Chapter 3

The next morning, the mood in the conference room was off. Everyone could feel it.

Audrey sat at the head of the table, flipping through the quarterly report. Micah was at the far end, wearing a sharply tailored suit and a gleaming five-figure watch on his wrist. He looked like he owned the place.

"I've made a few changes to the core project assignments for next quarter." Audrey closed the report and swept her gaze across the room.

"The clean energy deal that Evan's been running will be handed over to Micah," she declared.

The room went quiet.

I had been on that deal for three solid months. I had lost count of how many all-nighters I pulled and how many times I drank myself sick at client dinners just to get them to sign.

It was days away from closing, and the commission was practically mine. Yet Audrey waved it away with a single sentence.

"Ms. Sinclair, that's not really how this works." Ben couldn't take it and spoke up, even though it would clearly cost him. "Micah is still an intern. A deal this size is too much for him."

Audrey glanced at him, her expression cooling a fraction. "If it's too much for him, Evan can guide him through it. Evan is one of the founding members of this company. Mentoring the newer staff is part of the job."

She turned to me, her tone leaving no room for discussion. "Evan, any objections?"

I looked at her and calmly closed the notebook in front of me. "None."

Audrey seemed satisfied with how easily I gave in. She gave a small nod. "Then it's settled. Meeting adjourned."

She was the first one out the door.

Micah walked over to me with his files, barely managing to hide the smug look on his face. "Evan, I really appreciate you showing me the ropes on this one."

"Don't mention it." I gathered the paperwork on my desk and pushed it toward him. "Everything about the client is in there—their preferences, their history, all of it. Read through it yourself."

I didn't wait around to watch his expression stiffen. I headed straight for the bathroom.

The second I pushed the stall door open, my stomach turned inside out. I gripped the edge of the sink and threw up violently. When I looked down at the white tile, there was blood splattered across it.

I stared at it blankly.

The faucet was still running, so I cupped the cold water in my hands and splashed my face, rinsing the blood down the drain.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was Grant Hadley, my closest friend.

"Evan, when the hell are you coming to the hospital to schedule the surgery?" His voice was tight with barely controlled panic. "The doctor said the tumor's spreading fast. You can't keep putting this off."

I pulled a paper towel from the dispenser and dried my hands, slow and deliberate. "Grant, I'm not doing the surgery."

The other end of the line went silent for a few seconds, and then he yelled, "Have you lost your mind? You're throwing your life away for that woman?"

"It's not about her." I looked at the gaunt, ashen face staring back at me in the mirror and managed something that barely passed for a smile.

"They'd take out two-thirds of my stomach, and then there'd be chemo after that. It's ugly, and it's miserable. I just want to finish this last stretch with some dignity," I said.

Grant went quiet on the other end. All I could hear was his breathing, heavy and unsteady.

After I hung up, I walked back to my desk. There was a message from Audrey.

"Come to my office."

I pushed open the door to the executive suite. She was standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows with a cup of coffee.

"Are you mad about the meeting?" she asked.

She walked over and reached out to straighten my tie, the way she always did. I stepped back, putting distance between us. Her hand fell on empty air again, and the crease between her brows deepened.

"Evan, you've been so cold lately. I gave Micah the deal because his family's going through a rough patch, and he needs the money.

"You have equity in the company. Between that and your year-end dividends, you're not going to miss one commission."

She looked at me, her tone laced with condescension. "You're a man. Be generous. Don't be petty with a kid who's barely out of school."

I looked at how perfectly sure of herself she was.

"Fine. I won't."

My eyes stayed on hers, and my voice came out low and even. "Audrey, are you free next Wednesday?"