10.

They reached Charlotte's office, and Evelyn opened the door for her.

The room was exactly as Charlotte remembered it, from the long windows overlooking the city to the shelves lined with company records. A framed photograph of her father stood near the corner of the desk, beside a smaller picture of the two of them taken years earlier at the opening of one of his first major commercial developments.

Charlotte paused when she saw it.

Her father had been smiling in the photograph, one hand resting on her shoulder while she stood beside him in a pale dress. She remembered how proudly he had shown her the finished building that day, explaining how much work had gone into turning an empty piece of land into something that would serve thousands of people.

He had wanted her to understand the business, not simply inherit a title and a collection of shares.

And she had once wanted that too.

After his death, however, grief had swallowed her whole. Then came the endless disappointment of her marriage, the constant attempts to please Sean and the humiliating belief that if she could only become the kind of woman he wanted, he might finally treat her with affection.

Somewhere along the way, she had stopped showing up for the life her father had prepared her to lead.

Charlotte looked away from the photograph.

She couldn't change the past, but she could stop letting it decide what happened next.

"Let's get started," she said.

She settled behind her desk and opened the property report Evelyn had placed in front of her. The first few pages were straightforward enough, covering the group's existing buildings, rental income and a few properties undergoing renovation. Charlotte read carefully, making notes where she needed clarification.

She was rusty, but she wasn't clueless. The more she read, the more she remembered the things her father had taught her and the discussions she had once participated in before leaving most of the work to Sean.

Then she reached the proposal for a large piece of commercial land on the outskirts of the city.

Her eyes narrowed.

The report claimed the property could become one of the group's most profitable investments within a few years. It recommended that the company secure the land quickly before a competing developer could make an offer.

The problem was that the figures seemed almost too good to be true.

Charlotte turned back a few pages, checked the calculations and compared them with the earlier information in the report. The expected rental income had increased considerably, yet there was little explanation for the change.

"Evelyn?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Is this the only assessment we've received?"

"That's the version attached to the meeting papers."

"I asked whether it was the only one."

Evelyn glanced at her tablet. "There was an earlier assessment from the investment team. I believe some figures were changed before this version was sent out."

"Changed by whom?"

"Mr. Bennett approved the revised report for circulation."

Charlotte leaned back in her chair.

She wasn't going to accuse anyone of wrongdoing because a few numbers looked unusual. There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation. But she had no intention of approving a major purchase simply because someone had presented it confidently.

"Please get me the original report, the land valuation and whatever information they used to calculate the expected rental income."

"Of course."

"And ask the investment director to bring them to the meeting. I want him to explain the changes himself."

Evelyn made a note, then gave Charlotte a curious look.

"Is there a problem with the proposal?"

"I'm not sure yet. That's why I want to see the documents."

Charlotte returned to the report, but a small feeling of unease had settled in her stomach. She had expected to spend the morning catching up on the work she had missed. Instead, she was already questioning a recommendation that several senior executives apparently wanted approved.

She hoped she was simply being cautious.

Still, if the deal was as good as they claimed, no one should have any trouble explaining it.

A few minutes later, Evelyn returned to inform her that the committee members were ready.

Charlotte gathered her notes, closed the report and stood.

"Let's go."

The meeting room was already occupied when she entered. Richard Bennett sat near the head of the table, speaking quietly with two other executives. Several copies of the agenda had been arranged in front of them, and a man Charlotte recognised as the investment director was scrolling through his phone.

Their conversation faded when she took her seat.

"Good morning, everyone."

"Good morning, Charlotte," Richard replied.

She noticed the brief exchange of glances between two of the men opposite her. One looked surprised to see her carrying her own notes. The other quickly looked away when their eyes met.

Charlotte knew what some of them were thinking. She had spent months away from the office, and although she retained her position and voting rights, few of them expected her to return and immediately involve herself in the company's affairs.

She intended to correct that impression.

Richard cleared his throat. "Shall we begin? We have several matters to discuss today, and I would like us to make a decision on the land acquisition before the end of the month."

"Before we begin," Charlotte said, "I'd like the investment director to explain the changes to the figures in his report."

The man looked up from his phone.

"Which changes?"

"The expected rental income increased between the original assessment and the revised report. I'd like to know why."

He exchanged a quick glance with Richard before sitting straighter.

"The location has considerable potential. The commercial district is expanding, and we believe demand will rise significantly once the development is completed."

"Do we already have businesses interested in renting space there?"

"We've identified several potential tenants."

"Have any of them made formal commitments?"

"Not at this stage, but we're confident the interest will translate into actual leases."

Charlotte looked down at her notes, then back at him.

