The Cole & Partners boardroom was unusually tense.
Jaden paced by the window, a proposal folder in one hand and a sharp look in his eyes. Amara had never seen him this distracted.
When she arrived, he didn't greet her with his usual calm charm. Just a curt nod.
"You said something came up," she prompted, setting her bag down.
He turned, finally meeting her eyes. "One of our major investors is pulling out of a development deal. We'll be fine, but it could slow the public-facing campaign."
She folded her arms, watching him. "You sure that's all?"
He hesitated—then handed her a printout. It was a press release draft.
"Bennett Creative in Talks with Tech Investor Derrick Michaels."
Her stomach dropped.
"How did you get this?" she asked.
"I have ears in media. And friends in places I don't always like." His tone was cool. Controlled. Too controlled. "Were you going to tell me?"
"I didn't know there was anything to tell yet."
"You're meeting with your ex who's a rival investor and possibly negotiating behind my back."
"Jaden," she said firmly, "he showed up out of nowhere. I didn't ask for this."
"But you didn't say no either."
She looked away. "I said I'd think about it."
The silence between them thickened.
He set the folder down. "You're not under contract exclusively. You can work with whoever you want. But I need to know if you're still with me—on this project. On what we're building."
"I am," she said, softer this time. "But this is my business, Jaden. I can't let anyone, even you, control how I grow."
He looked at her for a long moment, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. "That's fair."
But the edge in his voice lingered, even as he turned back to the window.
Later that night, Amara sat on her apartment balcony, staring at the city skyline. Everything felt suddenly fragile.
Two men. Two different versions of success.
One part of her craved the clarity of Derrick's offer—structured, strategic, easy to explain.
But another part of her was drawn to the uncertainty with Jaden. The challenge. The connection. The vulnerability.
She didn't know which path to choose yet.
But she knew one thing: whichever way she went, something would have to break.