Emma's pov
A few days later, I found myself back at the office, staring at the mess I called my company. Papers were scattered across my desk, the inbox on my computer was flooded, and the stress was piling up. It had been a rough few weeks. The issues with the suppliers weren't getting any better, deadlines were looming, and to top it off, my team seemed on edge, like they were waiting for the other shoe to drop.
I sighed, leaning back in my chair, rubbing my temples. Starting this company had been my dream for years, and I had thrown everything into it. But lately, it felt like the universe was testing just how much I could take before I cracked.
To make matters worse, I had barely seen Alex since our last conversation. We had texted here and there, but with everything going on, I hadn't had the time or energy to think about him—or about the weird tension between us.
But today, it wasn't about Alex. Today, I had to fix the growing problems here before everything unraveled completely.
The door to my office creaked open, and Carla, my operations manager, poked her head in. "Emma, do you have a minute?"
I nodded, motioning for her to come in. Carla looked stressed, which wasn't a great sign. "What's up?"
She walked in, clutching a tablet, and sat down across from me. "We've got a real issue with the last shipment. The inventory is way off. We're short on materials, and if we don't fix it soon, we're not going to meet our next deadline."
My heart sank. Of course, it was another problem. "How short are we talking?"
"By a lot," she said, showing me the numbers on her screen. "It's not just a small miscalculation. Something's seriously wrong with our supply chain. I've tried reaching out to the vendors, but they're not responding."
I stared at the screen, my mind racing. "Okay, let's regroup with the team, see what we can salvage. Maybe there's a workaround."
Carla nodded, though she looked doubtful. I didn't blame her. This wasn't the first time we'd run into trouble, and each time it seemed harder to pull ourselves out of the hole.
As she left to gather the team, I stood up and walked over to the window, staring out at the city below. I was trying my best to stay positive, to remind myself that every business faced setbacks, but the weight of it all was starting to crush me.
I had to fix this. I couldn't let the company fail. Too many people were depending on me—my employees, my clients… and honestly, myself. This company was my lifeline, my proof that I could build something successful on my own.
But I couldn't shake the feeling that maybe I was in over my head.
Before I could spiral too much, my phone buzzed on the desk. I glanced at it, expecting another email or a text from Carla, but my heart skipped a beat when I saw Alex's name pop up.
**Alex:** "How's everything going? Haven't heard from you in a bit."
I hesitated before replying. Part of me wanted to confide in him, to tell him how hard things were right now, but I wasn't sure if that was a good idea. We were friends, sure, but I wasn't sure I wanted him to see just how much I was struggling.
**Me:** "Busy. Work stuff. It's been a little crazy here."
A few seconds later, he replied.
**Alex:** "Want to talk about it?"
I sighed, leaning against the desk. Did I? The rational part of me wanted to say no, to handle this on my own. But then again, there was a part of me that was tired of handling everything alone. Maybe Alex could help—if not with the business, at least by being someone I could talk to.
**Me:** "It's just… a lot right now. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this ship from sinking."
His reply was almost instant.
**Alex:** "I can help. Let's meet up."
I blinked at the screen, surprised. I hadn't expected him to offer, but then again, this was Alex. He was always quick to step in when he saw something needed fixing.
**Me:** "You don't have to do that."
**Alex:** "I know. But I want to. Where are you?"
I stared at his text for a long moment before typing out my office address and hitting send.
Part of me wondered if this was the right move, if letting Alex in would just complicate things more. But the other part of me—the part that was exhausted from trying to do everything myself—was relieved.
Because for the first time in a long time, it felt like maybe I didn't have to carry this burden on my own.