POV: Emily
"It's about us."
His words hung in the air, thick and heavy, like an anchor pulling me under. I blinked, trying to process what I had just heard, but it didn't make sense. This had always been about the companies, about control, about power.
"What do you mean 'us'?" I finally asked, my voice sharper than I intended. I needed clarity, needed to know whether this was just another one of Jake's tactics, another play in his ruthless games.
He didn't back down. His dark eyes locked onto mine, unblinking, his posture tense, almost like he was bracing himself. "I've known you for years, Emily. We've been at each other's throats since the beginning, but..." He stopped himself, his words faltering as if what he was about to say was more dangerous than anything that had come before. "But it hasn't always been just about the companies. Not for me."
I swallowed hard, every nerve in my body on high alert. "Don't pretend like this is personal," I shot back. "You've made it very clear that this is business. And trust me, Jake, I'm not confused about where we stand."
Jake's jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of frustration, even hurt, cross his features. But it was gone just as quickly as it came, replaced by the familiar mask of indifference I had come to expect from him.
"You think I enjoy this? That I wanted any of this?" He took a step closer, his voice low and controlled, but there was something simmering underneath. "Do you really believe that I wake up every morning and think, 'How can I make Emily Carson's life hell today?'"
"I don't know, Jake, isn't that what you do?" My voice was bitter, laced with the years of animosity we'd built between us. "You certainly seem to be good at it."
"I'm good at a lot of things," he countered, his voice soft but firm. "But this,what's happening between us,this isn't about being enemies anymore. Not for me."
I stood there, rooted in place, unable to move as his words sank in. There was a rawness in his tone I wasn't prepared for, a vulnerability I hadn't seen before. But I couldn't let myself believe him.
Not after everything he had done.
"You're unbelievable," I whispered, shaking my head. "This is another one of your tricks, isn't it? You're just trying to get in my head, make me second guess myself so you can swoop in and take everything I've built."
He took another step closer, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off him, the tension between us electric. "You think this is a game, Emily? You think I've been doing this just to mess with you?"
I swallowed hard, my heart racing, my pulse pounding in my ears. "Isn't that exactly what this is? A game to you? A power struggle?"
His hand shot out, grabbing my wrist, and the contact was enough to send a shockwave through me. His touch was firm but not painful, grounding me in the moment, pulling me back from the edge of my spiraling thoughts.
"It's not a game," he growled, his voice low and dangerous. "Not anymore."
For a split second, I didn't know how to respond. The weight of his words pressed down on me, leaving me breathless. There was something in his eyes I couldn't quite place. It wasn't just desire or lust or ambition.
It was something deeper.
But before I could make sense of it, the door to my office swung open, and Maddie stepped in, her eyes wide with concern.
"Emily, sorry to interrupt, but there's an issue with the merger documents," she said, her voice tinged with urgency. "We need you downstairs now."
Jake released my wrist, his expression hardening once more as Maddie's words cut through the moment. The business our never ending war came crashing back into focus. I turned away from him, the tension snapping like a rubber band.
"I'll be right there," I said, my voice clipped. I didn't even glance back at Jake as I strode toward the door. My mind was racing, my emotions a tangled mess. I couldn't let this conversation distract me from what really mattered my company, my legacy, everything I'd worked for.
But even as I marched out of the room, a part of me couldn't shake the look in Jake's eyes, the way he had gripped my wrist, the intensity of his words.
What had he meant? Why did it feel like there was something more happening here, something I wasn't ready to face?
Downstairs – The Merger Crisis
When I reached the boardroom, the atmosphere was suffocating. Maddie had been right there was something wrong with the documents, something that had the legal team scrambling for solutions.
"What's the problem?" I asked sharply as I entered, glancing around the room. Half the team was hunched over laptops, the others were buried in paperwork, and the tension in the air was thick enough to cut.
"It's a clause in the merger agreement," one of the lawyers said, pushing a stack of papers toward me. "We missed it in the initial review, but it gives Anderson Corp more control over our international subsidiaries than we originally thought."
I froze, my eyes scanning the highlighted section of the document. My stomach dropped as the full weight of the situation hit me.
Jake had played me. Again.
I should've seen it coming. Of course he'd slip something like this into the merger agreement, a subtle but devastating power grab that would give him more leverage. More control.
"This can't be real," I muttered under my breath, flipping through the pages with increasing panic.
Maddie leaned in, her face etched with concern. "We're trying to figure out a way around it, but legally… it's airtight."
I swallowed the rising bile in my throat. This was it. This was the move I had been waiting for. Jake had set the trap, and I had walked right into it.
I didn't have time to think about what had happened upstairs. I didn't have time to process whatever emotional warfare Jake had just launched against me. Right now, my only focus was damage control.
"Get the shareholders on the phone," I said, my voice tight, controlled. "We need to fix this before Anderson's lawyers get wind of it."
Later That Evening – A New Plan
Hours passed in a blur of damage control, legal loopholes, and frantic phone calls. By the time I made it back to my office, the sun had already set, casting long shadows across the city skyline.
I slumped into my chair, exhaustion weighing me down like a lead blanket. The crisis had been temporarily contained, but the real battle was just beginning. I knew Jake would strike again, and when he did, I needed to be ready.
But even as I sat there, staring blankly at the stack of documents on my desk, my mind kept drifting back to our conversation. The way he had said "It's about us."
What had he meant? Was it just another tactic, another ploy to catch me off guard? Or was there something real buried beneath all the manipulation and power plays?
I shook my head, trying to push the thoughts away. I couldn't afford to get distracted. Not by him. Not by whatever game he was playing.
And yet…
My phone buzzed on the desk, pulling me from my thoughts. I picked it up and froze when I saw the name on the screen.
Jake Anderson.
Of course it was.
I hesitated for a moment, my thumb hovering over the answer button. Every instinct told me to ignore it, to shut him out. But something in me, the curious part of me needed to hear what he had to say.
I answered the call.
"We need to talk," Jake said without preamble, his voice low and serious.
I sighed, leaning back in my chair. "About what? How you managed to slip that clause into the merger agreement without me noticing?"
There was a pause, then a soft chuckle. "I'm not that predictable, Emily. This isn't about the merger."
I clenched my jaw, frustration flaring inside me. "Then what is it about, Jake?"
His next words sent a chill down my spine.
"It's about why I really married you."