Bianca didn't sleep.
She spent the night on her laptop, not crying, but working. The ice in her veins had given her a strange, cold clarity. She organized every file, every document, every stray note from the Blackwell deal. She wrote a detailed transition memo for Ms. Parker, outlining all pending matters and potential risks.
By 6 AM, her apartment was clean and her work was done. She moved through the rooms mechanically, packing a single large suitcase. Her new life, which she had been so excited about just weeks ago, fit neatly into one bag.
The roses Eddie had sent were already wilting. She picked up the vase, walked to the kitchen, and dumped the entire bouquet, murky water and all, into the trash. She paused, her hand hovering over the love letter on the counter. She should rip it up. She should burn it.
She couldn't.
With a flash of self-loathing, she folded the thick card and tucked it deep into her wallet, a physical reminder of her own stupidity.
At 9:02 AM, her phone rang. Not her personal cell, she'd already thrown the SIM card in the trash, but her work phone.
She looked at the caller ID: Ms. Parker.
Bianca took a steadying breath and answered. "Ms. Parker, good morning."
"Bianca? What on earth is this email?" Her boss's voice wasn't warm; it was sharp, bordering on angry. "Indefinite leave? Now? Bianca, the Blackwell deal just closed. Your name is on everyone's lips. This is career suicide."
"I know, ma'am," Bianca said, her voice even. "I wouldn't ask if it wasn't a severe personal emergency."
"What emergency? Your email was... vague."
"It's my mother," Bianca lied, the words tasting like ash. "There was an incident. She's not well. She needs full-time care, and I'm all she has."
This, at least, was a lie Ms. Parker couldn't argue with. It was the perfect, tragic excuse.
Ms. Parker sighed, the anger draining from her voice, replaced by frustration. "I see. Well... that's... terrible, Bianca. Of course, family comes first. But indefinite? Are you sure you can't just take a few weeks?"
"I don't know," Bianca said, letting a small, real tremor of emotion into her voice. "I just know I have to go today. I've sent you a full transition memo. Everything is in order."
Ms. Parker was silent for a moment. "This is a major loss, Bianca. Eddie Blackwell himself said you were the sharpest lawyer he's worked with. He's not going to be happy about this."
A bitter laugh almost escaped Bianca's lips. Oh, I don't think he'll bother.
"I have to go, Ms. Parker," Bianca said softly. "I'm so sorry. Thank you for the opportunity."
She hung up before her boss could reply.
She powered down the work phone and placed it in a large courier envelope along with her security badge. She addressed it to Ms. Parker at the Sterling & Cross office. She would leave it with her doorman on the way out, with instructions for an immediate messenger pickup.
By the time the package arrived at the firm, she would be long gone.
She picked up her suitcase, took one last look at the apartment she'd barely lived in, and walked out the door. She didn't look back.
Across town, in his penthouse, Eddie was having the best morning he'd had in a year.
The Tasha Pearson announcement was a complete success. The media loved it. His mother, Sophia, was thrilled to be a grandmother. Even Marcus, his father's old guard, had clapped him on the shoulder, a rare sign of approval.
His "duty" to the Pearson family was being handled. The "debt" was being paid. The media narrative was secure.
But he wasn't thinking about Tasha.
He was staring at his phone, his thumb hovering over Bianca's name.
She hadn't replied.
It had been over two weeks since he'd sent that letter. Two weeks since that night in the war room. He had poured out more of himself in those words than he had to anyone, ever. And she had met it with total, deafening silence.
He'd told himself to give her space. That she was scared. That she was processing.
But the silence was starting to feel like an answer. It was starting to feel like rejection.
Maybe I was wrong, he thought, irritation pricking at his pride. Maybe she was just like all the others.
But he couldn't make himself believe that. The woman who had easily identified the inconsistencies, the woman who had looked at him and said, "You're nothing like your father", that woman did not play games.
He was about to dial her number, to break the silence and demand an answer, when his own phone rang.
He glanced at the screen. Ms. Parker (Sterling & Cross).
He answered, his CEO voice snapping into place. "Ms. Parker. Good morning. I assume you're calling about the final signatures?"
"Mr. Blackwell," she said, and he could hear the stress in her voice. "I'm afraid I have some... unexpected news. We're going to have to transition your file to a new senior associate."
Eddie froze. "What? I'm working with Ms. Carter."
"Yes, well, that's the issue. As of this morning, Bianca has taken an immediate leave of absence."
The easy, confident feeling he'd had all morning vanished. "What? What are you talking about?"
"A family emergency," Ms. Parker said. "Her mother is very ill, apparently. Hence, the immediate leave of absence. I'm... as shocked as you are. She was a star."
A family emergency. Her mother. Bianca had told him about her mother.
But the timing... It felt... wrong. This wasn't how Bianca operated. She was a planner, driven and meticulous. She was a fighter. She wouldn't just... run.
Unless she was running from him.
"I see," he said, his voice tight. "Thank you for letting me know, Ms. Parker."
He hung up the phone without another word. His mind was racing.
He went to his contacts and hit Bianca's name. Call.
It rang once, then went straight to a cold, robotic voice: "...the number you have dialed is not in service. Please check the number and try again."
He stared at his phone.
Not in service? She hadn't just taken a leave. She had changed her number.
He tried to text her. The message immediately failed. Message Blocking is Active.
He'd been blocked.
He sat there, the news of Tasha's pregnancy and the successful deal completely forgotten.
She was gone. She hadn't just ignored his letter. She had received it, and then she had systematically erased him from her life.
He'd pushed too hard. He'd shown her his true, complicated self, and she had run.
He stood and walked to the wall of glass overlooking the city. Eddie, the man who controlled a billion-dollar empire, had just been completely and totally outmaneuvered.
For the first time in his life, he had no idea what to do next.