"So the projected income is based on businesses we hope to attract, rather than businesses that have agreed to rent from us."

The man's jaw tightened.

"That's how property development works, Mrs. Sinclair. You have to anticipate where the market is going."

"Of course. But anticipating the market doesn't mean we should ignore the possibility that things might not go as planned."

A director seated near the window nodded slightly.

Charlotte continued, "I'm not saying we shouldn't buy the land. I'm asking why the figures changed and why the earlier assessment wasn't included in the documents sent to this committee."

Richard adjusted his glasses.

"The revised report reflects the investment team's updated expectations. The supporting documents can be provided, but I don't believe the absence of those attachments changes the strength of the proposal."

"Then providing them shouldn't be a problem."

For the first time, the investment director looked genuinely irritated.

"With respect, Mrs. Sinclair, we've spent weeks examining this opportunity. Delaying the decision could give another developer the advantage. Sometimes we have to act quickly if we want to secure a profitable deal."

Charlotte held his gaze.

"And sometimes acting too quickly costs a company millions."

Silence fell over the table.

She hadn't raised her voice, but the words seemed to land harder than she expected. Richard stopped turning the pages in front of him, and one of the directors slowly put down his pen.

Charlotte was suddenly aware that everyone was watching her.

For a moment, the old instinct returned. She wanted to soften her words, smile apologetically and reassure them that she wasn't trying to make things difficult.

She almost did.

Then she remembered how many times she had made herself smaller just to keep other people comfortable.

She wasn't going to do it here.

"I want the original assessment, the revised figures and the independent valuation placed before this committee. I also want to see the research supporting the expected rental income. Once we've reviewed everything, we can decide whether the acquisition is worth pursuing."

Richard exchanged another glance with the investment director.

"We can arrange that," he said.

"Good. Then we'll defer the decision until the documents are available. In the meantime, let's move on to the other items."

The meeting continued, but the atmosphere had changed. The executives were paying closer attention whenever Charlotte spoke, and she noticed that even Richard was choosing his words more carefully.

During the discussion of another property, a director asked whether the company should continue funding repairs on a commercial building that had remained partially vacant for months. Charlotte remembered the property. Her father had acquired it years earlier, and she had visited the site with him while it was still under construction.

"What are the tenants complaining about?" she asked.

The director checked his papers. "Mostly the condition of the building and the lack of parking."

"Then why are we discussing selling it before finding out how much it would cost to fix those problems?"

"We've been advised that selling may be the more practical option."

"By whom?"

He hesitated. "The property management team."

"Have they provided a repair estimate?"

"Not a detailed one."

Charlotte tapped her pen against her notebook.

"Then let's get one. I don't want us selling an asset at a discount because we haven't bothered to find out whether a few repairs could make it profitable again."

This time, nobody argued.

By the end of the meeting, she had requested a few more documents and arranged for the committee to review the land acquisition again once the missing information was available. She hadn't solved every problem, and she certainly hadn't uncovered anything that justified an accusation, but she had made it clear that she intended to be involved.

When the meeting ended, the executives began gathering their papers.

The investment director lingered beside the table as Charlotte closed her notebook.

"Mrs. Sinclair, may I have a word?"

"Certainly."

"I hope you understand that the team has worked very hard on this proposal. We wouldn't recommend such an investment if we didn't believe in it."

"I understand that."

"Then I hope we can avoid unnecessary delays."

Charlotte looked at him. "If the proposal is as strong as you believe, the additional information will help us approve it with confidence. I'm not trying to prevent the company from making money."

He gave her a tight smile.

"Of course."

"Good. I'll expect the documents soon."

He nodded and left the room.

Charlotte watched him go, wondering why a simple request for more information had seemed to offend him so much. Perhaps he was frustrated because she had delayed a deal he had spent weeks preparing. That was understandable.

But something about his reaction bothered her.

She made a mental note to pay closer attention when the documents arrived.

It was more work than she had anticipated, but for the first time in months, she left a meeting feeling that she had actually contributed something meaningful.

Back in her office, Charlotte placed the committee notes beside the property report and let out a slow breath. She was tired, and there was still a considerable amount of work waiting for her, but the familiar sense of purpose was returning. She had spent so long allowing her marriage to consume her attention that she had almost forgotten what it felt like to concentrate on something that belonged entirely to her.

Her phone vibrated on the desk.

For a moment, she wondered whether it might be a message from her mother asking about her mysterious date, but the notification was only a reminder about the wedding arrangements.

Charlotte turned the screen face down and reached for the next document.

She had more important things to worry about.

Unfortunately, one of those things was still waiting for her at the end of the day, and no amount of reviewing financial reports would make it disappear.

She needed a date.

But who?