Page 107 of Knot Your Sunshine
I lean back, phone falling to my lap. The ceiling stares back while my mind races.
This is what's really happening. Not in spreadsheets or revenue reports, but in the actual world. Connection. Community. Spaces where people feel seen.
My hands shake slightly as I search for Chadwick's locations.
Their reviews populate my screen.
"Fine. Got my hair cut. 3/5"
"Quick service. Decent price."
"It's a salon. Does what it says."
Three-and-a-half star average. Functional. Forgettable. Interchangeable.
No one's driving forty minutes for "fine."
No one's sharing posts about "decent price."
I sit up straighter, energy crackling through my exhaustion. My locations aren't just cutting hair. They're building something real. Which fuels customer lifetime value, word-of-mouth marketing, brand loyalty.
The kind of success that apparently didn't show up in Chadwick's revenue reports but will undeniably build an empire over time.
I lay back in the chair, letting it all sink in. The reviews, the engagement, the stories… Everything is clicking into place in my mind.
I know what I need to do now.
The first pale light of dawn creeps through my window as I open the group chat with the alphas, my thumb hovering over the keyboard.
This is it. The move that changes everything.
Me:We need to have a final meeting. The Orchid Conference Room. 11 a.m. Make sure Chadwick's here.
The same room where this all began, and where it will end. One way or another.
Whoosh.
Sent.
Chapter forty-four
Mia
Josh enters first, and I have to look twice. Purple shadows pool beneath his eyes, and his fingers tremble as he grips his laptop bag.
Keanu follows, and something twists in my chest. His golden skin has gone sallow, like old parchment left in the sun.
Noa comes last. A muscle jumps in his jaw with mechanical precision, tick-tick-tick, like he's chewing invisible words. His hands flex and unflex at his sides in the same rhythm.
They take their seats to my left. Even through the de-scenting spray I doused the room with earlier, wisps of their anxiety leak through.
Chadwick enters seconds later and sits alone across from me, briefcase perfectly aligned with the table edge, fingers already drumming an impatient rhythm.
I stand at the head of the table, remote in hand, shoulders back, the click of my heels on the floor sounding like a judge's gavel.
"Thank you all for coming." My voice comes out steady, professional. I meet each alpha's gaze in turn. "I'll be presentingmy findings regarding the franchise test. I ask that you hold all questions and comments until the end."
The alphas nod in unison, faces drawn tight. Chadwick's eyebrow arches but he waves his hand in a dismissive "proceed" gesture.
