I step inside, lock the door, and sink down until the cold tile meets me. I bury my face in my knees. I don’t cry. I refuse to.
But as I listen to the silence from the other room, I realize that winning the game feels exactly like losing everything.
The next morning, the cottage is empty when I wake up.
There is a note on the counter.
Gone to the city for final legal review.
I'll see you at the Labor Day party on Monday.
- B.
No "darling." No "fiancée."
Just B.
I look at the trash can. The bag from Marvin's is in there. Uneaten.
A pang of regret hits so sharp it bends me in two.
I walk to the calendar on the wall, take a red marker, and put a big X over the date.
Four days left.
I should be happy. I should be relieved. I'm almost free.
But the cottage feels too big. And cold. And quiet.
I walk to the window and look out at the manicured lawn of Eastmoor. The stage is set for the final act.
I just have to survive the finale.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
BROOKS
The boardroom smells of floor wax and stale coffee.
It is a scent I usually thrive on. For ten years, I have walked into rooms like this, glass-walled aquariums suspended in the sky, and breathed in the anxiety of my opponents like oxygen. I am Brooks Taylor. I am the one who calculates risk to the fourth decimal point and never blinks.
Today, however, I'm tired.
I’m standing at the head of the mahogany table. Behind me, the projection screen displays the final quarterly projections for the Holloway acquisition. The numbers are perfect. The growth curve is aggressive but sustainable. The risk assessment is watertight.
I have spent six months building this deal. I have spent the last eight weeks living a lie to protect it.
I look around the table.
The board is split down the middle. Half are old guard—men who played golf with my grandfather and think "synergy" is a dirty word. The rest are new blood—tech-focused, hungry,waiting for me to slip. And at the far end sits my father, Preston Taylor, his face unreadable.
"The numbers speak for themselves," I say. My voice is steady, devoid of the exhaustion vibrating in my bones. "Holloway gives us the infrastructure to pivot into AI-driven logistics within eighteen months. It secures our market share in Asia. It modernizes the existing portfolio without liquidating the core assets."
I click the remote. The slide changes to the final integration timeline.
"The PR strategy has been deployed," I continue. "The market has stabilized following the... personnel changes regarding Mr.Aston. Consumer confidence is up twelve points since July."
I pause. I look them in the eye, one by one.
