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It’s clarity.And he’s about to walk into both.
I stare at the message.
Then I type back:
Sure.
Short. No punctuation. No softness. Just… enough.
When he knocks,I open the door and turn away without saying anything. He steps inside like he always does—like he belongs here, like the fight he knows is coming will resolve itself if he stays calm enough through it.
“Cass—”
“You told me there’s a board meeting tomorrow,” I say, turning to face him, arms crossed. “But you also made it clear I’m not welcome in the room.”
“It’s not about being welcome.” He exhales. “It’s a strategy session. Sensitive dynamics. A volatile board.”
“And I’m what—an unstable factor?” I laugh once, dry. “You think letting me defend my team’s work would derail your narrative?”
“I think it would shift the balance of the room in ways I can’t control.”
There it is.
The thing he didn’t mean to say.
“Thank you,” I murmur. “For the clarity.”
He looks at me for a long second, brow furrowing like he wants to take it back but doesn’t know how.
I don’t need him to.
“Thanks for dinner, Roman. I’m glad you got to meet Mia.”
I walk toward the door, open it, and step aside. He doesn’t move right away.
“I think you should spend the night at your house tonight. Good night.”
I don’t wait for a response.
I just stand there, calmly holding the door, until he walks through it.
I don’t close the door until I hear the elevator.
And even then, I don’t move. I just stand there, the test still sitting unused on the bathroom counter, the silence pressing in around me.
I don’t know what tomorrow will bring.
But for the first time in weeks, I know where I stand.
19
ROMAN
LIFE CHANGING
"The patent filing appears legitimate," Jenkins drones, his voice the monotonous hum of a man who's spent too many years reading legal briefs. "Grant Industries submitted documentation dating their design process to six months before our initial concept phase."
I resist the urge to visibly react, maintaining the impassive expression I've perfected over years of high-stakes negotiations. Around the polished conference table, ten board members watch me with varying degrees of concern and curiosity. They're waiting to see how I'll respond to this blatant attack.