I set the phone face down on my desk with a resolute sigh.
The muffled thud of footsteps on the carpet pulled my attention up. Mia stood at the edge of my desk, her expression carefully neutral in a way that made my stomach flip.
“Come with me.”
“Okay?” I half-laughed, searching her face for some hint of what was going on. “That’s not ominous at all.”
She didn’t smile. Didn’t roll her eyes. Just turned and started walking toward Jack’s office.
Oh god. This was bad. This was definitely bad. Had I messed something up? Missed a deadline? Accidentally sent an email to the wrong client? I followed her down the hall, my heart climbing steadily into my throat.
Mia pushed open Jack’s door without knocking and gestured for me to go in first.
Jack sat behind his massive desk, looking every bit the intimidating CEO he was. Dark suit, sharp jaw, those piercing hazel eyes that always seemed to see right through you. He nodded at the chairs across from him.
“Sit down, both of you.”
I lowered myself into the leather chair, my spine rigid, my hands clasped tight in my lap. Mia settled beside me, still wearing that unreadable expression.
“Emily.” Jack’s voice was low, measured. “I need to talk to you about the art scholarship.”
My stomach dropped straight through the floor.
“Oh.” My voice was small. Hollow. “Look, I know I was upset about not getting it, but I promise it hasn’t affected my work. I’m completely focused and?—”
“That’s not what this is about.” He held up a hand, cutting off my rambling. “I need you to hear me out.”
I clamped my mouth shut and nodded, my heart hammering so hard I felt it in my temples.
“When the winner was announced, something didn’t sit right with me.” Jack leaned back in his chair, his gaze steady. “So I did some digging. Pulled some strings. Asked some questions that made certain people very uncomfortable.”
Where the fuck was this going?
“And as it turns out, my instincts were right. The winner was Lindsay Buchanan.”
“Umm, I’m sorry, I have no clue who that is.”
“Rebecca’s stepdaughter.”
The name hit me like a slap. Rebecca. The woman who’d made Mia’s life hell, who’d been fired for her behavior, who had connections to one of Catalyst’s directors.
I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move. Could only sit there, frozen, while the pieces started clicking together in my brain.
“Rebecca leveraged her relationship with Director Stevens.” Jack’s lips pressed into a thin line. “She pressured one judge to flip their vote. She buried another judge’s submission entirely. It wasn’t a contest. It was a setup. The original vote was five to one in your favor, Emily. You won.”
The words floated around my head like fragments of a dream, refusing to land anywhere solid.
“I... what?”
“You won the scholarship.” Jack’s voice softened, just slightly. “It’s yours. It always was.”
My vision blurred. For a second, I waited for the punchline. I waited for my mother’s voice to echo in the back of my skull, telling me I was delusional for thinking I could be anything more than a pretty face. But the voice didn’t come. Jack wasn’t mocking me. He was telling me I was good enough.
“The board has been informed,” Jack said. “The scholarship committee has formally reversed their decision.” He paused, something almost gentle crossing his usually stoic face. “I’ve seen your work, Emily. You’re exceptionally talented. The directors and I are sorry you were put through this, and we hope you’ll accept the scholarship as you rightfully deserve.”
A sound escaped me, somewhere between a laugh and a sob. I pressed my hand over my mouth, trying to hold myself together, but it was no use. The tears flowed, silent and relentless.
“I...” I choked on a sob, pressing my palm flat against my stomach to stop the somersaulting there. “Are you serious? You’re actually serious?”
