Chapter 6 Preparing Alone

My hands shook as I tried to put screws and wooden planks together. The nursery was small, with bare walls and a worn-out carpeting, yet it was mine. Every small thing I chose showed how determined I was: I was going to do this on my own.

"Almost done," I said quietly, wiping the sweat from my forehead.

A quiet coo came from the corner, where a pile of blankets held the little bit of my universe. My son's gentle breaths were a lifeline, steady and fragile.

I muttered, "Look at you," and bent down to stroke a stray hair from his forehead. "Mommy's got this."

The silence surrounded us, yet my heart beat loudly in the quiet. I wasn't ready at all, but there was no one else.

The doorbell rang, breaking the moment in an abrupt and unexpected way. I stopped moving, and my heart raced.

Who could it be?

I looked through the peephole and saw a man in a sharp suit who looked too calm and polished. I couldn't read his face, but the badge on his lapel made me sick. Callum's business.

I gripped the edge of the crib tighter. The baby moved, feeling that I was tense.

"Stay here," I said softly as I carefully opened the door.

The visitor walked in without being asked, their eyes sweeping the apartment like a predator looking for prey.

"Ms. Blake?" He spoke in a slick, businesslike way. "Mr. Dane sent me here."

I clinched my teeth. "What do you want?"

He smiled a little and took a sealed envelope out of his coat pocket. In the low light, the gold-embossed emblem shone.

"I was told to give this to you right away."

My heart stopped. As I looked at the envelope, the silence in the room grew deeper as I thought about the storm it would bring.

I slowly closed the door and locked it with shaking hands before going back to the nursery. My son's sweet whimper made my heart ache. He was wrapped up in a tattered blanket with his eyes wide open and inquiring. But today, no one could know he was there. No guests, no inquiries.

I muttered, "Shh, it's okay," and put my hand on his little chest. The beat of his heart brought me back to earth. I have to keep sharp.

The man in the suit behind me cleared his throat. "Ms. Blake, may I?"

I turned and forced a smile that didn't reach my eyes. "Please sit."

He looked over at the empty crib in the corner.

"I don't have time for niceties," he said, his voice steady but not rude. "Mr. Dane wants you to come." He says there is an opportunity that you should think about.

I crossed my arms to protect the weak life he didn't know about. "I don't want to."

"Can I ask why?" His tone made the challenge clear.

Because I'm afraid. Because he is a threat.

Instead, I answered, "I have my reasons."

The silence went on and on, weighty and awkward.

Then he sighed and dug under his coat again to get the identical envelope. "This is his invitation." He believes in your skills, whether you want him to or not.

I grasped it and wrapped my fingers tightly around the thick paper. The weight of his universe pressed against my hand.

"Thank you," I said carefully. "I'll think about it."

The man rose up, nodded politely, and walked toward the door.

I stared at the envelope as the lock clicked behind me. Every nerve in my body was on edge and perilously close to hope.

The envelope was on the kitchen table, and it was heavier than any letter I'd ever gotten. The fading light touched Callum's gold-embossed symbol, which was crisp and imposing. I ran my shaking fingers down the borders, as if the sensation alone could tell me what was inside.

I walked around the small room, my heart beating in a strange way. The air had a faint scent of baby powder and dreams that weren't quite done.

"Open it," a voice inside me said, both daring and caution.

I looked quickly at the nursery, where my son was sleeping comfortably and didn't know that a storm was coming outside.

What did Callum want? Is there a way out? Manage? Or was this just another game to show me that he had the upper hand?

The envelope was stiff on my hand when I sat down. I opened the seal with a breath that was sharp enough to cleave glass.

There was only one sheet of paper inside, and the ink was perfect and formal.

Dear Ms. Blake,

Mr. Dane would like to hire you to redesign the flagship Dane International hotel in Chicago. This is your chance to take back your career and move toward a future that only you can see.

I read the words again, cold and clear. A branch of an olive tree? A trick? Or maybe something in the middle?

The walls of the room seemed to close in on me all of a sudden.

I made a fist with my hands. For months, I'd hidden from him, from his world, from everything.

But now, the invitation wasn't just about design. It was a summons to go back into a life I believed I'd left behind.

Outside, the city was full of both opportunities and dangers.

The issue hung heavily in the air: Should I go back to his world? Or set fire to every bridge behind me?

I folded the note back into the envelope and swallowed hard, my heart racing.

It was my choice. I didn't know what to do for the first time.

The hefty paper of the contract stood out against the old wood of my kitchen table. The words become blurry as tiredness and doubt mixed together. Callum's name was written in ink, tying me to a world I promised I would never return to.

My phone buzzed loudly, interrupting the quiet.

Callum.

I swallowed hard, fingers clenching around the gadget. I pondered ignoring it, but curiosity won.

His voice came through low, eager, and with something unspoken: "We need to talk."

"What's next?" I snapped, and my voice was shaky. "You think a contract makes everything okay?"

A pause, then a slow breath. "It's not about deals. It's all about trust. About what we lost.

I laughed, short and rough. "Trust? That ship went down the day you left.

"Maybe." But I'm not ready to let it drown."

I paced, heart a thunderstorm of anxiety and something terrible, hope. "Working under your watchful eye? No, thanks.

His sigh came across the line. "I'm not your enemy." I want to keep what we have safe.

I said, "Protection feels like a cage."

"Then let's change the rules." "Together."

The line went dead before I could say anything. His words had weight, a promise and a challenge.

My phone buzzed again, but this time I let it ring, and the sound bounced off the walls. The name Callum flashed across the screen like a warning. My fingers hovered but didn't move. The last thing I wanted to do was open a door that I had banged shut months before.

The silence was dense and full of memories I didn't want to deal with. Then there was a knock that was harsh, loud, and cut through the silence like a knife.

I looked through the peephole. Same guy. The suit was still crisp, but the face was illegible. The kind of man who walked in the shadows of authority.

I hesitated before unlocking the door, every nerve screaming caution.

He walked in without waiting for an invitation, his gaze sweeping the little room like a predator looking for prey. My attention raced to the crib buried in the corner. I clamped my hand over my heart, wanting it to slow.

He took a business card from his pocket, thick and shiny, embossed with the golden Dane insignia.

"He's watching," the words plummeted between us like a dagger.

A icy chill went down my spine. "Watching what?"

The man's eyes fluttered for a moment, and it was hard to tell what they meant. "All of it. He never forgets.

I swallowed hard, and the warning hit me hard. Callum's life wasn't only about contracts and negotiations; it was also about power and control that went beyond the boardroom.

I whispered softly, "Tell him I'm not ready."

The visitor nodded once and walked toward the door.

Before he left, his voice got softer, like he was warning. "Neither is he."

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me alone with my heart racing and the cold, hard truth that I couldn't ignore anything, especially Callum Dane.