Page 62 of Babies for the Big Shot
Rebecca: Be smart, Nick. Cut her loose. Before I decide to make this… messy. You know how good I am at that.
I close my eyes. Jaw locked.
There’s no winning here. No outplaying her. Not without dragging Sara through the fire first.
And she wouldn’t just endure it.
She’d try to protect me. She’d go down swinging.
And I can’t allow that.
Sara Brooks. The woman who walked into my building without fear, without calculation, without any idea what kind of man was waiting for her behind the walls.
She’s too good for this.
Too real. Too principled.
Another message.
Rebecca: Just doing my civic duty, darling. Wouldn’t want your assistant’s little secrets getting out… unless they have to.
I pick up my phone. Type one line.
Nick: This ends now. Stay the hell away from her.
But the message isn’t for Rebecca. It’s a directive for myself.
Because if I don’t walk away now, I won’t be able to later.
The knock comes before I see her.
That quiet tap, so professional it hurts.
Sara steps into the office with the same smile she’s worn all week. Executive polished. A woman at work. A woman protecting herself.
She appears composed. Untouchable. And for the first time, that’s the only version she gives me.
It should be enough.
It isn’t.
“Good morning, Mr. Ashford,” she says, holding a printed agenda. “Your nine o’clock with Development is confirmed. The updated pitch deck is in your inbox. I included the notes from last week.”
I keep my eyes on the screen in front of me. Data. Graphs. Nothing I actually see.
“Understood,” I say. “Thank you.”
She lingers a beat. Then she turns and walks out.
Each step taking her further away from something neither of us are ready to admit was real.
My phone buzzes again.
Rebecca: So, you will take my advice? She doesn’t strike me as someone who could handle a fall from grace. Soft girls rarely do.
I slam a hand against the desk. The sound echoes.
I should cut her off. Block her. Burn it all down.
