Page 41 of Lost At Sea With A Billionaire

I’d also begun sketching plans for a new restaurant—tentative ideas for menus, layouts, and concepts.Jonathan had noticed the drawings on the desk in the guest room I used as an office but hadn’t commented, respecting my need to work through these ideas independently.

After the briefing, I found him in his office, reviewing reports from his company.The pharmaceutical business hadn’t stopped during our absence, and he worked double time to catch up while continuing to lead the search efforts.

“You should eat something,” I said from the doorway.

He glanced up, the tired lines around his eyes softening when he saw me.“Is it that late already?”

“It’s past two.You missed lunch.”

“I got caught up in these quarterly projections.”He rubbed his eyes.“The interim CEO made some questionable decisions while I was gone.”

I moved behind his chair, my hands working at the knots in his shoulders.“Anything serious?”

“Nothing irreparable.But he shelved the program to expand access to our antibiotics in developing countries.It was my priority project.”

I continued massaging his tense muscles.“Can you restart it?”

“Already did.First thing this morning.”He leaned back into my touch.“That feels amazing.”

“You’re carrying all your stress here.”I pressed my thumbs into a particularly tight spot, making him groan.“You need to rest.”

“I will.When we find Reynolds.”

“And if that takes another month?”

His shoulders tensed again under my hands.“It won’t.”

I moved around to perch on the edge of his desk, facing him.“Jonathan, I need to ask you something, and I want an honest answer.”

Wariness crept into his expression.“Alright.”

“Is this still about guilt, or is it something more?”

He was quiet for a long moment, considering.“It started as guilt,” he admitted finally.“But now...It’s about doing what’s right.What I should have done from the beginning—listen to the experts, make decisions based on what’s best for everyone, not just what I want.”

I reached for his hand.“You’ve learned that lesson.Everyone can see it.”

“But at what cost?Reynolds might have lost his life because I was too stubborn to change course.”

“Or he might still be out there, and you’re the only one who hasn’t given up on him.”I squeezed his fingers.“That matters, Jonathan.”

Greg appeared in the doorway, his expression unusually animated.“Sir, there’s a call you need to take.Team Alpha just reported a sighting.”

Jonathan was on his feet instantly.“What kind of sighting?”

“Debris field with what appears to be a partially inflated raft.And they think they saw movement.”

My heart jumped to my throat as Jonathan grabbed the phone, activating the speaker so I could hear.

“This is Black.Talk to me.”

The voice that came through was distorted by the wind and the boat’s engine.“Sir, we’ve spotted what appears to be an emergency raft about two miles east of our position.It’s partially submerged, but we can see someone on it.”

“Alive?”Jonathan’s fist tightened around the phone.

“Unknown at this distance.We’re approaching now.”

The next fifteen minutes were the longest of my life.Jonathan paced the office, periodically demanding updates while the boat maneuvered closer to the raft.I sat frozen, hardly daring to breathe.

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