Rowan studies me carefully. “Is this business?”
I don't answer him.
“Or personal?” He questions.
I sigh, still not taking my eyes off her. “I am not sure yet,” I add. “It could be both.”
Rowan nods slowly. “Then I’ll keep it contained.”
He leaves, and I turn back to the glass wall.
She’s already being led into the conference room now, focused, purposeful. No idea she’s being evaluated. No idea she’s already changed the temperature of the room.
My father’s voice surfaces uninvited.
"Variables are only a threat when ignored."
Lucy Bennett is not a distraction.
She’s a variable in motion.
And I don’t believe in coincidence. Something is telling me not to ignore her.
I move without thinking and find myself in the conference room. Elliot mentioned that management presence was required.
I decide to attend.
The woman at the head of the table stops talking mid-sentence.
Lucy senses the change in the room and her eyes flick up briefly.
Meet mine.
This close her eyes are so much more expressive, flecks of gold and amber balance out the dark brown.
The woman, I am assuming from HR, clears her throat, trying to regain her composure. "Lucy, this is one of our founders, Julian North."
She offers me a polite smile, though it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Mr. North, it is nice to meet you."
I don't respond or move in to shake her hand. I lean into the door frame and watch.
After a few awkward minutes of silence, the meeting gets back on track.
Lucy doesn’t look at me again; she is wholly focused on whoever is speaking.
Interesting.
I half-heartedly listen as they outline the event's scope, timelines, and deliverables. Lucy listens, nodding, already taking notes. When she speaks, it’s clear, confident, precise. No wasted words. No nerves.
She belongs here.
That realization unsettles me more than it should.
The woman from HR finishes her overview and glances at her watch. “I’ll let you all get started. Lucy will lead the planning.”
When everyone else leaves, silence settles, the kind that invites decisions.
Lucy doesn’t fidget. She meets my gaze steadily, waiting.
