Page 9 of My CEO Neighbor
"I think you're tired."
The observation was so gentle, so matter-of-fact, that it hit harder than any accusation could have.Ted was tired.Bone-deep, soul-crushing, three-years-of-running-on-caffeine-and-adrenaline tired.
But admitting that felt like weakness.
"I can't afford to be tired.That's not how success works."
"Everyone can afford to be tired.It's refusing to rest that's expensive."
Monica's voice carried a note of understanding, and Ted felt an unwelcome surge of curiosity about this woman who'd walked away from everything he'd spent his adult life building.
"Do you miss it?"he asked."The corporate thing?The money, the status, the sense of importance?"
"Sometimes.I miss the salary.I miss feeling important."Monica was quiet for a moment, and Ted found himself watching the play of emotions across her face."I don't miss the panic attacks."
"I don't have panic attacks."The denial came out sharper than necessary.
"You were pretty close a few minutes ago."
Ted opened his mouth to deny it, then closed it again.His heart rate had spiked when the elevator stopped, and his breathing had gone shallow and rapid.If that wasn't panic, it was at least panic-adjacent.
"This is different.This is about missing an important meeting that could determine the future of my company."
"Right.And if you miss this meeting, what happens?"
"We might lose the funding round."
"And then?"
"We'd have to find another investor, which takes time we don't have."
"And then?"
Ted frowned, irritation flaring."Why do you keep asking that?"
"Because I'm curious about what you think is actually at stake here."
"My company.Three years of work.Everything I've built."The words came out harder than necessary, defensive.
"And if you lost all of that?"
The question made Ted's stomach clench."I'd be a failure."
"Would you?"
"Yes."
"Says who?"
Ted stared at her, wrong-footed by the simplicity of the question.Says who?Says everyone.Says the business magazines that wrote profiles of successful entrepreneurs.Says the investors who measured worth in quarterly growth and market capture.Says the voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like his father, explaining why second place was just first loser.
"Says reality," he said finally.
"Whose reality?"
Before Ted could answer, the elevator shuddered slightly, and both of them looked up at the ceiling as if they could see through it to whatever machinery was supposed to be moving them toward freedom.
"You know," Monica said after the silence stretched too long, "if we're going to be stuck here for hours, we might as well make the best of it."
