Page 41 of Knot Your Sunshine (Snugverse Romcom #2)

Chapter thirty-eight

Mia

I walk down the hallway, the words I've been practicing dissolving and reforming with each step.

Hey, I couldn't sleep after our conversation around the fire...

No, that sounds weak. Apologetic. I stop at a hallway mirror, meeting my exhausted gaze in the dim light.

I need to talk to you about what you said at the fire.

Better, but still not right. I start walking again.

Look, I'm not ready to continue not taking scent blockers after all. Not until we're on the same page about my future.

Too confrontational? Maybe. But at least it's honest.

The corridor branches ahead. Left leads to Noa's suite. I'll knock on his door first, then gather the others so we can have this conversation properly.

But as I pass the office door on my right, a voice stops me cold.

"—an illusion, I'm afraid."

The sound leaks through the door crack, tinny through what sounds like computer speakers. I freeze, one foot still raised mid-step. That voice, that particular brand of smugness…

Chadwick.

My stomach drops. They're on a call with him. Now. At two in the morning. Without me.

I edge closer, barely breathing.

"The revenue recovery is entirely artificial." His satisfaction drips through every word. "The marketing spend required to achieve those numbers was astronomical. We're hemorrhaging money and are in a worse position than during the initial dip, actually."

The wall holds me up as my legs go weak. Noa's face flashes behind my eyelids, his phone screen angled toward me. Look at this! The numbers bounced right back.

He knew. He had to have known.

"Now that we've resolved the location attribution data issue in our systems," Chadwick continues, papers rustling on his end, "I can confirm the problematic locations. The ones dragging down overall performance are all Ms. Everly's selections."

My fingernails bite into my palms hard enough to leave marks.

"Her franchises?" Josh's voice, uncertain.

"Every single one." Chadwick doesn't even try to hide his satisfaction. "The data is conclusive. Her locations are generating thirty percent less revenue than mine."

Thirty percent. The number echoes in my head. My franchises…

"Given this data," Chadwick continues with the inevitability of an avalanche, "I recommend immediate termination of those contracts. Cut our losses, reallocate resources to profitable locations."

My hand flies to my mouth— what?

Now they'll explode. Josh with logical counterarguments. Keanu with unwavering optimism. Noa with protective intensity. They'll defend my choices, demand more time, insist the metrics don't capture everything—

"Mia's locations are really generating the least revenue?"

Josh sounds genuinely surprised. Like this possibility never occurred to him.

"Fuck, man." Keanu's voice is heavy. "She put so much work into finding them."

A pause. Then Noa, barely audible: "Damn."

That's it? Just... damn?

Not "those numbers don't tell the whole story." Not "Mia knows what she's doing." Not even "let's wait to hear her perspective."

Just... damn.

My legs move without conscious thought, carrying me backward. One step. Two. The voices continue behind the door, but I can't hear them over the roaring in my ears.

The hallway stretches and contracts around me. My hand trails along the wall for balance as I move faster, needing distance between me and that door.

A window alcove appears and I stumble into it, pressing my back against the cool glass.

I knew it was too good to be true. The thought arrives with the clarity of dawn. Three gorgeous alphas who want me, believe in me, support me no matter what? When has the universe ever been that generous?

Maybe this was all biology after all. Pheromones creating an illusion of connection. Chemistry masquerading as compatibility. Pretty words that dissolve the moment real challenges appear.

The hurt in my chest shifts, crystallizes into something harder. Anger. Raw, sharp, clarifying.

They lied. Stood in that lobby and lied to my face.

And now they're discussing my future without me. Chadwick's suggesting they cut my locations and my supposed partners, my alphas who promised to support my dream? They're just... taking it. No fight. No pushback. Just resignation.

My spine straightens. The hallway comes back into focus.

My sandals strike the floor with new purpose as I turn back toward the office, each step ringing with certainty.

They want to discuss my project with Chadwick? Make decisions about my franchises?

They're going to have to do it while looking me in the eye.