By the time Matthew Powell arrived back at Lacy Corporation, the building was still buzzing like a disturbed hive.
Inside, Sarah Lacy was moving so fast she barely seemed to touch the ground. Papers were stacked, moved, signed, restacked, and carried away again in an endless cycle. She poured water for guests, refilled cups, printed fresh copies of contracts, answered questions, explained clauses, and kept a professional smile fixed on her face the entire time.
There was no assistant at her side.
No secretary stepping in.
No department manager offering support.
The message was unmistakable.
Paul Lacy had already made his intentions clear—no one was to help her. If she wanted to run the negotiations, she would do it alone. Every responsibility, every inconvenience, every bit of pressu
