Momentum

Thea arrived at the student café fifteen minutes early. The weather was starting to feel warmer, light streamed through the glass walls, scattering across the rows of tables.

Students were huddled in groups over laptops and steaming mugs, barely paying her any attention.

Thea scanned the cafe, looking for the sitting area Reed had told her to meet her and when she did, she settled on the seat, hanging her bag on the arm of her chair.

She exhaled, both hands on the table interlocked. Her palm felt sweaty and for some reason, her heart rate seemed to have picked up a little speed.

“Ma'am…”

Thea glanced up to see a waitress with a tray, a small smile on her face as she glanced down at her.

“Good afternoon. Can I have your order?”

“Actually, I am waiting for someone. I'll…”

“I'll have a cup of iced frappe and croissant.”

It was Sakisma Reed.

She had walked in at exactly one-thirty. She moved like she was unaware of the room but somehow everyone shifted to make space for her. Cream shirt tucked into black slacks, hair down this time, a slim laptop bag on one shoulder. Thea noticed she still had the jacket she had given her neatly folded over her arm.

“I'll have a cup of cappuccino then.” Thea offered with a smile as Reed got closer.

The waitress nodded and walked away.

“You're early.” Reed said as she sat down, placing the jacket on the back of the chair. “Thank you for this. It saved me.”

“It was nothing.” Thea assured, placing her hands under the table.

It made no sense whatsoever that she was this nervous to meet Reed. It was just a meeting, a lunch and here she was trying to stop herself from turning this into an avenue for a business pitch.

“I'm worried your security thinks I'm a threat..” Reed said, a hint of humour in her tone.

Thea's eyes traced Ethan in the café. They were supposed to blend in with everyone else but here they were, all turned towards her in alert.

Thea groaned internally, she told Ethan she didn't want the guards spooking Reed! What the hell is this?!

“I'm so sorry. A few past incidents made my husband take a few drastic measures.” Thea offered, a nervous laugh escaping her lips.

Reed nodded as the Waitress returned with their order. She places the cups on the table gently and walks away.

“Thank you for coming,” Reed said at last, reaching for her cup.

“Thank you for inviting me,” Thea replied.

Reed’s fingers circled her cup. “I don’t usually do this. I value my privacy.”

“I know,” Thea said. “I was surprised you offered.”

Reed nods, a faint twitch of a smile on her lips. “I suppose I was curious. Most people here know my name, but they don’t offer help. You didn’t hesitate.”

Thea sips her coffee in a bid to calm herself down. Sakisma Red was someone she looked up to. She was another prominent woman in the business world, right after the golden child.

Thea Balmero.

“I'm just glad I could help.” Thea said simply.

Reed inclined her head. “You’re Thea Blackwood.”

“That’s still strange to hear,” Thea admitted. “I’m still getting used to it.”

Reed nodded. “I didn't realise at first cause my mind was all over the place. I was curious to know why I walked straight into an army of guards when I stepped out of the restroom…now it makes sense.”

Thea exhaled, Reed must have seen all the drama surrounding her name by now. From her being a cheat, to her new husband, and then Seth Blackwood being her secret husband and then the lawsuit with Runes.

Thea smiled. “I'm guessing you've heard a lot about me.”

Reed leaned back. “The Sterling trial? I knew something was off.You handled it better than some of our own executives would have.”

Thea’s throat tightened. “It wasn’t exactly voluntary. Seth thought it was best I stay out of the prep so nothing could be twisted against me.”

Reed nodded. “I have met with Mr Blackwood a few times. He…” She chuckled. “Can be intimidating but violent would be an extreme word.”

Thea met her gaze, of course she met Seth! Hell, the whole world seems to know Seth Blackwood except her!

Thea sips her drink in silence, her eyes flickering over to the glass walls. “I'm just glad it's over with..” she muttered

Reed watched her, silent, and Thea could almost hear the unspoken question: How did a disowned Balmero daughter end up here, married to a Blackwood, after a scandal with a Sterling?

Thea took a breath. “You probably already know my history.”

“I prefer to hear it from the source,” Reed said. “I've never met you before and I'm not the type to jump to conclusions about anything or anyone.”

