Friday morning arrived with the faint hum of rain against the window. I would've slept in, should've, but the gentle shake of my shoulder and the smell of her shampoo got me up before the alarm could.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Val murmured, her voice still heavy with that soft morning hush that always made her sound like peace in human form. She was already dressed—cream blouse, her hair tied back in that neat way that made her look too professional for this hour. "Dad called. I have to drop by early. Something urgent at the office."

"Urgent," I echoed, voice still heavy with sleep. "You're not even supposed to start till nine."

She grinned, brushing her thumb along my cheek. "Tell that to my dad. He said it's important."

I cracked an eye open, studying her. "Important enough to ruin breakfast?"

She laughed softly. "You'll live, Mr. Tanaka. I'll make it up to you tonight."

"Be safe," I said, and she kissed me once before disappearing out the door.

Breakfast was quiet after that. Duchess hopped onto the counter like she owned the place, tail flicking as she stared at me with judgment that only a cat could pull off. I sat there with a half-eaten omelet and my coffee cooling beside it. It should've felt lonely, but It didn't. I understood the rhythm of Val's work, the early calls, the late nights, the way she poured herself into what she did. It was part of what I loved about her.

Still… if I'd known how today would play out, I might've asked her to stay just a little longer.

---

By the time I pulled into Gray & Milton's lot, the rain had stopped. The air felt clean, sharp, almost cinematic, the kind of morning that promised something important. The building's glass exterior caught the pale sunlight, throwing it back in sharp glints, like it was smiling at the day ahead.

Inside, the mood was different. Focused. Electric. The Meridian Development Initiative had everyone walking a little straighter, speaking a little quicker.

By 8:14 a.m., our team was assembled and ready to move.

Gray & Milton – Meridian Development Initiative Team

Richard Hale — Project Director

Tasha Reynolds — Deputy Project Director

Gabriel Walcott — Contracts Manager

Lee Ji-ho — Chief Engineer

Kai Tanaka — Lead Financial Analyst

Noah Delgado — Chief Estimator

And a handful of junior analysts, legal aides, and technical specialists followed in our wake, each one knowing what this meant. Meridian wasn't just another government project, it was the project. The kind that could rewrite portfolios, restructure departments, and turn mid-level managers into names that mattered.

The ride over to Holloway Avenue, where the Pre-Proposal Conference was being held, was filled with quiet talk and the hum of engines. The government had chosen a large conference facility near the development site, an industrial-looking building framed by scaffolds and future plans.

As we stepped out, the smell of wet concrete and diesel mixed in the air. The parking lot was a sea of tinted sedans and matte SUVs. Inside, a small forest of banners displayed the logos of competing firms.

Sixteen in total, Hale had said. Sixteen sharks circling the same prize.

"Guess the cavalry's all here," Tasha murmured, her clipboard hugged to her chest.

"Cavalry?" Gabriel grinned. "Feels more like a firing squad."

I smirked faintly, tugging at my tie. "Let's just hope they're bad shots."

We moved through the crowd, handshakes and polite nods traded like currency. A few familiar faces stood out, seasoned veterans of the industry. Near the registration table, a tall, dark-skinned man in a perfectly fitted suit turned as we approached.

"Weldane Mechanics," Hale said under his breath. "That's their Project Director, Elias Ford."

Elias was the kind of man who looked like he'd been born in a boardroom, charming, confident, and just the right amount of smug.

"Hale," Elias greeted with a grin. "Didn't think I'd see you back in the trenches again."

"Couldn't resist a good fight," Hale replied coolly, shaking his hand. "You still breaking records or just egos?"

Elias chuckled. "Both, on a good day. See you inside, old man."

Tasha leaned close to me as Elias walked away. "He's the type that writes his own performance reviews, isn't he?"

"Probably frames them, too," I murmured.

The conference room filled up fast. Rows of teams, each with their crisp suits and polished smiles. Government officials took their seats at the front, stern-faced, their folders thick with expectations.

Then, about twenty minutes in, I heard it. The familiar rhythm of heels across tile.

At first, I didn't look. Too focused on adjusting my notes, maybe too stubborn to let my mind wander where it wanted to. But the shift in the room was subtle and immediate, like someone had turned down the volume of everything else.

I glanced up.

And there she was.

Celestia Valentina Moreau.

Walking in like she owned the damn morning.

Her hair was tied in a low twist, neat but soft. Her white blouse was tucked beneath a tailored charcoal blazer, her badge clipped neatly beside the bold emblem of Moreau Dynamics.

For a second, I thought I was imagining it. I blinked once. Twice. No, she was there. Standing beside a man I didn't recognize, talking quietly as she took her seat with the rest of the Moreau team.

My heartbeat turned traitor, steady, heavy, loud.

She hadn't said anything. Not last night, not this morning. She'd said her dad called her in early. Her dad.

And now it all made sense.

Philip Rodriguez, the clipboard-thrower.

Her dad's urgent call.

The way she'd hesitated when talking about the conference.

Every piece slid into place like it had been waiting for this exact moment.

Tasha noticed too. Her eyes darted to me, then to Val, then back. "Oh," she whispered. "Well… that's new."

I forced a breath through my nose, straightening the papers in front of me even though they didn't need straightening. "Yeah," I said quietly. "It's… something."

Across the room, Val must've felt my gaze because her eyes flicked up, and found me.

For a heartbeat, the noise of the room faded entirely.

There was no anger there. No guilt either. Just that quiet, unreadable calm she used when she didn't know what to say yet. Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to, but then she looked away, towards a man who had just joined her side, whispering something close to her ear.

I could feel it then. The sting. The slow, cold understanding that something sacred had shifted.

Hale leaned toward me. "You alright, Tanaka?"

I gave a small nod. "Yeah," I lied. "Ready as ever."

But inside, the ground had already started to crack.

This wasn't just another bid anymore.

This was personal.

Because she'd known. She had to have known.

Her father didn't make moves without telling her, not with something like this.

And the way she looked at me just now — calm, steady, almost rehearsed — it said everything.

No surprise. No apology. Just quiet, professional composure.

The kind you wear when you've already made your choice.

Maybe this was what her father had been shaping all along.

Maybe this was what it meant to be a Moreau, to smile while the knife's already in.

And as she turned back to the front, pretending not to feel my eyes on her, I realized something I never thought I would.

Last night, she'd kissed me like I was her home.

But this morning… she'd walked me straight into the battlefield.

And it burned, right in the place where her name used to feel safe.

---

To be continued...

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