Page 187 of My Big, Fat, Secret Billionaire Baby

My professional brain kicks into overdrive, even as my personal world is still reeling from Leo’s announcement.

Damage control. Containment. Narrative shift.

Focus on Leo’s commitment to the firm, or hisnewfirm, I guess... along with his renewed dedication. Frame Luca’s departure as an amicable separation, a natural evolution.

My fingers are already itching for my laptop, or my phone.

But wait, I was going to quit, wasn’t I?

That wasbeforehis announcement.

Leo stands there at the podium, looking… blindsided. Whatever he expected, it clearly wasn’t this. Luca, the manipulative bastard, just hijacked his retirement announcement and turned it into a public declaration of war.

Reporters are shouting questions, a cacophony of noise and flashing lights. I see Michelle, Leo’s PA, already on her phone, presumably trying to manage the immediate fallout. My own phone is buzzing relentlessly in my pocket.

Amid the chaos, Leo’s gaze finds mine again. For an instant, I’m incongruously worried about my tear-smudged makeup, that I look like a clown. But then I see his expression, and I forget all that. In his eyes, there’s a mixture of shock, regret, and… a silent plea for help?

My heart aches for him, for the impossiblesituation he’s in. He made a choice. A huge, life-altering choice. For Mia. For… us?

And Luca just… blew it all up.

Professionally, this is a nightmare. Maxwell & Briggs is no more. Luca walking out isn’t just a partner leaving; it’s a schism that will rip through the entire portfolio. The Limited Partners, the massive pension funds and endowments who trust them with their billions, will be forced to choose sides. Some will follow Luca, others might stick with Leo. And the portfolio companies? They’re caught in the crossfire, their futures uncertain as ‘key man’ clauses are triggered and partnership agreements are dissected by armies of lawyers. Deals in the pipeline will stall. New funding rounds will be thrown into chaos. It’s not just a mess, it’s a goddamn financial bloodbath in the making.

Yep, it goes without saying that my carefully crafted PR strategy is in tatters.

And personally? I’m relieved, of course. Through and through. Leo retired. He chose Mia. He chose…notto jump. But I still have no freakin’ idea what this means forus.

The old Sabrina, the one who built her walls high and strong, the one who always expected the worst, is screaming at me to run. To protect myself. To protect Mia.

This is too messy now.

Too complicated.

Too dangerous.

But the new Sabrina, the one who saw a flicker of something real in Leo Maxwell’s haunted green eyes, the one who felt that fragile, terrifying hope… she’s rooted to the spot. Because maybe, Tatiana was right. AndMomwas right.

Maybe thisisdifferent.

Maybehe’sdifferent.

Or maybe I’m just a fool, about to get caught in the crossfire of a billionaire war, my heart, and Mia’s future.

One thing’s for certain. This press conference, the one I came to dreading, will go down in the annals of venture capital history.

It’s become the opening salvo in a whole new kind of crisis.

And I’m right in the goddamn middle of it.

Again.

Leo tries to step off the stage as the official part of the press conference ends, but he’s immediately mobbed by a throng of reporters. Microphones are thrust in his face, questions are shouted at him from all directions.

I see Charlie and Darius moving in, trying to create room, but it’s a losing battle.

The sharks are in a feeding frenzy.

Showtime, Sabrina,I tell myself, squaring my shoulders.

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