Confrontation

The tension had been building for weeks, a tectonic pressure barely below the surface of their well-constructed professional facade. The paparazzi photograph had been the earthquake, and the aftershocks—Melissa's chilly reserve, the anxious phone calls from acquaintances, the constant, embarrassing scrutiny—had left Davidson exposed and raw. He was living in a house of cards, and any one gust of wind would bring the whole thing crashing down.

The wind came in the form of another late night. The Dubai deal was signed, sealed, and delivered, a huge victory that should have been a celebration. It was instead the penthouse, cutting up the next purchase, the next problem. Brian was on home ground, pacing, talking, his vitality cold and calculating, as if the inner angst raging around them was mere static on a radio.

Davidson couldn't focus. The words on the screen blurred together. All he could see was the tired, hurt look in Melissa's face that morning. All he could hear was his friend Ma