Page 84 of Power

“Should we be worried?” Ryker asked, studying me. “I’ve known you for years and never seen you this …”

“Pathetic?” Axel offered helpfully.

“Invested,” Ryker finished, shooting Axel a look.

“Still haven’t figured out who hurt her?” Blake asked.

I shook my head. “Thought she’d tell me by now. The fact that she hasn’t makes me admire her more. It would be easy for her to tell me, but she’s so damn private.” I collected my winningsabsently. “Maddeningly inconvenient, but I respect the hell out of it.”

“Maybe you should give up,” Axel suggested, refilling his glass. “Some battles aren’t worth fighting. Some women aren’t worth the heartburn.”

“Like that brunette from the charity gala who stole your watch?” Ryker asked innocently.

“We agreed never to speak of that again,” Axel said through gritted teeth.

“Never,” I said, answering Axel’s suggestion. “I’m not giving up on her.”

Blake’s eyebrows rose slightly in a silent acknowledgment.

“All right, let’s address the elephant in the boardroom,” Ryker said, leaning forward. “What’s your endgame? She works for you. You’ve got your no-fraternization policy. Where exactly do you see this going?”

I ran my hand down my face. “I really thought she was going to tell me everything the other day. She had that NDA in her hand, and I swore she was about to give it to me. Then she just … pulled the rug out. No explanation.”

“You really like this woman,” Blake noted.

“I do.” The admission felt like jumping off a cliff without knowing if there was water below. “But I don’t know if she feels the same. And even if she does …”

“Even if she does?” Blake prompted.

“Even if she does, I’m not sure she’d ever act on it.” The truth ached in my chest. “She’s built walls so high, I’m not sure anyone’s meant to scale them.”

“Does she know how you feel?” Blake asked.

I grabbed my lip angrily between my teeth. “I’ve never …” I stopped. How could I explain that in the boardroom, I could command armies with a few words, but with Scarlett, I was suddenly illiterate?

“You’ve never what?” Blake pressed.

“I’ve never felt this way before,” I admitted quietly. “I don’tknow the protocol. There’s no business strategy for this. No contingency plan.”

Blake nodded, as if confirming a diagnosis he’d suspected all along.

“Show her,” he said simply.

“Show her what? My emotional incompetence?” I asked, shuffling chips again. “Not sure that’s the wisest move. We’re still forbidden to date, remember?”

“You’re the boss,” Blake pointed out. “You make the rules. And I’m not saying break them, but … sometimes, people need to see action, not just words.”

“What Blake’s trying to say,” Ryker translated, “is that you need to find a way to show her you care.”

“Do something meaningful that shows you’ve been paying attention,” Blake continued, his voice softening. “When I found out Tessa had never seen the ocean, I flew her to Malibu for the weekend. It wasn’t about the money or the private jet; it was about showing her I’d listened when she talked about her dreams.”

“Dude, you falling in love is giving me hives,” Axel complained, but something almost wistful crossed his face. “Next, you’ll be telling us how the sound of her laugh makes flowers bloom or some shit.”

Falling in love. The thought should’ve terrified me, but instead, it felt like putting a name to a condition I’d been suffering from.

“Show her,” I repeated, the wheels already turning.

“Think about what she cares about most,” Blake advised. “What lights her up when she talks about it?”