THE ROAD AHEAD

idewalk, and a lone figure hurried down the street, trying to avoid the worst of the downpour. Jane was wearing a trench coat and a scarf wrapped a

out to leave, she heard footsteps approaching from the other end of the alley. She froze, afraid to move. A man appeared, his face shrouded in shadows. The woma

per articles and TV news reports. He was the mysterious billionaire, who had made his fortune in the tech industry. But what was he doing here, in this seedy part of town

led her to a nearby coffee shop. 'Tell me what's going on,' he said, as they sat down at a table in the corner. Sarah hesitated,

er. She told him about her years in college, where she had studied literature and creative writing, and how she had worked so hard to pursue her dream. But when she had

o

th a major company. But the company's CEO has been hesitant to sign the contrac

be purely for business purposes. We would have a prenuptial agreement, and when the year is up, we would go our separate ways. But I t

could just walk away, no strings attached." She looks at him, still not sure what to think. "This is a lot to process," she says. "Can I think about it?"

lding out a business card. "In case you want to talk about this," he says. "You can call me any time." She take

inted in bold type, and his number is below it. She turn

him? Should she forget about the whole thing? She's still not sure

●●

bed, looking concerned. "So, what happened?" Sarah asks. Jane takes a deep breath and tells Sarah everything that happened, from

it big. But I also know that you're scared of getting hurt again. And I understand why. But I don't want you to miss out on something that could be really great jus

ary, but I think it's worth taking the risk." Jane sighs. "I know you're right," she says. "But it's so hard to take that leap of faith." Sarah smiles. "It is hard,"

yourself off," she says. "And you move on, knowing that you did something brave and that you tried. You'll be proud of yourself for that, even if the outcome is

e thought about it, and I've decided to accept your proposal." There's a pause on the other end of the line, and then Michael says, "That's wonderful news! I'm