~Jennie’s~

“You’ll want to mute that motherly instinct in there, O’Neal,” Blair says with a sugary tone as she adjusts her stiletto against the polished glass table. “They smell softness like blood.”

I breathe in deep and slow. I clutch my leather folder tighter. I will not let her get to me today. Not in front of all these stiff-suited men who probably still think the world’s run by their breakfast clubs and tax-free bank accounts.

The boardroom is a fortress. High ceilings. Chrome fixtures. Harsh lighting that turns everyone’s face into a chess piece. Reo sits at the head like he owns the oxygen. Leo is two seats to...