Chapter 9

Thinking about the way his grip had tightened around her wrist, like he was clutching onto a memory that no longer existed. She should have felt nothing. She had schooled herself to feel nothing. But even now, as she sat in a room filled with power, filled with everything she had built, she could still feel the weight of his attention. She clinched her jaw, placing the papers down. She had traveled too far to turn back now. Adrian Marsden was her past. And she was never going back. But as she gazed at her phone, at the number she had memorized but never contacted, she wondered… Why did it still feel like unfinished business? The conference hall buzzed with expectation. The air was thick with interest and conjecture as reporters, industry leaders, and financial analysts gathered in rows, eager to watch the largest business news of the year. Cameras flashed. Voices mumbled. The weight of anticipation hung in the air. At the front of the room, Aria Laurent sat poised,