Page 38 of The Breakup Broker

“Henry,” he answered on the second ring, his voice curt. “I assume you got my message.”

“Yeah,” I said, rubbing a hand over my face. “Why the change? What’s he up to now?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Mason replied. “Something about ensuring everyone’s priorities are … aligned.” He paused, letting the words hang in the air.

I exhaled sharply, frustration bubbling to the surface. “Mason, why are you even helping me? You know how this ends. You’ve seen it enough times to know my father doesn’t lose.”

There was a long stretch of silence on the other end, and I pictured Mason pacing wherever he was, debating whether to tell me the truth or feed me a line.

“Because someone has to,” he said. “I can’t fight him, but I can give you enough room to try.”

For a moment, I was caught off guard.Mason had always been loyal to my father—at least, that’s what I’d thought. “You don’t believe in him anymore, do you?”

“Let’s say I know who Richard Kingston is,” he replied, his voice sharper now. “And I know who you’re trying to be. If you want to take him on, you’ll need every advantage you can get.”

I paused, unsure how to respond. Mason’s words hit harder than I expected, and for the first time, I saw him as more than a shadow of my father’s empire.

“Thank you,” I said, the words feeling inadequate.

“Don’t thank me yet,” Mason replied. “Your father has a habit of turning advantages into liabilities. Be ready for tomorrow.”

“I will,” I promised, even as doubt coiled tight in my chest.

I started the car, the engine rumbling to life beneath me. The city lights stretched out ahead, glittering like a maze of dead ends. Tonight, all I could think about is the way Savvy’s voice trembled when she said goodbye. And how, after everything, I still didn’t know how to fix what I’d broken without breaking it all over again.

I gripped the steering wheel tightly, the doubt Mason planted in my mind growing roots. Tomorrow felt like a storm I couldn’t fully prepare for, and the thought of facing my father with so much at stake made the air feel heavier in my chest.

But it wasn’t the board meeting that had my thoughts tangled. It was her.

Savvy’s goodbye kept replaying in my mind, soft and uneven, cutting deeper than I wanted to admit. I thought walking away once would protect her. I thought the distance would shield her from the fallout of my family’s chaos. But I was wrong.

I glanced at my phone sitting in the console. My hand hovered over it, a thousand thoughts fighting for attention. For a moment, I just sat there.

Then I picked up the phone.

A long exhale escaped me as I typed her a message. My thumb hesitated for a fraction of a second before I pressed send.

The screen darkened as I set the phone back down and let my head rest against the seat. Tomorrow, everything could change—one way or another. For now, I could only drive forward and hope the pieces I’d set in motion didn’t come crashing down.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Savvy

I headed up the narrow staircase to my apartment, my phone still buzzing in my hand. At my door, I paused, took a deep breath, and opened the latest message.

Henry

Savvy, please don’t shut me out. We need to talk.

I hesitated for a moment, my fingers hovering over the keyboard before typing back:

Me

You get one hour. Bookstore. Nine.

I pressed send, locking the door behind me. His reply came almost instantly.

Henry

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