g, an almost imperceptible expression in Mr Westwood's eyes and a light twitch at

to chaos and a feeling of emptiness, I find myself enjoying a moment. I have the upper hand in this situation. And it feels delicious and intoxicating. Normally, I would have just played the passive role, nodding her

th, "tell me, why exactly does Arclight w

ses ever so

presence complements our expansion strategy.

u elaborate, please?". Mr West

frica and parts of Europe. Your distributio

d sl

ucture to gain access to territories you ha

rage is the word-coll

are important in business, Mr

tion? I can't tell. Yet. Desmond shoots me a curious glance fro

the wheel. I usually leave it to them. Asking questions occasionally. Mr Westwood's t

u offering in return for

Joint marketing campaigns

arketing with a company kn

through the room. Mr

replies coolly while fumbling with his pen and lightly tapping

leaning back in my c

last quarterly growth report –

id-scribble. Mr Westwood didn't flinch. "Market fluctuat

investor confidence?". A muscle tw

fter question - client retention strategies, internal man

y time, I saw him tighten up just a bit more. By the time I finally leaned back

ious smile, gathering my notes, "thank

oposal. I'm just playing around.

ering a polite bow. "If you don't mind, ma'am, we'd love to

u very much. Perh

ent. They really do have polite people in this company. Why's Damian West

Desmond comments."Really

ed it."

that's when

quite alright. But "Rachel" with no formali

Mr Wes

ance between us, grasps my hand firmly, yet n

h, but I give her a subtle wave. Desmond l

firm but not painful. Oddly enough, it's... warm. Almost protective. Like he doesn't want to hurt me. Well, he shouldn't.

e lightly against the wall. His hands shoot

from mine. His eyes lock onto mine, hard and unyi

if I wanted. I'm only doing this because our fathers were friends. Mine asked me to help, so see this as me honouring his wishes. I won't have you p

on't care

I stare back at Damian, stunned. I'd read him wrong. Totally wrong. How come I didn't know about this? Dad didn't mention anything about Arclight. Mr Westwood ce

wline, and full lips pressed into a frown. His fitted suit barely contains the muscles beneath: broad shoulders and toned arms. A hint of ink peeked fr

back to the present. Without think

lence that followed was deafen

t say? " I swallo

w. "You're serious? " I draw in a breath. In one fast, breathless sentence, I tell him everything: my father's will, the insane marr

company, and you honour your father's wi

amused smile spreads across his face, the kind that could make a sane woman

," he says

to his jacket and pulls out a sleek b

hichever, so we can

eft me, heart thundering in my chest, clutching the card like a lifeline. Did that really just happen? Could this day get any more chaotic?. When

ly."That was more intense," Desmond commen

ct. How about we ge

rolls her eyes. I laugh again, but my insides are a whirlwind of emotions. I'm not sure if I'