Chapter 58
Noah.
I sit in the bright, sunlit boardroom. I should be focused on the presentation, on the numbers and projections being thrown onto the screen. But I can’t because my head is a battlefield with thoughts colliding and fighting for dominance.
This is the first time in my life I can’t focus. Focus has always been my strength. Discipline. Control. The ability to drown out the noise and zero in on what mattered. But since that night with Sierra, things have been different.
I don’t want to admit it; hell, I refuse, but maybe Gunner is right. Maybe this is the most alive I’ve been since Chloe died.
For years, I’ve been a hollow shell. Going through the motions. Pretending for my children’s sake, for my family’s sake. Forcing emotions I no longer felt. But with Sierra… I feel anger, frustration and fury, sure, but I feel something. Something other than numbness. I don’t want any of these feelings, but they remind me I’m still human.
I had accepted that that’s how my life will always be, but Sierra is changing that and I hate it. I hate that she’s the one dragging me back into feeling.
For heaven’s sake, this is Sierra we are talking about. Why did it have to be her? The one woman that hurt Chloe more than anyone else. The woman I swore I’d despise until my last breath.
Her existence is a reminder of betrayal. And yet… she makes me feel. That fact alone makes my guilt toward Chloe roar louder than ever.
“Will you focus?” Lilly hisses beside me.
“I am focused,” I lie.
“Liar p>
I ignore her, narrowing my eyes at the sales rep droning at the front.
“Our market in China is doing better than expected,” Mira beams, pointing at the screen. “Profits have risen fifteen percent, which is double last month’s numbers p>
Another adds, “Thanks to how well we’ve been doing, We’ve had companies approach us, looking to collaborate p>
“Good,” I say flatly. “I want a list of them on my desk once this meeting ends p>
“There is one issue though, Mr. Wood,” Mira says carefully.
“What is it p>
“EPG is demanding a larger share of profits now that our market is performing well. They’ve even threatened to cancel the contract p>
I snort, amused at the audacity.
“Let them try,” Lilly snaps before I can answer. “But remind them breach of contract costs ten billion. If they want to cancel, they’ll bleed for it p>
That’s Lilly. Cold steel wrapped in velvet. Men underestimate her, seeing only a pretty face, only a spoiled heiress. And she guts them with her mind before they even realize their mistake.
Honestly, I love seeing their red faces when Lilly crushes and embarrasses them. It’s a chef’s kiss every single fucking time.
“The contract is ironclad; they get nothing but what they signed for,” I confirm.
Mira nods before going back to the presentation.
The numbers on the screen blur together. Quarterly projections, rising costs, market shifts. I hear the words but they don’t stick. My team drones on, waiting for me to chime in, but all I can think about is her.
I just don’t get it, what is it about her? Why the hell have I thought about her more in these past few weeks than I have in years?
Shame twists in my gut when I remember the marks on her arm. When I remember how I lost control and my hands wrapped around her painfully, hurting her in the process. I didn’t mean to grab her like that, but for a second all I saw was red.
The way she glared at me, like I’m a monster, still haunts me. It shouldn’t bother me so much, but for some strange reason it does and that just ticks me off even more.
Sierra and I have had our ups and downs over the years. I have said some cruel things, but I have never crossed that line. Not until yesterday.
And the worst part? I can’t explain what came over me.
I’m just fucking glad that the other guy stepped in when he did.
I didn’t confront Brook yesterday, but mainly because I didn’t know who to believe. Still, I can’t ignore the doubt slithering inside me. What if… just what if Brook exaggerated? What if Sierra wasn’t lying?
Sierra made a lot of sense, but this is Brook; she would never lie to me. Would she?
The thought, the doubt, makes my chest tighten. Chloe would never forgive me for doubting her sister.
But Chloe isn’t here anymore, is she? a poisonous voice whispers into my head.
I ignore the tiny voice and I rake a hand through my hair, wondering how my life became a clusterfuck all of a sudden.
I pull myself together, pushing those thoughts to the back of my head. When I finally blink back to reality, the boardroom is empty. Everyone’s gone. Only Lilly remains.
I sink back into my chair, staring at nothing. I need to deal with this Sierra problem before it consumes me whole.
“You bastard p>
I turn at the venom in Lilly’s voice.
Her eyes are blazing fire, trained on me with pure disgust.
“I warned you, Noah,” she spits. “I told you to stay away from Sierra. But you just can’t help yourself, can you p>
“What the hell are you talking about?” My voice comes out low and dangerous.
“This p>
She shoves her phone in my face,
One glance at the screen, and a growl rips out of me before I can stop it.