LOGINThe room remained quiet after Richard Wolfe’s words settled between them.“We have a proposal for you.”Elena sat a little straighter, her notebook still resting against her lap. She had expected feedback on the investor presentation. Perhaps additional revisions.A proposal hadn’t crossed her mind.Richard folded his hands on the desk.“You’ve only been with Wolfe Global for a short time, Miss Hart.”“Yes, sir.”“And yet you’ve earned something that usually takes years.”She waited.“Trust.”He let the word settle before continuing.“I’ve read every performance review submitted since your first week.”“You prepare thoroughly.”“You ask sensible questions.”“And when you don’t know something, you admit it instead of pretending.”A smile touched his face.“You’d be surprised how uncommon that is.”Heat crept into Elena’s cheeks.“Thank you, sir.”Richard glanced briefly at Adrian.“My son agrees.”Adrian met her eyes.“You’ve earned every opportunity you’ve been given.”There was no he
The apartment door had barely closed behind Elena when Liam folded his arms dramatically.“You’re late.”She slipped off her damp shoes and smiled.“I noticed.”“You said you’d be home before nine.”“I also said New York traffic has never listened to me.”“That excuse is getting old.”“So am I.”“You’re twenty-four.”“I’ve had a long day.”He reached for the grocery bag she carried without being asked.“Mom kept looking out the window.”The smile on Elena’s face softened.“I told her not to wait.”“She didn’t listen.”“She never does.”Warmth greeted her before she reached the living room.Not just from the heater.From home.The apartment wasn’t large. The furniture had been in the family for years, and the wallpaper near the peeling dining area. Their dining table had room for four, though only three chairs matched.None of it embarrassed Elena.It was home.Her mother looked up from the couch, relief replacing the worry she’d tried so hard to hide.“You’re finally here.”“I am.”“Y
Rain hammered against the glass entrance of Wolfe Global with such force that the city beyond it looked almost unreal.Water flowed down the windows in silver streams, covering the lights of passing cars and turning Manhattan into a blur of color.Elena stood beneath the covered entrance, phone in hand.She refreshed the rideshare app for the fourth time.No drivers available.She tried another.The estimated wait climbed from twenty-three minutes to forty-seven.She sighed quietly.“Not your night?”The receptionist smiled sympathetically.“It’ll clear eventually.”“I hope so.”She wasn’t worried about getting wet.She was worried about getting home.Her mother always tried to stay awake until she walked through the door.No matter how many times Elena asked her not to.Across the driveway, the black sedan remained where it was.Its headlights reflected across the wet pavement.The engine continued to idle.Inside, Adrian sat in the back seat, reading through tomorrow’s presentation.
By Thursday morning, Wolfe Global had settled into a rhythm that only appeared calm from the outside.Inside, every department was racing against Friday’s investor presentation.Phones rang almost constantly.Meeting rooms remained occupied.Assistants hurried through the executive floor with folders tucked beneath their arms, while managers revised reports for what felt like the tenth time.No one wanted to be responsible for a mistake.Especially with Richard Wolfe personally overseeing preparations.Elena had barely finished her first cup of coffee when Maya appeared beside her desk.“You’ve been summoned.”Elena looked up from her laptop.“That sounds ominous.”“It probably is.”Maya lowered her voice.“Lawson Capital just confirmed they’ll be here in an hour.”“I thought tomorrow was the presentation.”“It is.”“This is something else.”Before Elena could ask another question, the phone on her desk rang.“Miss Hart,” the receptionist said. “Mr. Wolfe would like you in the executi
The Wolfe family estate looked different after sunset.The limestone façade glowed beneath carefully placed garden lights, while the wide driveway curved around a fountain that had stood there long before Adrian and Ethan were born.For Richard Wolfe, family dinners were not optional.No matter how demanding business became, Wednesday evenings belonged to family.Adrian arrived precisely at seven.Naturally.Ethan pulled into the driveway four minutes later.Also naturally.He climbed out of his car carrying a bottle of wine.“You know Uncle Richard doesn’t drink red.”“I know.”“Then why—”“It’s for Emily.”Adrian shook his head.“You’ve planned this.”“I always plan my survival.”Emily Wolfe greeted them at the front door before either man reached it.“There you are.”She embraced Ethan first.“My favorite nephew.”“I’m your only nephew.”“Exactly.”She smiled before turning to Adrian.“And my impossible son.”“I’ve been called worse.”“I’m aware.”She adjusted the collar of his jac
Three days before the investor presentation, Wolfe Global seemed to inhale all at once.The lobby was really crowded than Elena had ever seen before. Visitors checking in at the reception, department heads rushing to meetings, and assistants crossed the marble floor with tablets balanced against stacks of documents. Even the café downstairs had a line of people waiting all to the elevators.Pressure had settled over the building.Not the chaotic kind.The disciplined kind.The sort that came before something important.Elena fixed the strap of her laptop bag as she stepped out of the elevator onto the executive floor.“Morning.”Maya appeared beside her carrying two coffees.“I bought you one before you could pretend breakfast isn’t necessary.”Elena accepted the cup with a grateful smile.“One day you’ll stop treating me like a project.”“I sincerely hope not.”They reached Elena’s desk together.Maya lowered her voice.“Richard Wolfe is sitting in on today’s rehearsal.”Elena paused







