Page 14 of Strictly Business

The door swings open, and Sophie appears, her eyes widening when she sees me. Her gaze flicks back and forth between us, before landing on him.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, sir. Amara’s line was ringing off the hook, and I hadn’t seen her for a while, so I picked up the phone.”

Nicholas doesn’t immediately respond, his eyes flicking to me, as if just now realizing that I’m still here, still caught in the middle of whatever this is.

“Alexander wants to speak to you, sir,” Sophie adds, her voice now laced with a touch of concern.

Nicholas closes his eyes, a vein popping in his neck as he exhales sharply. “Thank you, Sophie.” He turns toward her, his posture stiff. “I’ll take it from here.”

Sophie nods and glances at me, her eyes filled with questions, but I just clear my throat and make my way to the door.

“I should…” I murmur, struggling to finish the sentence as I step away from his desk. Nicholas gives me a brief nod before I close the door behind me, his words still clinging to the air.

I know Sophie must have a million questions—as do I—and she doesn’t even wait until the door closes before tugging me by my elbow.

“What the hell were you doing in there for so long?” she asks, lowering her voice as we walk toward our desk.

I let out a heavy breath, shaking my head. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

Chapter six

Nicholas

New York is beautiful. Especially at night. The lights scattered across the city, the skyscrapers towering over the streets below. But as I stand by the window, staring out at the skyline, Alexander’s voice echoes in my head, drowning out everything else.

He didn’t even give me a chance to avoid him today. The second he found out I’d met with the board to discuss expansion of the hotel, my phone lit up with his name, over and over again, until I gave in.

His words linger, sharp and unyielding, carving their way into my mind. The doubt, the jealousy, they stick, like a shadow I can’t shake, no matter how hard I try.

I’ve heard it all before, but for some reason, it hit differently this time. It’s because for the first time since stepping into this job, I’m starting to think he’s right… I’m questioning if I actually have what it takes.

If this deal goes south, it’s on me. My father’s empire—his legacy—is going down with it. I wanted to prove to myself I could do this. That I could fill my father’s shoes, but with every step I take, it feels like I’m digging myself deeper into a hole I can’t get out of.

I close my eyes, drag in a shaky breath, and try to let it out slowly.

The soft knock on my door pulls me from the downward spiral of my thoughts. The creak of the door follows, and I don’t need to turn to know who it is.

Amara steps inside, heels clicking against the polished wood floor, a stack of papers balanced in her hands. Her expression is calm, professional as always, but I notice the subtle tells. How her lips press together just a fraction too tightly, how she avoids looking at me. The hesitation in her steps tells me everything. She’s still thinking about earlier.

So am I.

“I’m just… leaving the papers you asked for, sir.” She places the papers on my desk with meticulous care, her gaze fixed on them, before she turns around and walks toward the exit.

Before she reaches the door, I say her name.

“Amara.”

She freezes mid-step, her shoulders stiff, and when she finally turns, her eyes flick downward, refusing to meet mine.

“We were interrupted before,” I say, gesturing to the chair in front of my desk.

She doesn’t move right away, her hesitation hanging in the air. I can practically see her weighing her options, deciding whether to stick around or make a run for it.

I lean forward slightly, resting my forearms on the desk. “We need to finish our conversation.”

She hesitates, her gaze flicking toward the chair, then back to the floor. She lowers herself onto the chair, slowly, but I catchthe tension in her face. The way her brow furrows, the slight clench of her jaw… She’s nervous. And it unsettles me more than I care to admit.

I shouldn’t care. Her nerves shouldn’t bother me. But as I watch her sit, a strange tightness coils in my chest, impossible to ignore.

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