Chapter 13

Elena’s POV

I sat at the head of the table, facing a room full of blank expressions. The board members stared at me with closed-off faces, and the energy in the room was quiet against every idea I’d suggested.

It didn’t matter that I’d stayed up late planning, revising, or that I believed in this project with every fiber of my being. They were dismissing it all, their quiet murmurs filling the room.

“It’s a bad idea,” one of them whispered just loud enough for me to catch.

My heart skipped, the words were piercing through the confidence I was trying to build for this moment. I wanted to say something—anything—that would convince them, but every glance exchanged among them was like a silent confirmation of their rejection.

Part of me wanted to give up, to accept that they were right, that I wasn’t ready for this responsibility. But another part of me, the part that knew I was capable, I fought to keep my shoulders straight.

Just as I was abo