CHAPTER 5

Cleo

I took the elevator down to the lobby and was relieved to find it nearly empty. The cool morning air hit my face as I stepped outside the building, but it did little to ease the pounding headache behind my eyes.

A yellow cab waited near the curb. I climbed into the back seat and quietly gave the driver my address before resting my head against the window. The city was already awake. People hurried along the sidewalks with coffee cups in hand. Cars filled the streets as the morning rush began. I closed my eyes as fragments of last night replayed in my mind.

What had I been thinking? I pressed my fingers against my temples. No. I wasn’t going to think about it anymore. It had been one stupid mistake brought on by too much alcohol and a broken heart. I’d never see him again.

By the time I got home, the headache had become almost unbearable. I kicked off my heels near the front door, dropped my purse on the couch, and headed straight for the bathroom. The hot water poured over my skin as I stood beneath the shower. I stayed there longer than necessary, hoping the water would somehow wash away everything that had happened last night.

An hour later, I stood in front of the mirror fastening the last button of my blouse. I dabbed a little concealer beneath my eyes before applying a light coat of lip gloss. It didn’t do much to hide how exhausted I looked but it would have to do. I grabbed my handbag and headed for the door. Work didn’t care about heartbreak.

Marsh Textiles looked the same as always. Employees moved purposefully through the lobby, carrying folders and greeting one another as they hurried toward meetings. The quiet hum of ringing phones and clicking keyboards blended into the familiar rhythm of another workday. I’d spent most of my childhood in this building, running through its hallways while my parents worked late into the evening. After graduating from Columbia University, joining the company had felt like the natural next step.

 “Morning.”

I looked up to find Amaya, my colleague and one of my closest friends walking toward me with two cups of coffee.

“You look terrible,” she said, frowning.

I accepted one of the cups with a tired smile.

“Good morning to you too.”

Her eyes searched my face.

“Didn’t sleep?”

I took a sip of coffee before shrugging.

“Something like that.”

She looked like she wanted to ask more, thankfully, her phone began ringing from inside her office.

“I’ll interrogate you later,” she said before disappearing into her office, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

The next three weeks passed in a blur. I buried myself in work, doing everything I could to keep my mind occupied. I’d told my parents, Lexi and Amaya, that Damien and I had broken up. Nothing more. Thankfully, none of them pushed for answers. Every now and then, they’d ask if I was okay. I’d smile, tell them I was fine, and somehow, they’d let it go. I was grateful for that. But the truth was… I wasn’t fine. Not even close. Most days, I managed to keep my mind occupied. Other days, I’d have to lock myself in the restroom at work, take a deep breath, and remind myself not to fall apart. But as much as I liked to tell myself Damien was the only thing weighing on my mind…

He wasn’t.

No matter how hard I tried, my thoughts always found their way back to that night. To the ridiculously attractive stranger I’d gone home with. I should’ve regretted it. After all, I’d slept with another man only hours after my three-year relationship ended.

Instead…

I felt guilty because I didn’t regret it.

Maybe it was because Damien and I had been over long before either of us had been brave enough to admit it. Looking back, the signs had been there. The unanswered texts, the cancelled plans, the way our conversations had slowly become shorter. But any time a doubt surfaced I’d found a reason to explain it away.

A sharp knock on my office door pulled me from my thoughts.

“Cleo?”

I looked up from the documents spread across my desk.

One of the office assistants stood outside my office door.

“Your parents would like to see you.”

I frowned.

“Now?”

She nodded.

“They’re both waiting in Mr. Marsh’s office.”

Without another word, I followed her. The moment I stepped into my father’s office, I knew something was wrong. The room felt unusually quiet.

My parents looked up at the same time, but neither of them smiled.

“You wanted to see me?”

My father nodded toward the chair opposite his desk.

“Sit down.”

A strange feeling settled in my stomach as I lowered myself into the chair. I waited for either of them to speak , but the silence only stretched on as my they continued exchanging glances.

“Is somebody going to tell me what’s going on?”

My dad let out a slow breath before speaking.

“We’ve lost another client.”

I blinked.

“Okay…”

That wasn’t good, but we’d lost clients before.

“We’ll recover.”

His expression didn’t change.

“It’s bigger than that.”

“How big?”

My mom looked down at her hands before quietly answering.

“Bigger than we can fix on our own.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, my attention focused on her.

Dad leaned back in his chair, rubbing a tired hand across his face.

“The company’s been struggling for months.”

I frowned.

“What?”

My eyes moved between him and Mom.

“I knew things had slowed down, but…” I shook my head. “You both made it sound like everything was under control.”

“We wanted you to believe that,” Mom said quietly.

“We thought it was something we could fix,” Dad added. “We didn’t want you carrying this burden with us.”

I felt my stomach tighten.

Dad was silent for a moment. When he finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.

“If we don’t find a solution soon we’ll lose everything.”

The words hit me like a punch to the chest.

“There has to be something we can do.”

“There is,” Dad said quietly.

“What?” I asked, looking at him expectantly.

He glanced briefly at Mom before answering.

“Voss Corporation reached out to us earlier this week.”

I frowned.

“Voss Corporation?”

Mom nodded.

“They’re interested in discussing a merger.”

“A merger?”

“They believe combining both companies could be mutually beneficial,” Dad said. “At least… that’s what they’ve told us.”

“You don’t sound convinced.”

Dad gave a humorless smile.

“I’m not.”

“Neither am I,” Mom admitted.

I understood why. A company as powerful as Voss Corporation could easily absorb Marsh Textiles. If things went wrong, everything my parents had spent decades building could disappear overnight.

“But…” Dad continued, “at this point, we don’t have the luxury of turning them down.”

Silence settled over the room.

“If there’s even the slightest chance of saving this company…” I said quietly, “…then we have to take it.”

“When is the meeting?”

“Monday,” my dad responded.

“I’ll go.”

“Are you sure?” they asked in unison.

“Yes.”

They both looked at each before giving a small nod.

Monday arrived faster than I expected. By 1 o’clock, I was seated inside one of the conference rooms on the top floor of Voss Corporation. The room was exactly what I’d expected from one of the country’s largest companies— sleek, modern, and intimidatingly expensive. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city skyline, while a long walnut conference table stretched through the center of the room. I smoothed invisible wrinkles from my blazer and glanced at the clock mounted on the wall.

1:20 p.m.

The meeting wasn’t scheduled to begin until one-thirty.

I’d arrived early. Partly because I wanted time to settle my nerves and I also couldn’t afford to make a bad first impression.

Across the table sat two members of Voss Corporation’s legal team, quietly reviewing documents while exchanging side comments. Beside me, Marsh Textiles’ legal adviser flipped through a thick folder for what felt like the hundredth time.

The atmosphere was calm but tense.

I wrapped my fingers around the glass of water in front of me, more for something to do than because I was thirsty.

“Mr. Voss should be with us shortly,” a woman said with a polite smile before leaving the room.

For some reason, hearing his name made my stomach tighten. A few seconds later, the conference room door opened.

The conversations around the table came to an immediate stop. Everyone rose to their feet and I did the same.

My eyes drifted toward the door and my heart stopped.