2025-09-07 22:58:42
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Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Nine
The next few days passed in a blur of meetings, phone calls, and decisions that Elias would’ve rather avoided. Mara’s words, the sharpness of her challenge, echoed in his mind like a warning. She was playing a game, and it seemed as if she had already mapped out every move. But Elias had no intention of following the script she had written for him.He had learned, through years of navigating the complexities of relationships—whether personal or professional—that playing by someone else’s rules rarely worked out. Mara had always known how to manipulate, how to control situations with just a few words, a glance. And for years, he had let her. But not anymore.Elias knew the cost of playing it safe, of running from uncomfortable truths. The consequences were always more damaging in the end. It was time to stop hiding behind his work, to stop pretending he had everything under control.That morning, the knock at his office door brought him out of his thoughts.“Come in,” Elias called, his
Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Eight
Elias sat across from his desk, staring at the pile of paperwork in front of him. His thoughts were scattered, every sheet of paper feeling heavier than the last. Grady’s warning about Mara had planted a new kind of unease inside him—one that had nothing to do with the project at hand and everything to do with his past.Mara’s reach had always been long. She had a way of weaving herself into the fabric of everything, making her presence known even when it wasn’t welcomed. And now, it seemed, she was doing it again.The door opened, and Lana stepped in, a quiet knock preceding her entrance. She noticed the stack of documents on the desk but didn’t mention it. Instead, her gaze met his with that same understanding that had marked their conversations lately.“You look like you’re about to tear through that desk.”Elias gave a wry smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m thinking about it.”Lana folded her arms, her expression turning serious. “What’s got you so worked up?”“Grady told y
Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Seven
Elias sat across from Elise in the small café tucked into the corner of the street. He hadn’t planned to meet her tonight, but after their call, she’d insisted, and for once, he didn’t fight her. The smell of roasted beans and soft hum of background chatter should have been comforting, but his nerves hummed instead.Elise leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand as she studied him. “You’re distracted.”Elias almost smiled. “I’m always distracted.”“Not like this.” Her eyes narrowed, gentle but unyielding. “Something happened.”He stirred the untouched coffee in front of him, the spoon clinking against porcelain. “Grady cornered me.”Her eyebrows rose. “That sounds… confrontational.”“It wasn’t,” Elias said quickly. “Not exactly. He just… told me things I didn’t want to hear.”“Like?”“That I’m shutting everyone out. That I can’t keep pretending I’ve got it all under control.” Elias let out a low laugh. “And then Lana echoed the same thing today.”Elise tilted her head, her gaze so
Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Six
Elias didn’t move for a long moment after Grady’s words. The quiet of the room pressed in, heavy, and he could feel the tightness in his chest refuse to ease. Grady hadn’t asked for a promise, hadn’t demanded that he change overnight—he had only left him with the truth. But it was a truth Elias didn’t know how to live with yet.Finally, Elias sank onto the edge of the couch, his hands clasped tightly in front of him. Grady stayed standing for a beat longer before lowering himself into the chair opposite. There was no impatience in his posture, no accusation, but his presence alone kept Elias from slipping too far into himself.“You don’t have to say anything right now,” Grady said evenly. “But don’t tell me you’re fine. You’ve said that too many times already.”Elias almost laughed, the sound bitter on his tongue. “I don’t even know what fine is anymore.”“That’s honest,” Grady replied quietly. “It’s a start.”Elias looked up, meeting his gaze. “But it doesn’t fix anything.”“No,” Gra
Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Five
Elias hadn’t expected the conversation with Lana to linger as it had, but as the days passed, her words settled deeper within him. He was trying, really trying, to accept the help that was now being offered, to open up just a little more, but it still felt like walking on a tightrope. Every step forward felt precarious, and every conversation left him wondering if he was making the right choice.The pressure of the project continued to mount, but now, Elias was at least sharing the burden. He could see it in the team’s eyes—they were all stepping up, some more than others, but there was a noticeable shift. The walls he had built were starting to come down, even if slowly. The biggest challenge, however, remained within himself.He had given Grady a brief update a couple of days ago, his words clipped, trying not to focus on the nagging feeling in his chest that something wasn’t quite right. Grady’s usual support felt a bit distant now, like he was stepping back, not pushing as hard to
Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Four
Elias stood at the front of the conference room, his mind still circling the conversation from the morning. The meeting was starting, but his thoughts were a little distant, caught in the turbulence of everything he had been trying to handle. His fingers drummed absentmindedly on the surface of the table as the team filed in, and for the first time in a long time, he wasn’t sure how to begin.Lana was already seated at the side, flipping through a few documents, her usual composed demeanor present. She gave him a slight nod as he looked her way, a silent reassurance that he wasn’t alone in this, even if it sometimes felt that way.The team settled in, murmuring quietly as they took their places. The air was thick with unspoken tension, and Elias couldn’t help but notice the subtle shift in their eyes when they looked at him. He had always been the one with the answers, the one they turned to when they were uncertain. But now, it felt like they were waiting for him to say something, wa
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