Page 47 of Rival Hearts

“There are just so many things in the industry that seem right. Businesses on the right path, striving to make a positive change, and people genuinely committed to environmental responsibility. I feel like what I’m doing is pointless.”

“It’s never pointless,” Victoria said sternly, but that didn’t make me feel much better. The truth was that the lines between right and wrong weren’t as sharply defined as I’d thought.

“I just think maybe I’ve been too quick to judge.”

“Charlotte, if you can learn and grow through this experience, then you’ve already won one of your battles. Don’t give up. There is merit in what you’re doing. Trust me, I’ve dedicated my life to this cause, and it still hasn’t made the biggest change, but that doesn’t mean we should stop trying. The more we try, the more awareness we bring, the more some people can make a change that will affect the world around us. And when it doesn’t work… that doesn’t mean we’ve failed. It just means we have to keep trying.”

I nodded slowly. I didn’t admit to Victoria that I felt a little disillusioned. I’d been so serious about my cause, but I felt like I’d gone about it all wrong, and I wasn’t sure which way to turn now.

“I don’t know how to move forward,” I admitted.

“Do you want to keep going?”

I nodded. “Of course. I just feel like I’ve passed judgement unfairly.”

“We all make mistakes,” Victoria said. “That’s what makes us human. Admitting to making those mistakes is the first step, and then pivoting to find the right way forward is the answer. What will you do differently?”

I thought about that. “I guess I’ll be more open to what they’re saying in response to my campaign. If there’s no clear-cut good guy or bad guy, then we have to hear each other out, and that should probably start with me.”

Victoria smiled. “This is why I believe in you, Charlotte. You are willing to learn, willing to admit you were wrong, and you’re going to get far when you keep at it with this kind of attitude.”

She was so proud of me, but I had a feeling I’d already made mistakes, caused trouble where it wasn’t necessary.

“Do you feel like I’ve wasted your investment?” I blurted out.

“Not at all,” Victoria said, surprised again. “I think it was probably the best investment I’ve ever made.” She smiled.

Relief flooded me, and I nodded.

We started talking about other things, and I could eat my breakfast in peace without it feeling like it turned into sand in my mouth.

I was doingsomethingright, at least.

I was grateful I had Victoria in my life. Since my mom had left when I was just a kid, I’d felt like I’d drifted through the world, untethered, unsure about who I was and where I was headed.

When my dad had allowed a factory to be built in the small town where I’d grown up, I’d realized there were more people in the world who were out for personal gain than people who wanted to help, and I’d vowed then and there I would never be like that.

It had been simple, then. Good guys vs. bad guys. Doing wrong vs. doing right.

Mom leaving and Dad not caring about anything other than himself and his money.

As I’d grown older, I’d realized it wasn’t that simple. Wrong wasn’t only wrong; there were bits of right, too. And right wasn’t only right; we all made mistakes sometimes.

When I’d met Victoria Morgan, she’d been the one to encourage me, to tell me that what I thought about the world wasn’t wrong and that I could do more if I made my voice heard. For the first time, I’d felt like I had support, a mentor, someone to turn to.

And it was thanks to her that any of this was possible.

“Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice,” I said to Victoria when we paid for our breakfast and left the restaurant. “I appreciate your insight.”

“Of course,” Victoria said. “I’m always available when you need me. But Charlotte, you’re doing better than you think. You’re allowed to believe in yourself a little, you know.”

I smiled, and she squeezed my hand before she walked to her car.

I walked to mine, getting in behind the wheel. My mind spun with what I’d learned through the night and what Victoria had said.

I was still going to keep going with the campaign, but I had a few things I needed to change before moving forward.

And the first thing I wanted to do was pay Blackwood Inc. a visit.