Beneath the boardroom lights

re me, a breathtaking expanse of gla

fled by the floor-to-ceiling windows. Below, yellow cabs weave through traffic

t to have. I exhale, fingers tapping lightly against my ceramic

Enough time to clear my mind. T

ook at it

. When I finally glance down

nda

the same. The same regretful texts, the same empty words, t

e. Let's ta

e before I can

all M

ises that meant nothing the second my back was turned. I think of the nights I spent waiting for a man who never came home, the humiliating whispers at charity galas, the pit in my stom

ries back. Kendall is the past. I

ich mahogany of my executive desk gleaming

es

Iv

Even over the phone, Richard Lennox car

you about your two o'

hten in m

emem

Go

pau

people feel like they're getting what they want while he walks a

won

ay f

kn

softens-ju

nox. And you'r

in my chest. My father isn't the kin

isappoint y

Go

d, I set the phone do

l is th

o is the cha

don't

**

icipation. Rows of executives sit in polished leather chairs, thei

s overlooking Midtown Manhattan, the sleek mahogany conf

marble floor. Heads turn. They always do. But I don't acknowledge th

hen I

Gior

more for power than privilege. But it's his eyes that hold me still-green, piercing, sharp with intelligence and something unreadable. I've heard enough about him. The media calls him ruthless. The self-made bill

bout women draped over his arm,

's here. In

and for a second, the

le smirk playing at his

Lenn

oth, edged with someth

o Gio

firm, a lit

long enough t

mine, and for a fleeting

inte

there. Like the static

w-the way his gaze traveled, the flicker of something smug in his eyes. He took me in,

eat. The me

multi trillion -dollar investment," I st

network, and the expertise to ensure

chair, fingers tapping i

bt that," he

favor of Lennox Global. My team and I believe a more

ch a

is execution. LGE has built luxury development

lt world-class resorts in Dubai, Monac

ss Lennox, but we know h

bers shift, observing the subtle tension betwee

are you suggestin

" His lips quirk. "Unless yo

ct. The challenge is clear, but I

. "But if you expect us to settle for less than

usement passes

e sure we both g

tle is between us. I keep my voice measured. He keeps his smooth, almost amused. And every time our eyes meet, I'm the first to lo

the revised terms b

s." I nod, ignoring the way his gaze linge

response by the

ow sm

forward

r back to my office, shutting the door behind me. I

E FUCK W