Liam's POV
The morning of the board meeting arrived with the grim inevitability of an execution. I stood before the mirror, adjusting my charcoal Tom Ford suit with mechanical precision. The man staring back at me looked composed, powerful—the very image of corporate success. Only the shadows beneath my eyes betrayed the turmoil beneath the surface.
My phone buzzed on the counter. Sophie's name flashed across the screen, as it had dozens of times over the past week. I watched it ring, my jaw tightening. The last thing I needed was another complication, another demand for my attention. Let her go to voicemail. Let her wait.
Once, Sophie had been a delicious distraction, a forbidden thrill that made me feel invincible. Now she was just another reminder of everything crumbling around me. Another loose end.
I silenced the phone and slipped it into my pocket. The board wouldn't wait, and I needed every ounce of focus I could muster.
