I came into the workplace the next morning with a curious mixture of worried and excited energy. My time with Ethan last night seemed like a hidden present, something comforting and uplifting that I wanted to keep with me. But now that I was back in the grind of family politics and never-ending business worries, I realized that it could be more difficult to maintain that mood than I had anticipated.
There were still the sidelong stares and murmurs I had seen the day before. Aunt Linda's influence over the family was already apparent in the suspicious glances I got from some of the senior staff, and she had probably done her best to make my meeting with Global Enterprises seem like a betrayal.
However, I was unable to let it affect me. For my personal benefit and the future I was putting so much effort into creating, I had to keep going.
