Jasper.
Two days ago, she might’ve told herself Jasper would be fine for a few days without her.But not anymore.His vandalism reminded her that Jasper was still just a kid, no matter how tall he’d gotten.And Jayla?Her baby was only three months old.
She wouldneverleave her child behind.
“I can’t travel,” Jemma said, her voice firm.
He lifted one dark eyebrow, holding her gaze.The silence stretched until Jemma nearly squirmed—but she didn’t.
She remembered his advice from long ago:Never fidget after making a demand.Stillness wins.
So she didn’t move.Didn’t blink.Didn’t explain.She just held the line.
Because this line?It wasn’t negotiable.
Finally, Saif exhaled sharply.“Fine,” he snapped.“No travel.But you’ll have to figure out how to evaluate new production lines remotely.”
She didn’t nod.Didn’t sigh with relief.Just waited.
Saif checked his watch and glanced around the disaster of an office.“I’ve got another meeting this afternoon.We’ll meet for dinner later to discuss your strategy.”
He stepped toward the door but paused with his hand on the knob.“And don’t try to tackle this mess alone.I’ll send over a team from one of my other companies—clerical support.They’ll sort this,” his mouth curled in disgust, “pile of crapinto something resembling a system.”
Then he was gone.
The office fell quiet, and Jemma let out a long breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.The silence felt heavy… but not oppressive.
With Saif out of the room, she could finally breathe.
He moved through life like a storm—fast, focused, impossible to ignore.She could only imagine what it must feel like to live that way.With that kind of certainty.That kind of command.
That kind of power.
No… it wasn’t just the money.Saif would be a force no matter how much he had in his bank account.His intelligence, his drive—his unshakable self-belief.That’s what made people follow him.That’s what had convincedherto follow him, once.
And that’s what scared her.
She glanced around the office, taking in the chaos Mark had left behind.And somewhere beneath the dread, a tiny flicker stirred inside her.
Excitement.
It had been so long since she felt anything even close to it.Not since Jayla was born.
Jayla—her fierce little miracle.The child who reminded her every day that something good could come out of heartbreak.
And Jasper—her brother, who was struggling, yes.But he wasn’t lost.One mistake wouldn’t define him.
She just had to make sure it didn’t.
Jemma looked again at the cluttered desk, the teetering towers of files and the smell of desperation Mark had left behind.
“This is going to be fun,” she whispered.
Then she rolled up her sleeves—and got to work.
Chapter 12
Saif walked through the quiet warehouse, noting the stillness amid the old cubicles.The overhead lights were dimmed, computer monitors dark, chairs empty.Everyone had gone.
