Siena sat behind her desk, a steaming mug of black coffee growing cold by the minute. The office was quiet—too quiet. She hadn't turned on any music like she usually did. No podcasts, no background news, nothing. Just silence. Even Carla hadn't said much when she walked in earlier to drop off some papers. Everyone was walking on eggshells around her, and she couldn't blame them.
It had only been two days since her father's funeral. Two days since she stood in front of a boardroom filled with men who had once dismissed her and told them, without flinching, that she was taking over. Not requesting. Not proposing. Telling. It had taken everything in her to do that. And now she was left with the aftermath.
The weight of it all hit her differently today. Her father was gone. Their relationship had always been complicated, full of sharp edges and unfinished conversations. Now, she would never have the chance to hear his voice again—angry, dismissive, or otherwise. That finality haunted her more than she was willing to admit.
A knock came at the door. She looked up, expecting Carla, but instead, Alexander walked in, holding a paper bag and two coffees.
"You didn't answer my calls," he said gently, shutting the door behind him.
"I wasn't ignoring you," Siena replied quietly. "I just didn't know what to say."
He sat down across from her and slid one of the coffees her way. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to."
For a while, they just sat in silence. Siena took a sip of the fresh coffee and let the warmth sink into her hands.
"How are you doing?" Alexander finally asked.
She looked at him, unsure how to answer. "I don't know. I thought I'd feel… stronger, maybe. I stood up for myself. I got what I wanted. But I just feel tired. And kind of empty."
Alexander nodded. "Makes sense. You've been in survival mode for so long. Now that it's over—well, part of it—it's normal to feel… lost."
She looked down at her hands. "Everything moved so fast. One day I'm fighting for my seat at the table, and now it's mine. But I don't know if I'm ready for this. I don't even know what I want to do next."
"You don't have to know today," he said. "No one expects you to have everything figured out overnight."
Siena leaned back in her chair, staring out the window. "They kind of do. The board is waiting for me to lead. The press is waiting to twist every move I make. Investors are nervous. Everyone's eyes are on me, Alex."
"Then let them watch," he said firmly. "Let them see a woman figure it out in real-time. That's leadership too."
His words comforted her more than she'd admit. She wasn't sure when Alexander had become this voice of calm and reason in her life, but he had. And more than that—he made her feel like she didn't have to pretend with him.
"I'm scared," she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I know," he said, his tone soft. "But being scared doesn't mean you're not capable. It means you care."
She blinked back tears, angry at herself for feeling this vulnerable in front of him. But he didn't push. He didn't say more. He just sat with her, and that was enough.
"Stay," she said suddenly. "Just for a while."
"I wasn't planning to leave," he replied.
They sat in the quiet for what felt like hours, though it was probably just minutes. Siena finally opened the folder Carla had left earlier. It was a breakdown of upcoming meetings, investor reports, and internal feedback. Everything she needed to dive into—but none of it made her feel any more prepared.
She glanced up at Alexander. "You know what I miss?"
"What?"
"Being just Siena. Not Hart Industries' heir. Not the daughter of Richard Hart. Just me. A woman trying to find her place in the world."
He smiled, setting down his coffee. "Then let's find a way to hold on to her. The real you. Even in all this madness."
"I don't know if that's possible."
"It is," he said. "But you'll have to fight for it. Not like you fought your father or the board. This one's quieter. More personal."
She thought about that. Maybe he was right. Maybe the real battle was just beginning—not in boardrooms, but within herself.
A buzz on her phone snapped her out of her thoughts. It was Carla texting from outside the door.
Carla: "Press request. They want your statement on the transition. Do you want to approve the draft or write something from scratch?"
Siena sighed and looked at Alexander.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Press wants a quote. Something public."
"Want help writing it?"
She hesitated. Then nodded. "Yeah. Maybe just a second pair of eyes."
He walked around her desk, and they leaned over the phone together. She opened the draft Carla had sent.
Draft Statement: "Hart Industries will continue to uphold the values and legacy set by Richard Hart. I am honored to step into this leadership role and look forward to guiding the company into its next chapter."
Siena read it twice, then shook her head. "This sounds like a robot wrote it. It's not me."
"So what would you say?" Alexander asked.
She paused, then slowly began to type.
Revised Statement: "My father built this company from the ground up, and I have always respected that. But this is a new chapter—not just for Hart Industries, but for me. I'm not here to replace anyone. I'm here to grow something new. Something honest. Something human."
She hit send before she could second-guess herself.
Alexander looked at her, impressed. "That… sounded like you."
"Yeah," she said with a small smile. "I think it did."
For the first time in days, she felt like she could breathe. Not because the hard part was over—it wasn't. But because she had finally stopped pretending. She wasn't trying to be her father anymore. She wasn't trying to play a role. She was just… Siena.
And maybe, just maybe, that was enough to start with.