**(GAVIN)**

I’m sitting at the table, my hands cradling my head, staring blankly into space. Apparently, my worst fears have come true, and there’s nothing I can do to reverse it. Complaining wouldn’t help, but I admit I was very tempted to do just that.

The call with Donovan was difficult, and equally difficult was keeping my tone of voice under control. If Amanda weren’t in the apartment, I would have taken the car out of the garage and gone directly to him, demanding answers while looking him in the eye.

The last few years had been great; our investments hadn’t faced any foolish, thoughtless risks. I know this because Donovan always said exactly what he wanted to do and when to do it, and his ideas were always extremely profitable. My best friend never did anything without a reason, and his business acumen was infinitely broader than mine. No wonder I allowed him to almost completely take over the Urus position, only not completely abdicating the president title because my parents would kill me. And they would kill him too, right after.

How and why did we lose another important intercontinental deal? Where was the error, where was the stumble in such a calculated path?

That’s what was killing us inside: there was no calculation error. The contract termination was exactly like the last one—something completely out of nowhere and with no plausible excuse. They paid the termination fee and didn’t say a word about what was happening to sever ties.

This alone would be distressing and concerning, but apparently, many departments at Urus were aware. Donovan said Rebecca tried to control the leak of the news, that she hadn’t told anyone but him, but that someone probably overheard her speaking on the phone when she was alone, and the bomb spread through the corridors like an uncontrollable fire. In other words, besides all that drama, we needed to calm the employees, who by now were beyond suspicion. Nothing challenging.

As I pondered what to do, my little flower appeared: her hair was tied up in a bun, her face still wet, and her eyes slightly swollen. I stood up immediately and went to her. I saw her little tension, her insecurity as she saw me approaching her, so I stopped. She didn’t want to be touched.

“Good morning,” I said to her, closely observing her reactions.

Amanda tilted her head.

“Good morning.”

Only then did I realize I hadn’t made the pancakes. I apologized and moved ahead, heading straight to the kitchen to turn the stove back on. Quietly, she settled into one of the chairs and watched me make the fastest pancakes I’ve ever prepared in my life. I noticed her face didn’t show the usual neutrality but rather an expression of guilt and maybe even fear.

“Are you okay?” I asked while placing one of the pancakes on a plate.

“Not really,” her honest response surprised me, as I usually had to insist for her to finally open up about her emotions.

“Wait a minute, I’m coming.”

In addition to serving the pancakes, I also made coffee with milk with little sugar, just the way she likes. As I prepared my own breakfast, I murmured:

“Talk to me.”

Without beating around the bush, Amanda said, almost in a sobbing voice:

“You’re going to have to take over Urus, aren’t you?”

I blinked.

“Sorry. I… I heard you on the phone. I understand a little of your language… At least enough to get the general idea of things.” She didn’t touch the food. “So…?”

The guilt crushed my chest, and I was at a loss for words for a few seconds. Then I took a deep breath and said:

“I don’t know exactly what we’re going to do yet. Donovan was driving to Urus and will speak with the other employees there. They’re having an emergency meeting.”

“And shouldn’t you be there?”

“... No, not yet. Actually, the meeting is to decide if Donovan will still give the directions, or…”

“Or?”

“Or if he will abstain from the business temporarily, just giving tips on what to do but not necessarily being physically present at the corporation.”

“So you’re going to switch roles then?”

I swallowed. It’s so strange to see her being firm and assertive like this. The fact that I’m disoriented by the news, still processing exactly when and how it happened, also contributes to my nervousness.

“More or less.”

Amanda isn’t exactly calm either, and that makes me more anxious than I thought I could be. I want to calm her, maybe by putting my hand over hers, but today is one of those days when her resistance to touch is in full force. I try to do what I can with words alone.

“It’s going to be alright,” I don’t even believe what I’m saying, but it’s all I have left. “It’s just a setback, a minor issue.”

“It’s not a minor issue, Gavin. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be considering your full presence there.”

