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Chapter 86. The System Operations.
The whole thing operated like a second nervous system. Information flowing from the edges to the center and back again, silent and constant. Sometimes the two additional guards were so far apart, one nearly at the end of a long corridor, the other just disappearing around a corner, that Noah would glance around and think, for a moment, that he and Rebecca were alone. Then he'd catch a glimpse of a familiar jacket, a recognized silhouette, and remember that he was never really alone anymore.This was how he moved now. Through the Nexus headquarters with its glass walls and gleaming floors. Through satellite offices and conference centers. Through restaurants where he took his cup of coffee to go.When he was somewhere casual; the gym, a walk through the park near his apartment, the rare evening when he allowed himself to simply exist without an agenda, he was only left with one guard. Usually Rebecca. The reduction felt almost luxurious, like shedding a heavy coat after coming i
Chapter 85. The Shape Of His Shadow.
A while later, dinner ended. They lingered over their wine for a few more minutes and then parted at the restaurant's entrance with a handshake that felt oddly formal after two hours of conversation.Her grip was firm. It was brief and business-like with no lingering and no suggestion of anything beyond what it was.He stood for a moment there after she walked off, letting the cool air settle against his face, letting the warmth of the restaurant (the overindulgence of wine and, the strange as well as the sharp intimacy of Evelyn Lansing's attention) fade into something more manageable.She had taken the bigger bite out of him than he had her. He knew that. She'd extracted more from him than he'd managed to extract from her, and she'd done it with such elegant precision that he hadn't even felt the teeth until he was dead. Metaphorically speaking. That was a skill. A dangerous one, probably, in the wrong hands. But he couldn't bring himself to resent her for it. She'd been hones
Chapter 84. Sweet Laughs
Every few minutes, the formal mask would slip, especially when he asked about her family: "my mother she means well, but she's been playing the grieving widow for so long I think she's forgotten how to be anything else."Noah didn't really know what to say to that, so he just went, “Ah…well, that's rough."The silence that fell after his supposed to be comforting words was thick and faintly incredulous, then Evelyn snorted, shoulders shaking and the seriousness of the mood was broken." Well, being celibate for that long would be rough on anyone.” She huffed and then it was Noah's turn to choke on his own laughter, not knowing if it was appropriate to laugh about something like this, feeling his face redden from the strength of his chuckles.Dinner with Miss Evelyn was a strange experience all in all.She was clearly bright and with a sharp tongue to go with it
Chapter 83. Apologies And Good Wine
"Mr Noah." Her voice was flat. "You made it. I was beginning to think you'd decided I wasn't worth the drive."Noah felt his shoulders droop slightly at the venom in her tone but then he straightened, deciding that he was going to own up to his fucks up regardless of how angrier it would make her."I'm sorry to have kept you waiting so long." He said as he stepped closer, drawing out the chair opposite her and taking a seat, not waiting for permission, before he met her gaze directly. The cushion on the chair was comfortable, because of course it was, and he settled into it with a conscious effort to appear relaxed. "I also lied about the traffic. I wasn't stuck. I forgot. Completely. The reservation, the time, all of it. It's been a very strange day. I had a confrontation with Michael Chen that involved me quoting a charter clause I didn't know I knew and him telling me, essentially, that I'm a child playing dress-up in my father's clothes, and by the time I remembered you existed
Chapter 82. Dinner Of Convenience
"I'm—" He fumbled, his brain scrambling for something that didn't sound like I completely forgot you existed. "I'm stuck in traffic! It's terrible, awful. There was even a minor accident but I should be there in fifteen minutes."The lie came out smooth, practiced, the kind of lie he'd learned to tell during three years with the Stone family, when being caught in a mistake meant hours of cold silence and colder dinners, when the only way to survive was to be perfect or to be very, very good at pretending you were.Rebecca's eyebrow rose. She said nothing, but her expression spoke volumes.A whole library's worth of silent judgment compressed into a single, elegant arch.Really?’ her raised brow seemed to taunt.Noah winced harder."Fifteen minutes," Evelyn repeated, and her voice was flat in a way that suggested she didn't believe him but was choosing, for reasons of her own, not to call him on it. "I'll order you something. Don't make me eat alone, Noah. I absolutely hate eating al
Chapter 81. Loosen
"No," Chantel agreed. "You can't. But you also can't let him dictate terms because he's been here longer. That's the balance. And I believe that is what your father did, every day, for decades. Managing the egos and the histories and the competing interests. Making people feel heard without letting them feel in charge. It's a tightrope, and Mr Chen is just one of the many people you have to balance."Noah just sighed, feeling his shoulders slump tiredly."Sounds exhausting.""It is." She laughed, a short, surprised sound. "It really, really is. But you're not doing it alone. You have me. You have MS stane. You have Mrs lasing, who, whatever her complexities, genuinely wants to see you succeed. You have allies, Noah. More than you know."They reached his office. Chantel paused at the door, her hand on the frame, and turned back to look at him."I should go. You have that dinner with Evelyn tonight, and I have a mountain of paperwork that Mr Chen's tantrum just added to." She smiled, s
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