Surprisingly, Jenny wasn't the first one to panic.
The investor representative was.
Just minutes ago, he had been sitting back and judging the situation from a safe distance. Now he had risen from his seat, urgency replacing every trace of confidence.
"Ms. Wood, let's not make any rash decisions. Contracts are important, but so is the company's future. If you walk away now, everyone loses."
The irony almost made me laugh.
Last night, when I said I couldn't keep pushing past my limits, they dismissed me as a problem.
Now that I was the one pulling back, suddenly they understood the stakes.
"If there's one person who shouldn't lose here," I said, "it's me."
I set the broken pocket watch on the polished table.
The fractured face caught the overhead light, a silent piece of evidence t
