that's what everyone had said. Her presentation had gone off without a hitch - the crowd had been engaged, the feedback was positive, and s

It wasn't the usual post-presentation adre

Ashf

Ashford Industries, a man who had built his empire from the ground up, and who had never seemed to meet a challenge he couldn't conqu

t wasn't his reputation. It wa

aken no for

around a few numbers, and using his charm to convince her that partnering with him would be the best decision of

endence. He'd respected her work. The fact that he had acknowledged her ambition without belittling it had unsettled her more than she cared to admit.

rom her assistant - another reminder about the latest business pitch meetings, the investors who had reached out,

d in her mind long after he'd walked away,

cisions without anyone looking over her shoulder. She wasn't about to let a man with his kind of influence come in and shift her focus. She'd seen

He wasn't offering her control or

er company from nothing, fighting to make her voice heard in a world dominated by men like him. The last thing she needed was some

, she couldn't help but wonde

to global markets, and a level of credibility she could only dream of. But at the same time, it

out below her, alive with the pulse of potential. There was no denying it: Ken A

want to ta

ays been the one who called the shots. It had always been her vision that mattered - the purpose that drove her, the values she

partnership with Ashford Industries could catapult her company into the stratosphere.

forehead against the cool glass. I w

sure if she was trying to convince