“I just Googled 1A.” She paused. “Okay… and? What’s the matter?”
“And he’s the new CEO of Hayes International.” Silence. “Wait, wait. Hayes International… as in your Hayes International?” I stared out at the street, trying to slow my heartbeat. “Yes, as in my Hayes.”
“Oh. My. God. Hang on, I’m putting on pants. I’ll be there in a bit.”
Ten minutes later, I saw her walking down the street in jeans, sunglasses, and a trench coat. She slid into the chair across from me as she’d just been briefed on a crisis.
“So,” she said, catching her breath. “What the actual fuck?” I handed her my phone without a word. The headline was still open. Her eyes scanned it. Slowly. Once, then twice.
“Holy. Shit.”
“Yep,” I said, making an unnecessary emphasis on the p.
“Theodore Jones is the new CEO of Hayes International?” she repeated, voice low but intense. “Yep.”She looked at me. “Your Hayes.”
“Unfortunately.”
We sat there for a moment, my glass half full, hers untouched. I wasn’t really ready to say anything. But I also knew if there was one person in the world I could say it to, it was Rose. “I know you don’t like talking about them,” she said gently.
“I don’t.” I traced a finger over the rim of my glass.
The thing about my family is that they don’t do small. Or soft. Or optional. They do legacy. They do strategy. They have expectations that feel like contracts signed in blood.
My sister, Naomi, embraced it early. She was valedictorian in her class. The business school's top student. She went for corporate law, and was second in her class. But if you ask her, she was the first.
She was practically born in a pantsuit. And of course, now she works for the company, some shiny corner office at Hayes International HQ, doing God knows what for God knows how much money. And, I was supposed to follow.
We both were. That was the plan. Max Hayes’ daughters, one CEO, one COO, maybe CFO, depending on our career path. Those were the dreams my dad laid out for us like fine China. Very carefully, and very expensively.
But even as a kid, I didn’t want any of it.
I didn’t want the boardroom, the brunch meetings, or the fake smiles at shareholder galas.
I wanted stories, color, a mess. Things that didn’t have to be profitable to matter. So, I majored in Art, History, and Languages. I double-majored on a full scholarship. I graduated with honors. And when I got my master’s, they still held on to hope, like I’d wake up one day and suddenly crave a corner office and a twelve-hour corporate workday.
Instead, I became a flight attendant.
At twenty-four, I walked away from the family andtoward something entirely mine. I’ve been flying ever since. I know I’m smart. I know I could’ve crushed a career at Hayes International. I could’ve run the place blindfolded with a latte in one hand and a PowerPoint in the other. But that life? That world? It just… didn’t feel like mine.
I looked at Rose, whose brow was furrowed like she was trying to piece it all together.
“He has no idea I’m Samantha Hayes. I didn’t even say my name.” I said finally.
“What are you going to do?” I stared into my wine glass like it might have the answer.
“I have no idea. I mean, it’s not like I’m seeing him ever again.”
CHAPTER FOUR
theo
The shower was hot,almost too hot, but I let it burn the stiffness out of my shoulders. Ten hours in a suit jacket has a way of making you feel older than you are. I step out and slowly towel off, letting the quiet settle.
No email notifications, no texts from my former co-founder, no calendar pings. Just the hum of the city outside the window and the drip of water off the tile. My first real night off in, I don’t even know how long.
I gave myself twenty minutes for a power nap. Not a second more. Just enough to reset my brain without slipping into deep sleep and waking up with a headache and regret.
Then the emails started. Most were onboarding logistics. Transition docs, HR briefings, and a formal announcement draft I still hadn’t approved. I typed a few short replies, scheduled a call with Max Hayes forlater, and flagged a dozen things to ignore until Monday.
