Malia sat at her desk, her eyes flicking over the spreadsheets in front of her. The numbers were starting to blur together. She'd been working nonstop, trying to finalize the last few steps for her latest venture. The expansion, the overseas deal—everything hinged on this. If she could just prove to herself, and to the world, that she didn't need anyone else, that she could do it all on her own, she would win.
She didn't need Nixus.
The thought stung as soon as it passed through her mind. Nixus. He was still there, lurking in the background, his presence impossible to ignore. His offer to help—his insistence that he could solve all her problems—still haunted her. But Malia had made her decision. She wasn't going to let him worm his way back in. She didn't trust him anymore.
Her phone buzzed on the desk, breaking her from her thoughts. She glanced at the screen: Lucas.
