جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 15

CHAPTER ELEVENThe email came at four thirty in the afternoon. Klaus read it first, then looked up at me with a smile that only he possessed."We got it," he said simply.I stared at him. "What?""Nakamura. We won the contract."For a moment, I couldn't breathe. Then suddenly Klaus was pulling me to my feet, his hands on my waist, spinning me around. I laughed, really laughed, and it felt incredible."We did it," I whispered."You did it," Klaus corrected. "That presentation was all you."Back in our shared suite, Klaus ordered champagne from room service. We sat in the living area, glasses in hand, the Tokyo lights glittering through the floor-to-ceiling windows."To the Nakamura contract," Klaus said, raising his glass."To the Nakamura contract," I echoed, and we drank.The champagne was perfect. Everything was perfect. Klaus was watching me with an expression I'd seen before but never let myself acknowledge. Want. Pure, undisguised want."You're staring," I said softly."I know."

CHAPTER THIRTEENA year ago"Brian, wake up! You're going to be late for your presentation!"I opened my eyes to find Viola already dressed, holding my blue shirt and a tie."I stayed up until 2 AM finishing your presentation slides," she said, setting the clothes on the bed. "I fixed all the data points and made the graphics cleaner. It's on your laptop, ready to go."I sat up, rubbing my eyes. "You didn't have to do all that.""I know, but I wanted you to have the best chance." She smiled, but she looked exhausted. Dark circles under her eyes. "I also made you breakfast. It's on the table. And I packed your favorite snacks for the drive."My phone buzzed. A text from Damien about meeting up for drinks after my presentation."Are you listening?" Viola asked softly."Yeah, yeah. Thanks." I was already typing a response to Damien. "You're the best."She stood there for a moment, like she was waiting for something more. When I didn't look up from my phone, she just said, "Good luck toda

CHAPTER FIFTEEN I sat in the balcony, staring at nothing. The Paris skyline glittered behind me, but I wasn't seeing it.Klaus had texted an hour ago. A weekend vacation at Obudu Mountain Resort in Nigeria. He'd kept it casual, but I knew what it meant. Another step forward. Another commitment to a life that wasn't my past.I should have been excited. Instead, I felt empty and confused.My phone lay on the coffee table, and without meaning to, I found myself scrolling through old photos. There it was: a picture from seven years ago. Brian and me at that tiny Italian restaurant in Queens. I was so thin then, almost skeletal. My eyes were empty. I remember that day perfectly.Two months after my parents died in the crash, I had stopped eating properly. Stopped caring about anything. I'd sit in my apartment for hours, just staring at the wall. My colleagues at work had started asking if I was okay. My boss had suggested I take time off.Then Brian found me.Not literally. I'd collapsed