Chapter 6
Alethrisha POV
The meeting ended cleanly. Efficient. Exactly the way I preferred it. Yet, as I walked out of his office, there was a faint sense that something unfinished lingered behind me. Not words. Not promises. Just presence.
At home, I lay back against the headboard, staring at the ceiling longer than necessary. My thoughts drifted, uninvited, to William Alexander Seth. Not his face exactly, but his composure. The way he spoke only when he had something worth saying. The restraint in his gaze. The subtle confidence that did not ask to be acknowledged. Annoying.
I dismissed it with a quiet breath, took a long shower, and returned to work. Contracts. Figures. Deadlines. Familiar territory. Reliable.
That night, at dinner, my parents spoke about market expansions and legacy. I listened, contributed, and nodded at the right moments. I slept early, determined to reset.
The next morning, I woke unusually refreshed. Focused. Two hours later, I was on a flight to China.
The negotiation there was decisive. Efficient. No wasted motion. We discussed projections, logistics, and risk allocation. I signed the contract with a steady hand, aware of the weight it carried. Another strategic win. Another step forward.
Two days later, I returned to England. Snow greeted us at the airport—light and persistent. My parents were waiting. We drove home in quiet comfort, spoke over dinner, and retired early.
As I prepared for bed, a single thought surfaced, uninvited but persistent: he had not called. I filed the observation away where it belonged. Not emotion. Not expectation. Just data. And with that, I slept.