Hearts On The Horizon

y in his message had me on edge. The whole day had felt like one big fight, from the boardroom to

, his face serious. He waved me in, and I

didn't waste any time, his expression reflecting a rare int

yebrow. "What

ers. "He's not happy. About the expansi

dn't think I was ready, but hearing i

I asked, trying to k

re rushing into this without thinking about the l

ustration. "I can't believe this. I've been working n

great work. But you also know how Elliot works. He's protective of the family business, and he doesn't t

eed him telling me how to do

riding on this, and he's not about to let anyone-especially not someone he thinks is inexperienced-take t

t was a constant thorn in my side, and now it seemed like Mark was confirming every

n for me?" I asked, my

e vision, but Elliot's not going to back you unless you can show him you can handle the pr

stone. I'd been doing everything I could to prove myself, but it wasn't eno

m?" I asked, incredulous. "I thought I w

He's never fully trusted anyone who wasn't part of the family. You're go

e to keep proving myself until he finally decides I'm worthy? I'm done with

eality. You have to show him that you're not just a busine

ke a trap, a box I'd never be able to break out of. No matter what I did, I would always be

ll I could think about was Elliot. And how no matter how much

re than that. You've got to show Elliot that you can handle not just the project but the

e project, the expectations, the rivalry with Elliot-it was all stac

whispered. "I don't know if I can k

u've got to dig deep. This is your shot. Don't le

d to think. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized something i

efore I could stop them. "I'm going to tell Elliot that I'm n

"You sure about that? It

e steadier than I felt. "If he wants to

adable. "Just be careful, Clara.

ms. If Elliot wasn't going to support me, then I would make him see that I

nation, but it didn't last long. Because as I rounded the c

a long time, I wasn't su