Page 359

“He may as well familiarise himself with the place,” Eli says to me. “I suspect he’ll be a regular.”

Bryce’s cheeks colour up again.

My chest warms.

“Careful,” I warn Eli. “You’ll be scaring him off.”

“I doubt that.”

Bryce pauses at the door.

Our eyes meet.

For a moment, the office, casino and the past two weeks disappear.

“It’ll be lovely to see the Toastique Pro again,” he says.

“I know. It’s been missing you just as much as I have.”

“I’ll wait in the corridor,” Eli says, but he doesn’t have to, Bryce goes right along with him, glancing over his shoulder once before the door closes.

I stand alone in the office.

The quiet is different now.

Not empty, just temporary.

Bryce is on the other side of the door, walking through the casino I helped build. He’s seeing the staff, the tables and the cogs behind the glamour.

Learning this part of me.

And then he’ll be coming back.

I take my seat and pull the report towards me. The figures swim for the first few seconds.

I breathe.

Focus.

Eighteen over twelve.

Revenue against operating costs.

I find a discrepancy in the third column and mark it. Move to the next page. Then the next.

I hone my focus and work harder than I have ever worked in my life.

Not because there’s something to win.

Because Bryce is waiting.

Because Eli is relying on me.

Because Alice is trapped somewhere beyond my reach, and getting her back will require more than a bidding paddle and a room full of spectators.

It’ll need patience. Consistency. Care. Emotional planning, not just logistical efforts.

Work.