After the gala, Damien disappeared completely from my world. Meanwhile, bad news kept pouring in for Gavin's company.
First, several major partners terminated their contracts unilaterally, even willing to pay enormous breach-of-contract penalties.
Then, without any warning, the banks tightened their loans and demanded early repayment.
Finally, panic began spreading within the company itself, and the core technical team was poached away with lucrative offers.
The lights in Gavin's office stayed on until dawn for several nights in a row.
When he appeared before me, he still wore that calm and composed expression. Only the exhaustion in his eyes could no longer be hidden.
That day, I saw on the financial news that the Lockwood family would be hosting a grand birthday celebration for Ali
