A debt to the billionaire

ortieth floor felt like a

ckles turned white. Beside me, my assistant, Tunde, was sweating th

his is Vance Ventures. They're ruthless. If we don't secure this contract, the bank

a grimace. "Just follow my lead. We pitch the eco-friendly de

opened with a sof

. Ten executives in sharp, tailored suits sat around a sprawling mahogany table, staring at their laptops or whispering to one another. The floo

rehearsed it a hundred times in the mirror. I was going to save m

or you," the lead executive said,

king on the polished hardwood fl

s at the far end of

my lungs in a

er in the shoulders. His dark hair was styled perfectly, and his three-piece navy suit proba

s Va

ago. The man I hadn't seen since the day I left him standin

able, and his presence sucked all the oxygen out of the room.

jacket slowly, and fi

yes that used to look at me with

a cold, unreadable mask. He didn't smile. He didn't flinch. He just stared at me like I was a

the sudden drop in temperature. "This is Maya Okafor from

and tapped his fingers on the table. The rhy

id. His voice was a l

looked at one a

e the presen

. I want to hear

the room was empty. Tunde shot me a look of pure terror as he scrambled out, p

ust the

rs. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. I wante

" Lucas said, his eyes never le

ortfolio, my fingers fumbling with the pages. "Vance Ventures has an op

he int

fr

e silent room. He didn't stop until he was standing right in front of me, so close that I

h flipped

me," he s

cle ticked in his cheek. He was trying so hard to look

t the numbers," he said, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "I will approve this deal. I will write a chec

ht in my throa

trapping me between his body and the

I asked, my voic

rand of hair from my face. His touch burned

anger and something that looked terrifyingly like longing. "Why you left me standing at

h was a heavy stone lodged in my throat, a secret

" he whispered, his face inch