I studied her, still uncertain how things had gone so wrong this evening. “I see,” I said finally.
She grabbed her keys.
“I won’t be late.”
“Take your time.”
A faint smile flickered across her mouth before she left.
The house felt too big the moment the door closed. I stood in the kitchen longer than necessary. I was still so confused. I wanted to remove obstacles. That’s what I do. I solved things. I optimized. I secured.
Why did she experience that as erasure?
I move upstairs and close the office door behind me.
Alistair Whitaker’s calendar was not difficult to access through the appropriate channels. He was predictable. He also valued my business.
I composed a message requesting a meeting tomorrow morning. I made no mention of his son.
He responded within twelve minutes. Confirmed.
I leaned back in my chair.
If Tripp’s authority over her employment was tied to family holdings, I would sever it. If Long Creek is within their network, I would make it clear that continued partnership with the Renault Group is contingent upon ethical conduct.
I would not threaten. I would not posture. I would simply present reality.
Tripp would not have control over her livelihood. He would not dangle security over her father’s care. He would not call her with ultimatums.
She may believe this was about independence.
It was not. It was about safety. And if I must maneuver through corporate structure to ensure that . . . So be it.
I closed my laptop.
Tomorrow, this ended, one way or another.
33
BELLE
Walking back into the rink felt like breathing again. The sound of wheels on the polished floor. The echo of laughter. The low bass of whatever playlist Sonia had commandeered for warm-ups. I couldn’t skate yet, but just being there loosened something tight in my chest.
Mel spotted me first.
“Hey, Belle, you skating yet?”
“Not yet, but hopefully I’ll have the go-ahead by the end of the week.”
Robin rolled over, steady and watchful as ever. “You good?”
“I’m good.” That wasn’t entirely a lie.
Practice ran long. I sat on the sidelines, helped track penalties, yelled encouragement, and tried not to twitch every time the jammer broke through the pack. My body still wanted to move.
Afterward, sweat-soaked and loud, half the team peeled off toward home.
Eleanor kissed my cheek and said she needed sleep because Ava had her first day of school in the morning.
