— I do hope our little professional competition doesn’t create tension in your relationship, he adds with false concern. It would be a shame if business disagreements affected your marital bliss.
As I watch him walk away, unease settles deep in my gut. How did he prepare something this detailed so quickly? And why did my father reach out to him now, when Keira’s project is progressing so well?
Unless…
No. Even for my father, that would be too calculated. He wouldn’t orchestrate this just to test my loyalty—to see whether I’d choose the family business or Keira.
Would he?
I findKeira still in the conference room, carefully packing up her models. She looks up when I walk in, and I can tell immediately—she already knows.
— They’re going to drop my project, aren’t they? she asks directly.
— They’re considering William Fraser’s proposal, yes, I admit. But nothing’s been decided yet.
She nods, her expression steady.
— I see. And what do you think?
— About William’s proposal? It’s terrible. Clinical. Cold. Soulless. It erases everything your design brings forward.
A faint smile touches her lips.
— You noticed.
— The McKenzie and McGregor symbols woven together? Of course I noticed. It was… it was brilliant, Keira. Truly.
She looks away, suddenly vulnerable in a way I rarely see.
— It wasn’t calculated, you know. It just felt right. After everything we’ve discovered.
We.
That single word makes my pulse spike.
— I’m going to fight for your design, I say firmly. The board needs to understand this is about more than just a renovation.
— And if you lose? she asks softly. If your father chooses William’s proposal?
That’s the question I’ve been avoiding. The one that cuts straight to the heart of everything twisting inside me. What am I willing to risk—for Keira? For this “us” that might only exist in my head?
— I don’t know, I admit. I don’t want to have to choose.
— Between your company and me?
Her question is direct.
— Between two visions of the future. One that erases the past for short-term gain—and one that honors it to build something lasting.
She studies me for a long moment, like she’s trying to read everything I’m not saying.
— About what you said earlier, she says finally. About extending our arrangement.
My heart stutters.
— Yeah?
— I think that would be a mistake.
