Page 35

“You reorganized the supply closet by ‘emotional energy efficiency’ earlier. That’s statistically significant behavior modification.”

“That’s a valid organizational system!”

“You categorized staplers by how they ‘make you feel on Monday mornings.’”

I open my mouth to defend this perfectly reasonable classification method when a knock at the door interrupts us. Rachel from Marketing hovers in the doorway, her expression unusually hesitant.

“Hey, Emma,” she says, glancing over her shoulder before stepping in. “Did you hear about our unexpected visitor? Clara Brighton’s in the building.”

My stomach drops, the warmth of my Lucas-induced happiness instantly cooling. “Clara Brighton?”

“Lucas’s ex from his New York days.” Rachel moves closer, lowering her voice conspiratorially. “They were quite the power couple at Matthews & Sterling - she headed up their sustainability division before moving to Brighton Analytics. Janet from Reception says she just breezed past security like she owns the place. Guess being the ex gives you special privileges.”

“I met her briefly at O’Sullivan’s last week,” I say, keeping my voice level despite the uncomfortable twist in my chest. “She made it pretty clear there was history between them, but I had no idea they were a power couple.”

All those text messages about my organizational systems, and somehow he’d never mentioned dating Matthews & Sterling’s sustainability director. The omission feels deliberate now.

“Oh yeah, it was this whole thing. They were like Manhattan’s sustainability power couple. Featured in business magazines and everything.” Rachel pulls out her phone, scrolling quickly. “Look - there are still articles about their partnership. Professional and personal.”

The photo she shows me captures Lucas in full New York mode - power suit, slicked-back hair, a practiced smile that never reaches his eyes. It’s a version of him I’ve rarely encountered – polished to corporate perfection, not a trace of the man who spent Saturday morning identifying duck-shaped clouds. Clara stands beside him, elegant in a designer gown, her manicured hand possessively gripping his arm at some high-society charity gala. Her sleek blonde hair and flawless features make my stomach twist with an emotion I stubbornly refuse to call insecurity.

“After what happened between them, I’m surprised she’s here at all,” Rachel continues, clearly enjoying being the bearer of juicy news.

“What do you mean?” The words escape before I can stop them.

“You know how it is with corporate mergers. Clarendon Analytics absorbed her entire division at Matthews & Sterling right after Lucas left. Some people say he knew it was coming.” She glances around conspiratorially. “There were rumors about insider trading, leaked information... though nothing was ever proven.”

Natalie clears her throat pointedly, and Rachel seems to realize she’s said too much. “Anyway, I just thought you should know. Given the whole patent situation. And... you know.” She gestures vaguely between me and Lucas’s office.

After she leaves, Natalie closes my door. “Hey, don’t let office gossip get to you. You know there’s always more to these stories.”

“Right.” I try to smile, but it feels forced. “More to the story of how Lucas’s ex-girlfriend is the daughter of our biggest competitor. The same competitor claiming patent infringement on our technology. Totally normal situation.”

My phone chimes with another text from Lucas:

Missing my cloud-watching partner. Strange how the office feels emptier when you’re just down the hall.

My pulse quickens despite my rising doubt. The image of him and Clara at that gala keeps flashing in my mind. They looked so perfectly matched – two sophisticated professionals who understood the high-stakes world of corporate finance and strategic partnerships.

Am I just another corporate game for him? Another situation he’ll walk away from when it gets complicated? After all, he dated a woman who embodies everything I’m not - polished, sophisticated, born into the corporate world I had to fight my way into.

“Emma?” Natalie’s voice softens. “You’re destroying that sticky note.”

I look down to find pink confetti in my hands. My anxiety has ruined my perfect rainbow gradient.

“I just... What if everyone’s right? What if mixing personal and professional is a mistake? You saw that photo - he and Clara looked like they belonged in that world. And now she’s here, probably wearing thousand-dollar shoes and speaking corporate merger like a native language.”

The fears I’ve been holding back all morning come rushing in. How could Lucas Walker—Manhattan power broker, corporate turnaround specialist, and heir to a billion-dollar company—possibly want something real with someone who organizes staplers by their emotional energy and trips over her own feet during client presentations?

“Stop.” Natalie takes the remains of the sticky note from my hands. “First of all, Clara Brighton wears last season’s Louboutins, which is practically a corporate crime. Second, Lucas doesn’t look at her like he looks at you. I saw them together at a conference last year - all polish, no substance. But you and Lucas? You make sustainability sexy, which I didn’t even think was possible. Why not talk to him instead of catastrophizing?”

“And say what? ‘Hey, want to explain why your Manhattan socialite ex-girlfriend who works for our biggest competitor is here before I let myself fall any deeper?’”

“Deeper?” Her eyebrows shoot up. “Don’t you mean ‘continue falling because you never really stopped’?”

I groan and let my head thunk against my desk, disturbing my perfectly arranged rainbow. “I hate you.”

“You love me. And you should talk to him. The Lucas I’ve seen these past weeks? The one who gets excited about your color-coding system and actually smiles in board meetings? That’s real. That’s someone who’s finally brave enough to be himself.”