Chapter 10

Drake’s POV

The air in the private conference room was thick, humid with the sweat of ambition and the dry scent of printed legal briefs. I had reconvened the Apex Asia negotiation in a smaller, off-site location, a bunker of polished steel and soundproof glass, ostensibly to ensure privacy, but truly to escape the ghosts of my own boardroom.

Alan and the legal team were across the table, arguing the sealed liability clause, the very loophole Chloe had identified forty-eight hours earlier. I was supposed to be leading the counter-offensive, leveraging my confidence and resources to force the Asian firm to absorb the risk.

I was performing. My suit was immaculate, my posture rigid, and my gaze unwavering. Every word I spoke was measured, a calculated strike. Yet, underneath the veneer of corporate infallibility, my nerves were frayed to a brittle thread. I hadn't slept properly. I was terrified of my own silence, waiting for the inevitable follow-up.