She entered without a word. No announcement. No warning. Just the soft shuffle of bare feet against hardwood floors. He didn’t look at her, not at first. His eyes remained on the city, his empire crumbling beneath the skyline.
Ava sat beside him, wordless. She didn’t ask permission. She took the glass from his hand, drank, and exhaled with a hiss of breath. She knew what was bothering him.
Then she said, softly but firmly, "The way I see it, you have two options. Break. Or build again."
He turned to her slowly, eyes bloodshot, jaw tight. “If I fall now, everyone I crushed wins. Harold. The board. My father’s ghosts."
“Then don’t fall.”
Her hand found his, cold against the heat of his skin. She guided it gently, placing it over her heart, steady and strong.
“Let them see you bleed,”
