"The Impossible Choice"
"You think courage is enough?" he asked. "You think determination alone can protect the people you love?"
"I… I don't know," I admitted. "I only know I have to try. I don't have a choice."
He leaned forward, closer now. "You have choices. You always do. But you made one anyway. One that could change everything."
My stomach twisted. "Change everything?"
"Yes," he said. "Your life. Your father's life. Mine. The company. Everything you don't even understand yet."
I felt my chest tighten. My voice dropped. "I can handle it. I'll figure it out. I always do."
He studied me for a long moment, eyes sharp and assessing. "You say that like it's easy."
"It's not easy," I whispered. "It's impossible. But impossible is… all I have."
He exhaled slowly, and for the first time, I saw a flickerjust a flicker of something behind his eyes. Concern. Maybe curiosity. Maybe something I couldn't name.
Then the office door opened again. Security. I froze.
Dominic's hand shot up. "Stop. Don't move."
The guards hesitated, surprised by the command. He didn't even rise from his chair. "She stays. For now."
My heart raced. "You… you're letting them stay?"
"They were going to intervene before I asked," he said. "You're here. And for now… your presence is necessary. That makes you part of this problem and part of the solution."
I blinked, shocked. "Part of the solution?"
He leaned forward again, gaze sharp. "Yes. Part of the solution. But you need to understand something. If you fail… consequences are not limited to you."
"I won't fail," I said quickly. "I… I can't. I won't."
"You might," he said calmly. "You might fail spectacularly. But that's why I need to know you understand what's at stake."
"I understand," I said, though my throat burned. "I understand more than anyone can imagine."
He nodded slowly. "Good. Because understanding isn't the same as being prepared. And right now… neither of us are prepared for what's coming."
I swallowed hard. "Coming?"
He didn't answer immediately. He simply opened the folder Camille had left. My stomach sank as he thumbed through papers, glancing at me every few seconds.
"This," he said finally, holding up a page, "is why she's dangerous. Camille knows too much. And now you do too."
I felt my stomach drop. "I… I just came for answers."
"And you got them," he said. "But not the kind you were expecting. Do you understand what this means?"
"I… I think so," I said, trembling. "I'm involved. I can't leave. And… and I don't even know what I've walked into."
He nodded. "Exactly. And now you're standing at the edge. You can jump… or fall. Either way, you're committed."
I swallowed hard. "Committed?"
"Yes. Committed. To a world you've only glimpsed. And the choices you make from here… will affect more than your own life."
I took a shaky breath. "Then tell me what to do."
He studied me for a long moment. Then he pushed the folder across the desk toward me. "Sit," he said. "We need to discuss exactly how useful you can be. We might be able to help each other."
I froze, my hands hovering above the papers. My mind raced. My chest ached. My father… two million… all of it. And now… Dominic Ashford, the man I barely knew, was offering me something I wasn't sure I was ready to accept.
I looked up at him, searching his eyes. "Help each other?"
"Yes," he said. "If you survive the lies, the risks, and the people who want to destroy us… maybe, just maybe, we can both get what we want."
I felt a flicker of hope. A dangerous, thrilling, terrifying hope.
But even as I nodded, I knew Camille's warning wasn't gone. I knew danger waited. I knew my choices had already set something in motion I couldn't stop.
And then Dominic leaned back, folding his hands. His eyes never left mine. "But first… I need to know the truth. How much do you actually know?"
I swallowed. My fingers trembled. My mind raced. I had lied. Badly. And now, I had to decide… Do I tell him everything? Or risk losing his trust entirely?
Dominic's gaze pierced mine as he asked, "How much do you really know?" and I realized the lie I'd been clinging to could ruin everything before it even began.
I laughed.
It started as a small, bitter sound. Then it grew, shaking me, cracking in my chest.
"I" I gasped, catching my breath. "I can't… I can't even…"
Dominic's eyes didn't waver. He just watched, calm. Patient. Like he wasn't shocked by my hysteria.=========
"Why are you laughing?" he asked quietly.
"Because if I don't laugh, I'll cry," I said, voice trembling. "Do you understand? Crying… I don't have the luxury of crying."
He leaned back in his chair. "Then you won't. You'll act. You'll make choices. Because right now… your life, and your father's life, depend on it."
I stared at him. "Act? Choices? I don't have a choice. You don't understand. Two million dollars. Thirty days. Do you know what that means? Do you?!"
He didn't flinch. "I understand the problem. I also understand the solution. But you don't like it."
I laughed again, sharper this time. "You say 'solution' like it's something I can just… take. You think I don't have pride? That I'd trade myself for money? That I'd… I'd…" My voice broke. "I can't do it!"
"No?" His tone was calm. Like he already knew the answer. "Because I don't see another option. And I don't see you letting your father die."
"You don't understand!" I shouted. "I'm not a charity case! I'm not… I'm not a pawn in someone else's game! And I'm not… I'm not selling myself! Ever!"
Dominic's gray eyes stayed on mine, calm, sharp, unyielding. "You think this is a game?"
"Yes!" I snapped. "Yes, it's a game! And I refuse to play!"
He leaned forward, hands clasped, voice quiet but firm. "Do you know what I'm facing?"
I blinked. "No. But I'm not here to listen to your problems. I'm here to"