r phone like it h

enough to send her mind spin. It was her face, Her own name that

nown someone had

ly aware of how exposed the front windows were, how many eyes might've passed by without

nked across the screen. Then a text fr

ou were dating the

ther, An

e off and threw it

y. She was to

-

one beeped once, twice, then exploded into an avalanche of p

there, was still glue

window, but this wasn't her outlet. The byline belonged to someone else. Another outlet had pick

face, then picked up hi

ans

lled

l no

tex

r photo. I'm so sorry, May

th

opened the café. A paper s

RENOVATION,

e curious customers. Something to protect herself whi

d being

n't ask

-

sistant Ivy was doing damage control. She was smart, r

ppear, go off-grid, and now the company is bleeding. The board's restles

n was

the rumors," Ivy continued. "She says she tried to give

t blow h

ght hours before this thing snowballs beyond our reach.

el desk, staring at the o

again? By dragging that poor girl int

ghtened. "I sai

hun

-

lver car pulled up. She didn't recognize it,

mi

rms crossed as he stared

ards her, his hands

apologize

dy did, In

t you didn't c

" she said gently.

article, I had no idea

my life with a fake name, a fake story, and now the entire intern

not what

s. You disappear from the corporate world, resurface in a 'humble small

way. "I'm r

your apology, I on

," he said. "Not w

a second. "You don't get to f

down," he s

ha

ies with the board, the company,

ost his mind. "Why would you

d real in a long time, And I can't lose that just be

a s

d to t

ded. "

Dam

tur

everything, don't do it because of me, Do it

-

ipts and vendor orders. Half of it didn't make sense anymore. The margins were shrinking. The buzz fr

hone

w em

roval - Community

blin

h nonprofit she h

amount? Si

ote at th

c library, with the goal of empowering the next generation. Dedicated

ed at th

l was Damian

nd a text to Damian, the p

dark

a fast knock

on

hree

er heart sudden