“... True,” I feel embarrassed and don’t know how to proceed. It was in times like these that I envied Donovan’s assertiveness. Even in a situation like this, he would know exactly what to say to soothe Amanda’s anxiety, whether he was nervous inside or not.

The girl takes a sip of her coffee and continues looking at me. Her irises are bright, but not in the way that warms my heart. What I see in her windows to the soul is fear, restlessness. She’s worried about what this could mean for our time together, our routine, and desperately wants to find a solution to this problem but can’t.

“Honestly, Amanda, I don’t know what to do either. I’m still waiting for a new call from Donovan; once the decision is made, then I’ll be able to say something.”

“And your course for natives, what will happen to it?”

“I have a whole series of English teachers, people I’ve met throughout my life, who can perfectly organize the next classes and curriculum. I just won’t be able to do what I usually do, which is teach in person.”

“I see… You… Will you have any time off during the week?”

“I’ll have three days off a week, sometimes four, just like Donovan. That is, if I really need to take full control of the company.”

Amanda sighs, fiddles with her hair, and looks around. Then she takes a bite of the pancake.

“You… Never did this before?”

“How so?”

“Never been in full command? Was it always Donovan?”

“I was in charge for a good while, actually. Mainly when I was with Alexandra. Donovan took over shortly after my breakup, and has been there ever since.”

I then realize it’s the first time in a long time I’ve mentioned my ex-fiancée’s name. And now, unlike the last time, Amanda is able to speak clearly. I take a sip of my coffee. Amanda seems to be deciding whether to pursue this line of questioning or stay on the work topic.

Once she decides, she speaks again:

“... This Alexandra…”

I look at her, waiting for her to complete the sentence.

“She’s a businesswoman too?”

“Yes, she is. She runs a business selling jewelry and accessories. Quite profitable, actually.”

“And do you still talk to her?” She tries to hide it, but I can sense a growing discomfort in her voice.

“No,” I say quickly, firmly. “We cut off all contact after that day, and neither of us reached out to each other.”

“But… what about the social gatherings? You told me that night she talked to you.”

“Just empty provocations, Amanda. A very high ego that still cared whether I was happy or not. It was nothing more.”

She drinks some more of the coffee with milk. Then she looks at me, her eyes barely blinking.

“Did she talk to Donovan too?”

I revisit my old memories to answer my little flower’s question, recalling the time when there was another woman I wanted to make happy. The memories start coming one after another, as if I were rummaging through a dusty chest behind old photos.

“They talked to each other, but only the bare minimum. In fact, they even avoided contact. I don’t know exactly what Donovan thought of her, but I strongly suspect that Alexandra didn’t like him.”

“Why?”

“We discussed this several times; about him being so close to the company and having some influence over the employees. In her words, that kind of loyalty was dangerous if awakened in the wrong way. I think that was her disguised way of accusing Donovan of trying to take the company from me.”

Amanda says nothing. I continue:

“Yes, it’s true that Donovan always had a natural affection and leadership inside Urus, but I never saw that as a bad thing. After all, I never hid from him that I didn’t like being in charge of the company; that I did it just to keep my parents away from me, quiet and without bothering me. As long as the company was running smoothly, they wouldn’t annoy me, and that’s why I stayed in charge.”

“Did Donovan know that she felt that way about him?”

“I don’t know,” I shrug. “And if he did, he never bothered to tell me. I don’t think he even cared about that, about Alexandra’s accusations. He was always very level-headed about gossip and intrigue, and for that, I tip my hat to him.”

“So… Alexandra wanted you to stay in full control of the company, very active in Urus?”

“That’s right.”

“Even knowing that you didn’t like it?”

“She didn’t think like you and I do. In fact, the glaring irony of this situation is that both she and Donovan agreed on this; that duty must be fulfilled no matter the cost. Alexandra thought I was being too reluctant about my position,

that I needed to take it more seriously. Donovan preferred to provide the necessary support to me, rather than accuse me of negligence, and he was already aware of how I felt about being president. So, from that perspective, it’s even a bit plausible that she found it somewhat strange.”

