Jessica's POV
The daily meetings became a form of torture.
Every morning at eight AM, I walked into Conference Room C and sat across from Ethan Blackwood, pretending he was just another business partner. Pretending his presence didn't make my skin prickle with awareness. Pretending I didn't notice the way his eyes tracked every movement I made, cataloging, analyzing, searching for cracks in my performance.
It had been three days since our first meeting. Three days of fifteen-minute sessions that felt like hours.
"Good morning, Mia." Ethan greeted, looking infuriatingly well-rested. "Sleep well?"
"Fine, thank you." I set my laptop down and sat on the opposite end of the room, the table between us like a barricade. "Shall we review yesterday's progress?"
"Actually, I have
