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Chapter one hundred and thirty three
Elias leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling as Elise’s words settled over him. "Let's go." The phrase echoed in his mind, like a foreign concept he could barely comprehend. Let go. Of what? Control? Responsibility? Wasn’t everything falling apart precisely because he hadn’t held on tight enough?He rubbed his eyes, trying to push the tension out of his skull, but it didn’t work. The weight was still there, pressing down, making it harder to breathe. Maybe he wasn’t supposed to be carrying everything on his own, but how could he not? If he let go now, everything would unravel. He was certain of it."You’ve been thinking a lot about this, haven’t you?" Elise’s voice broke through his spiral, soft but piercing.Elias looked at her, her steady gaze meeting his, and he felt a brief pang of guilt. She had always been his anchor in moments like this, but the distance between them had been growing. He could feel it, like an invisible wall."Yeah," he muttered, running a hand throug
Chapter one hundred and thirty two
The tension that lingered between Elias and Grady after the meeting wasn't the kind that dissipated with time. The next morning, Elias stood at the head of the long table, reviewing the final blueprints for the new structure they were about to start. The room was quiet, the only sound the scratch of pens against paper and the low murmur of conversation.But there was something off. The air felt strained, and the voices didn’t sound as certain. Elias could see it in the faces of his team—some had started to doubt the choices they had made, the path they had agreed on. It was subtle, but it was there. Grady’s resistance had planted a seed, and now Elias had to act quickly before it spread.He tapped the table to get their attention. “Alright, listen up,” Elias said, his voice cutting through the silence. “We’re about to start the next phase, and I need everyone here to be on the same page. We’re not just building structures, we’re building something bigger than all of us. If you’re uns
chapter one hundred and thirty one
Grady’s voice cut through the low hum of conversation in the hall. “So that’s it? You’re just handing them choices and calling it leadership?”The room stilled. A dozen heads turned toward Elias, who was standing at the front, hands braced against the table. He hadn’t expected Grady to voice his doubt here, not in front of everyone.Elias kept his voice even. “I’m not handing them choices, Grady. I’m giving them responsibility. There’s a difference.”Grady crossed his arms, his tone sharp. “Responsibility without direction is chaos. You think these people know what to do if you stop steering? They’ll hesitate, they’ll doubt, and we’ll waste time we don’t have.”Murmurs rippled through the group, uncertainty spilling across faces that just moments ago carried determination.Elias straightened, his jaw tightening. “If all we give them is orders, then we’re no better than the systems we’re trying to replace. This has to belong to everyone. Otherwise, it dies the moment we step back.”Lan
chapter one hundred and thirty
Elias didn’t even hear Elise enter the room until she leaned against the doorway. “You haven’t moved in hours,” she said softly, though there was no gentleness in her eyes.He looked up from the scattered papers on his desk. “I’m working.”“No,” Elise said, walking closer. “You’re drowning.”Her bluntness stung more than he expected. He wanted to argue, but she was right. His thoughts weren’t sharp, his plans weren’t connecting—he was running in circles.“Elise,” Elias started, his voice low, “I told you last night I’d prove it. I burned the letter. I let it go. What else do you want from me?”“I don’t want you to just burn paper,” she snapped. “I want to see you stop hiding behind everything you can’t change. Mara’s shadow, Grady’s doubts, even Lana’s constant encouragement. You keep waiting for someone else to carry you forward, Elias. That’s not what leadership is.”He bristled. “And you think I’m not leading?”“I think you’re scared,” Elise said flatly. “Scared of failing. Scared
chapter one hundred and twenty nine
Elise didn’t move away, not even an inch. She stood there, her challenge hanging heavy in the air, her eyes fixed on Elias as though daring him to falter. Elias felt the weight of her words pressing into his chest. Prove it. Not with words. With what you do next.“I will,” Elias said quietly, almost to himself.Elise tilted her head slightly, waiting.Elias forced himself to breathe and crossed the room to the desk. He pulled out the drawer, the one he hadn’t opened in months. His fingers lingered before he set the object on the table: a folded letter, the edges worn from years of handling. Mara’s handwriting stretched across the front.Elise’s gaze fell on it instantly, her voice cold. “You kept it.”“I did,” Elias admitted. “Every time I felt like I was falling apart, I opened this drawer and stared at her words. I couldn’t let go of it, Elise. I thought if I did, I’d lose the last piece of myself.”“And now?” Elise asked, her tone sharp but not unkind.Elias picked up the letter, f
Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Eight
Elias sat at the desk long after Mara’s footsteps faded from the hallway. The air still carried the weight of her presence, heavy and impossible to ignore. His fingers tapped restlessly against the wood, his mind already circling back to the one truth he could no longer run from: Elise.The soft buzz of his phone on the table snapped him back. He glanced down. Elise.His chest tightened. He hesitated before answering, pressing the phone to his ear. “Elise.”Her voice was quiet, but there was an edge beneath it. “Can I come over?”Elias closed his eyes, forcing the air into his lungs. “Yes.”Minutes later, Elise stood in the doorway. She didn’t step inside immediately, her eyes searching his face as if trying to measure what had changed in the hours since she left.“You look like you’ve been through a war,” she said softly.Elias gave a humorless laugh. “Feels like it.”Elise finally entered, setting her bag on the chair but keeping her distance. “I need to know what’s going on. You’ve
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