Thea stared into her coffee. “I was engaged to Runes Sterling. It was arranged, partly for the sake of business alliances..and i liked him. A lot. At the engagement party…Posy drugged me. I was drunk, stumbling. I ended up in Seth Blackwood’s room by mistake…I wasn't myself and…”

Reed’s expression didn’t change, but her fingers paused on her cup.

“Posy recorded it,” Thea continued. “She showed it to our family. The engagement broke. Runes publicly called me a cheat. Balmero disowned me. And Posy…” Thea’s mouth twisted. “Posy stepped right into my place. She’s engaged to Runes now.”

Around them the café buzzed, but the booth felt insulated, as if the noise blurred out. Reed’s eyes were steady, unreadable.

“I thought Seth would leave me after the scandal,” Thea said softly. “Instead, he married me. We didn’t announce it at first. And then the annual gala came, then the lawsuit…it's been a lot..”

“You’ve had a year,” Reed said quietly.

“It feels longer,” Thea murmured. Her eyes snapped up to meet Reed’s in shock. Did she just blurted out her entire life story with no filter to this woman?

“My goodness, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…”

Reed sighed. “That's tough. What you had to go through.”

“You believe me?”

Reed twirls her cup gently. “My sister used to be friends with Posy. Let’s say, I know what she's capable of and so does my sister and she's smart to stay fat away from her.”

Thea sighed, she could only imagine what Reed’s sister had gone through in the hands of her hateful stepsister.

Reed studied her for a long moment. “The crash in Balmero's share value last quarter. You’ve seen the reports.”

“I have,” Thea said. “Everyone has.”

“What would you do?” Reed asked abruptly.

Thea blinked. “Excuse me?”

“If you were in charge,” Reed said, leaning forward now, the quiet mask slipping into something more focused. “If you had to stabilize Balmero….I mean Posy’s missteps on the board, the new supply-chain bottlenecks..the dent on the brand name…what’s the first thing you’d do?”

Thea hesitated. Part of her wanted to retreat; part of her thrilled at the challenge. This was the conversation she had dreamed of.

“I’d start by cutting the dead weight,” she said slowly. “Balmero’s expansion into luxury athleisure was Posy’s pet project. It’s bleeding cash and confusing the brand. Balmero was built on high-quality tailored goods. Refocus on the core identity. I mean luxury craftsmanship, limited runs, high margins. Sell off the athleisure line to a partner who can absorb the loss.”

Reed’s eyes flickered. “Go on.”

“Second,” Thea said, warming to the subject, “the supply-chain bottleneck in northern factories? It’s not just transport strikes. The subcontractor contracts were rewritten last year under Sterling pressure. They favor Balmero’s competitors. Renegotiate directly with the cooperatives. Offer equity stakes in exchange for exclusivity. It’s a longer play but it restores control.”

Reed’s fingers drummed once on the table.

“And third,” Thea continued, “Balmero’s image is tarnished by all the family drama…mine included. Stop letting Posy be the public face. Bring in an outside creative director with a clean record, launch a flagship collection under their name, and make the story about renewal, not scandal.”

She stopped, realizing she had been speaking quickly, almost breathlessly.

Reed was silent. Her gaze was intense but not hostile; it was the look of someone weighing, calculating.

“That’s not a simple answer,” she said at last.

“It’s someone who grew up inside Balmero’s factories,” Thea replied. “Someone who’s watched it grow..”

Reed’s mouth curved slightly. “Interesting.”

Thea felt her pulse hammer. “I’m not trying to insert myself back into the company. I’m just…”

Reed raised a hand. “I didn’t say you were. But you understand things my board doesn’t.”

For a moment the two women simply looked at each other across the small café table, the noise around them rising and falling like surf.

Then Reed’s phone vibrated sharply. She glanced down at the screen; a flicker of irritation crossed her face. She stood.

“I have to go,” she said. “An emergency.”

Thea blinked. “Of course.”

Reed reached into her satchel and pulled out a slim black card, setting it on the table. “This is my direct line.”

Thea looked at it, stunned.

“Call me,” Reed said. “We’ll finish this conversation.”

And then she was gone, moving with quick, precise steps, Thea’s blazer still tied at her waist.

Thea stared after her, the card warm in her fingers. The entire café was still chattering, unaware that she had just had the most important conversation of her life. She drew a slow breath, tucking the card safely into her bag.

For the first time since the scandal, since the disownment, she felt not just hope but momentum.