เข้าสู่ระบบRalph was waiting on the sidewalk when we pulled up, his coat thrown on over pyjama pants, phone pressed so hard to his ear I could see the white of his knuckles from the car."She's inside the diner on Forsythe," Ralph said as he jogged over to meet us, out of breath. "Not outside anything. Inside. Sitting across from the reporter like it's a coffee date.""That's new," I said as I climbed out, glancing at Liam. "Last time she at least pretended it wasn't planned.""She's not pretending this time," Ralph said, glancing between us like he wasn't sure which one of us needed the warning more. "I think she wants you to walk in on it."Liam went quiet for a second, studying the glowing sign of the diner across the street, and I watched something shift in his expression, not anger exactly, more like recalculation."Then we don't walk in," Liam said finally, surprising both of us."You're joking," I said as I turned to look at him fully. "She's in there right now.""Which means whatever she
Patricia's motion went in by four that afternoon, and by six, the office had gone quiet in a way I hadn't felt in days, phones no longer ringing every ten minutes, Amy's frantic typing finally slowing to something closer to normal. I stood by the window in Liam's office, watching the city lights start to flicker on below us, and let myself exhale for what felt like the first time in seventy-two hours."You look like you're finally breathing," Liam said as he came up behind me, his hands settling on my shoulders, thumbs pressing slow circles into the tension there."I feel like I forgot how," I said as I leaned back into him, letting my head rest against his chest. "Is it really over. The worst of it, I mean.""Patricia thinks the motion will get granted within the week," Liam said as he pressed a kiss to the top of my head, his voice quieter now, less clipped than it had been all day. "Drew's lawyers already know they're losing. Camilla's gone quiet since the meeting. I think we made
"Stop rereading it," Liam said as he glanced over from his own laptop, catching me hovering over the send button for the fifth time. "It's accurate. That's all it needs to be.""I just don't want to give them anything," I said as I finally hit send, my stomach tightening the second the email left my outbox."You didn't," Liam said as he closed his own laptop, leaning back in his chair. "Neither did I. Patricia will tell us if there's a problem."Ralph appeared in the doorway before I could respond, a thick folder tucked under one arm and an expression that made my pulse spike all over again."I found something," Ralph said as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him with his foot. "You're going to want to sit down for this.""Just say it," Liam said as he straightened in his chair, all traces of calm gone from his voice."The vendor agreements," Ralph said as he dropped the folder onto the desk, flipping it open to a tabbed page. "Drew's claiming they were never exclusive. Howev
Morning came too fast, sunlight cutting through the blinds before I'd even had my first cup of coffee, and Liam's phone was already buzzing against the nightstand by the time I opened my eyes."That's the fourth one," Liam said as he reached over and silenced it without looking, his voice still rough with sleep."Fourth what?" I asked as I propped myself up on one elbow, watching him rub a hand down his face."Call," Liam said as he finally glanced at the screen, his jaw tightening the second he read the name. "From Drew's office.""At seven in the morning?" I said as I sat up fully now, the last traces of sleep burning off."Panic doesn't keep business hours," Liam said as he swung his legs out of bed, already reaching for his phone charger. "Get dressed. Something's moving."By the time we walked into the office forty minutes later, Ralph was waiting by the elevator bank, his expression tight in a way that made my stomach drop before he'd said a single word."You need to see this be
The office felt different by the time we got back from the conference room, lighter somehow, like the walls themselves had exhaled. Ralph caught my eye from his desk and raised an eyebrow in silent question, and I gave him a small nod that had him grinning before he'd even fully turned back to his monitor."Well?" Amy asked as she abandoned all pretence of working the second Liam and I walked past her desk. "Don't leave us hanging.""She tried to negotiate a settlement," I said as I perched on the edge of Amy's desk, still riding the strange, giddy relief of the last twenty minutes. "In a room with her own lawyer and Patricia recording the entire thing.""She what?" Ralph said as he spun his chair around fully, abandoning any pretence too. "That's not just bad, that's catastrophically bad.""Patricia's words were something closer to useful," Liam said as he leaned against the doorframe of his office, arms crossed, though the corner of his mouth kept fighting a smile. "She basically co
Camilla's meeting request sat in my inbox like a loaded gun, unanswered."You're not going alone," Liam said as he read the email over my shoulder, his hand braced against the back of my chair. "I don't care what she thinks that proves.""I wasn't planning on going alone," I said as I closed the laptop, my pulse still not fully settled from the article, from Ralph's phone buzzing, from the entire day collapsing sideways in the span of an hour. "I just don't understand why she'd request this. She's the one who should be avoiding us.""Because she's desperate," Liam said as he straightened, his jaw tight. "Desperate people make mistakes. She's hoping she can talk her way out of this before Patricia's statement goes live.""Or she wants to threaten us," I said as I looked up at him, the thought settling cold in my chest. "In person, where there's no paper trail.""Then we bring someone who takes notes," Liam said as he reached for his phone, already dialling. "Patricia should be in that
“I did this to the company,” Liam admitted as he dragged a hand through his hair and stared at the space Camilla had just vacated.I immediately shook my head and crossed my arms before replying, “No, you didn’t. Camilla made her own choices.”Liam let out a humourless laugh as he walked back towar
NINA'S POV: Two Months Later“The chicken is really delicious today,” Amy said thoughtfully.I laughed as I wiped my hands with a napkin and shook my head.“It’s probably the only thing in this building that isn’t stressed out right now,” I said with a grin.Amy groaned dramatically and pointed her
NINA'S POV: Two Months Later“The chicken is really delicious today,” Amy said thoughtfully.I laughed as I wiped my hands with a napkin and shook my head.“It’s probably the only thing in this building that isn’t stressed out right now,” I said with a grin.Amy groaned dramatically and pointed her
"Welcome. Take a seat already,” Amanda said brightly as she leaned back in her chair like she owned the restaurant and possibly the building itself.I paused for half a second at the table, already aware that Nina looked like she wanted to disappear into the upholstery. Still, I lowered myself into