“But she knew he was your best friend, didn’t she?”

“Uh-huh. And that he saved my life.”

Amanda furrows her brow.

“That’s inconsistent.”

“No, it isn’t…” I shake my head, nibbling on one of the pancakes. “Alexandra was raised in that world, with businesses and companies battling each other to see who would get the most profit and popularity. So, from her perspective, everyone is an enemy, even potential allies. Even declared allies, actually. For her, there was no such thing as ‘he’s my best friend, he would never betray me.’”

“How long were you together?”

“Three years.”

She blinks, surprised. I clarify:

“For a long time, I thought I was really hesitant about many things in my life, not just the company. I always had a lot of trouble having goals, objectives to follow. I used to give up halfway or not even start to avoid unnecessary fatigue. I thought being with someone more assertive than me could help me with that, to fix me in a way.”

“And it took you three years to realize it wasn’t working?”

The tone of irritation and slight irony, something completely new from Amanda, doesn’t escape me. But I decide not to focus on it, answering the question transparently instead.

“More or less. I had several glimpses of what could become a problem later on. Her assertiveness, for example, often turned into arrogance. She didn’t see it as a problem to mock or humiliate an underperforming employee, for instance; she even found it funny. She also always tried to tell me what to do and how to do it. Not in an advisory or concerned manner, but as the president of the company giving orders to her secretary.”

“I see…”

“These things were already bothering me, and the feeling was growing cold. However, until the end, I believed we could have a chance; we just needed to fix a few details regarding these flaws. I always believed that the world’s problems could be solved through dialogue if both parties were committed to understanding each other. A good conversation happens when ego doesn’t make an appearance; when pride doesn’t show up. But Alexandra was very proud. And at that time, I was also going through a particularly egocentric period.”

I pause. Then I continue:

“We had many ups and downs, and in the last year, our problems were obviously outweighing everything else. However, seeing her with my archenemy in the business world was the last straw. All that concerned talk, with suspicions about my best friend stealing my place, and right under my nose, she was talking to him; flirting with him. That’s when I calmly said that everything between us was over. And the rest of the story, you know.”

“I do…”

“I still feel guilty for doing that, though. She tried to explain to me that she was doing it to destroy him, that she was trying to gain his trust to find out his weaknesses and then come tell me.”

“And do you believe that?”

“Honestly? I don’t know. At the time, it seemed completely absurd, and I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to hear any words coming from her mouth. But now, thinking about how she always did whatever was necessary for her own good, especially for business… maybe she was telling the truth.”

And that could change everything and nothing at the same time. It had been a long time since that happened, and in any case, it didn’t negate any of the other issues. My only regret was the injustice, the possible harsh sentence I gave to Alexandra with an understandable innocence.

“Does this change anything?” Amanda almost reads my thoughts.

I remain silent for a moment, chewing on the question before finally answering.

“No.”

She looks at me, then drinks from her cup. Her expression doesn’t change; she remains quite troubled.

“This archenemy of yours… He stole your ideas, didn’t he? And that’s why you hate each other?”

“In addition to stealing my ideas, James is completely envious and snobbish. He’s always made it clear that he despises me, as well as Donovan, but deep down, I know he sees both of us as a threat to his empire.”

“James? That’s his name, then?”

“James Ethan Steel. He’s the president of a huge dealership and automotive network, and it’s said he hates his own father. Well, that’s the only thing he and I have in common.”

We spend the rest of breakfast having one of the most intimate conversations we’ve ever had. It’s strange to talk to her about these things, and especially in this way. Usually, I’m the one who has to measure my words, be careful with how I express myself to avoid hurting her. However, today it’s Amanda who puts me on the spot, so to speak. She wants to know everything, and she’s entitled to.

After all, these things could impact her current life.

As I clarify as much as I can about the situation, I pray to any higher power that might help me give her all the attention and care she deserves, as well as guidance to do what’s best in the current situation.