Chapter 15: Complications
297words
Reality crashed in. We had crossed a line that couldn't be uncrossed.
Carefully, I extracted myself from his embrace and slipped into his discarded shirt. In the kitchen, I stared out at the ocean, thoughts tumbling like waves.
"Regrets already?" Jack's voice came from behind me.
I turned to find him leaning against the doorframe, shirtless and uncertain—a vulnerability I'd never seen in him before.
"This complicates things," I said quietly.
"Life is complicated." He moved closer, stopping just short of touching me. "Do you regret it?"
The question hung between us. Last night had been more than physical release—it was a recognition, a connection that terrified me.
"I can't afford distractions," I finally said. "Michael Davis took everything from me once. I won't let anything—or anyone—jeopardize my chance for justice."
Pain flashed across Jack's face before his expression shuttered. "Of course. Business first."
The distance between us suddenly felt vast.
"Jack—"
His phone rang, shattering the moment. His expression changed as he listened to the caller.
"When?" he demanded. "Send everything to my secure server."
Hanging up, he turned to me with renewed intensity. "Michael Davis just announced a hostile takeover of Williams Corporation—your father's company."
The news hit like a physical blow. "But my father—"
"Is being forced out. Davis claims your father's health makes him unfit to lead."
Cold fury replaced my emotional confusion. "He's finishing what he started with me. Destroying everything my family built."
Jack nodded grimly. "The takeover vote is in three weeks."
"Then we accelerate the plan," I said, all personal complications forgotten. "It's time to introduce Zoe Thompson to Williams Corporation."
