yline glowing through the boar

of the table, gripping the edges

r, his face a mask, fingers steeple

es Caldwell, snapped, showing his frustration. "We're investing

g initiative around emotional ti

her composure, but her

hat she had dreaded:

om the ground up, and she was convinced tha

of old-timers, she could feel the

oom, low and authoritative. "Wit

that causes companie

t must be. "We can't play by old rules a

ent a shudder through her, but

usiness. N

p breath and squa

said evenly. "Our consumer research indicates a change:

campaign off the ground as I've outlined here, we're putting Mon

an simply leaned back in his chair, his steel blue ey

n, but now, in this pressure moment, he was going t

fiantly. "We can stay in our lane," she added, her voice steady,

, his voice final. "We pr

looks at each other, but no one

the same time that she felt s

his round, bu

d where he was, gazing at her with an inscrutable expression. Wh

e," he said, his voic

moment of relief. "I had to. If I hadn't,

r for a moment. You're

pushed it aside. She couldn't

much was r

at it, and for the first time since they'd met, something

hing okay?

nd before sliding the pho

busi

ue an

flec

push, but the way his jaw

, but for the first time she felt t

faced the door. "It's just going

a million questions cra

ffice when she noticed something unusual: a black car i

incts pr

n't uncommon, but this one ma

he first time

pped her coat more tightly around

few steps when a voic

Hart

it stood a short distance away, his po

"Can I help you?" she aske

should be careful. Not everyone

ivers down her sp

he just turned and wal

moment, her mind racing.

e, bigger than marketing st

nd, without thinking, took ou

n the second r

you should know," s

went low, serious, and r

nd minutes later a sleek bla

Ethan got out, a da

n," he

more than a second

rned to her; the trace of his usual i

cisely what

that when she did so, his jaw clen

me this has happened, is

reath and rubbed

other shiver of uneas

t the hell

s if to calibrate

s project to work out, Sophia. And not only due t

in networks, ar

he expected challenges,

ou're saying there

, his blue eyes icier

t business anymore. And if you're i

ounding. She had battled her way into this wor

, she had a sense that she

at the fire in his eyes,

about to

walking into

risk of losi