Talia sits across from me with her own plate, hands tucked around her coffee mug, watching me cautiously.
I pick up a fork. Take a bite.
It tastes like… real food. Not the protein bar garbage I usually eat on early mornings.
And it’s good.
I hate that it’s good.
I swallow, then clear my throat. “We’re talking to Daniel today.”
Her shoulders tighten immediately. “Do we have to?”
“Yes.”
She frowns. “I already know what I did. I don’t need a lawyer to tell me again.”
“That’s not the point.”
She pokes at her eggs, suddenly less confident. “It kind of is.”
I set my fork down carefully because I can feel my temper climbing, and I refuse to start yelling over toast.
“The point,” I say carefully, “is that I don’t trust you to handle this on your own anymore.”
Her head snaps up. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
Her eyes narrow, a spark of anger flaring to life. Good. At least that’s honest.
“I said I’m sorry,” she fires back.
“And you still screwed it up,” I return, just as sharp.
Her mouth opens, ready with something cutting.
Then she stops.
Closes it.
Looks down instead, her jaw tight and stubborn.
I exhale slowly, forcing the edges off my voice. “We go together. That’s the deal. End of discussion.”
Talia lifts her chin. “You can’t just—”
“I can,” I cut in. “Because this affects me. My career. My reputation. Theteam.”
“And me,” she says, voice low.
I meet her gaze. “Yes. And you. Which is why you’re not walking into today alone either.”
She holds my eyes for a beat, then her shoulders sag slightly like she’s fighting the urge to argue and losing.
“Fine,” she mutters.
Good.
