Page 36 of Unlocking Melodies

“I knew him,” I said finally. “Before.”

Her expression shifted slightly. “Go on.”

“We met at Rosewood Academy in New York. We were...” The words stuck. How did you explain what we'd been? What I'd thrown away? “Close.”

“Rosewood Academy?” Something clicked behind her eyes. “The performing arts school?”

I nodded, watching understanding dawn on her face as pieces fell into place. “We wrote music together. Performed together. Until I...”

“Left?” she supplied when I trailed off.

“Something like that.”

She was quiet for a moment, reassessing. I could almost see her mental picture shifting from 'suspicious stalker' to something more complicated.

“And now?” she asked carefully.

“Now I don't know.” I gestured helplessly at my wall of sticky notes. “He doesn't remember me. Any of it. And I can't decide if that's better or worse than if he remembered how it ended.”

“So you're what - trying to protect him? Make amends? Start over?”

“All of the above? None of the above?” I ran a hand through my hair, forgetting about corporate image for a moment. “I just know I can't walk away. Not again.”

She studied me for a long moment, then stood. “Alright.”

“Alright?”

“For now. Though those sticky notes - you might want to be more subtle. The pink ones about his morning walks are visible from the street.”

I felt heat rise in my cheeks. “I'll... take that under advisement.”

“And maybe cool it with the expensive gifts? You're making the rest of us look bad.” But there was a hint of amusement in her voice now. “Though I hear Melody's quite taken with you, so you must be doing something right.”

My phone buzzed with Mia's emergency ringtone - the one that meant someone was trying to destabilize my carefully constructed corporate kingdom.

“Excuse me,” I said to Officer Dawn, who settled back in her chair with the air of someone about to watch an interesting show. “Mia?”

“Reuben’s rallying votes against the integration. Claims you've abandoned the company for” - I could hear her reading from notes - “'some rural vision quest.'”

I felt my CEO persona slide into place like armor. “Put me on speaker with him. Now.”

A moment later, Reuben's smug voice filled my hotel room. “Ethan! Enjoying your... what are we calling it? Personal retreat?”

“Reuben. I hear you're concerned about my dedication to the company.”

“The board has concerns, yes. Your sudden departure, your... distraction. The integration is crucial-“

“The integration that I personally developed? The one whose implementation strategy I mapped out six months ago?” I kept my voice calm, controlled. “Or perhaps you'd like to explain to our shareholders why you're attempting to derail our most promising initiative based on office politics?”

“Now see here-“

“No, you see here.” Eight years of corporate warfare had taught me exactly how to twist the knife. “Your position on the board has always been precarious, hasn't it? Riding on my father's goodwill? It would be a shame if someone were to look too closely at your voting patterns. Your convenient oppositions. Your personal investments in our competitors.”

Silence. Then, “Are you threatening me?”

“I'm reminding you why I'm CEO. The integration proceeds as planned. We can discuss your concerns about my leadership at the next regularly scheduled board meeting. In person.”

“This isn't over, Ethan.”

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