And with that formal proclamation like we were strangers, I turned to hide in my room the rest of the day, where I flip-flopped between falling apart as I cried and building myself back up as I planned for my future.
Chapter Nine
CORBIN
I stood in that spot for ten minutes, frozen with the image of her back getting further and further away permanently imprinted in my mind.
My phone buzzed against my thigh, tugging me out of my stupor enough to at least stumble my way to the barstool at the island. My mind worked overtime, turning over the past half hour—the past month. Hell, even the past six years.
When had I turned so bitter—so angry?
I cringed, remembering all I’d spewed toward Rose.
I was known as a shark in business, cutting my adversaries down with my words until they begged me to finish them off.
I’d learned from the best.
“You’re smart,” the dark-haired man said from the back of the now empty room. “And you’re quick with your words which saved this company today, but you could be better.”
“How can I be better if I’m already winning?” I asked, holding my arms wide to encompass my victory. My budding company still intact.
“You wouldn’t have to work so hard to win next time.”
“I barely broke a sweat,” I scoffed but looked away.
He snorted. “You wouldn’t have to lie about how hard you work.”
I studied him. His dark hair and dark gray eyes should have made him look ominous, yet they held too much curiosity as they studied me to spark any fear. He lounged back in his chair without a care in the world. Like he hadn’t just sat on the side of the losing team. “Shouldn’t you be with your company?”
“Not my company. I’m merely advising, and I don’t particularly like him anyway. And since he lost, because he didn’t take my advice, I’m no longer advising.”
“What was your advice?”
His slow smile changed his entire demeanor to an opponent I hoped to never face in a boardroom. “Can’t tell you that.”
“Who are you?” I asked, pulling my shoulders wide, trying to match this man’s easy strength.
Unintimidated, he took his time rising to his feet, re-buttoning his jacket, and taking slow, easy steps to close the gap. He only stood about two or three inches taller, but somehow, made me feel like a boy looking up to a giant.
“Alec Berkshire. It’s nice to formally meet you, Corbin Black.”
My jaw dropped a fraction. We discussed Alec Berkshire and his success in turning a small, local, family company into a billion-dollar shipping empire in my college courses.
“You’re taller than I expected,” I blurted, the smooth-talking businessman from earlier gone. “I mean, I saw some pictures in articles, and I just assumed.”
He laughed. “If you think I’m big now, you should see me when I’m scared.”
My brows pinched while I struggled to make sense of his words. “Wouldn’t you be smaller when you’re scared?”
“Of course, which is why you need to make up for how small you are with giant strength. How else would you fight your way out of a corner? I have yet to find myself in a corner I couldn’t get out of, and if you let me, I’ll make sure you don’t either.”
“What?”
He smiled. “You’re twenty-four, right?”
“Yes.” Again, my guard went up, waiting for him to judge me for being so young and in charge of the company I created that grew exponentially these past couple years.
“Impressive,” was all he said, deflating my balloon. “Let’s talk. I have a proposition for you.”
The memory hit me, knocking the air from my lungs. Somehow, over the past few years, I’d squashed memories of Alec. They left me raw and aching, and it was easier to dissociate from the thoughts. It wasn’t until Rose showed up that I realized how much I missed him. How much I was doing him a disservice by not living in the raw, aching moments. It was because of him that I could even accomplish pushing those feelings aside.
Alec taught me everything he knew for no other reason than he liked me. And the one thing he taught me best was how to hone my fear into what I needed to succeed. Somewhere in the time since he passed away, I morphed that skill into just hiding my fear. I’d created a sleeping giant that rarely woke because no one was around to poke him.
Rose hadn’t just poked the giant; she’d whispered words that slipped past my defenses, delivering a surprise attack that left me lashing out blindly. I’d used anything in my mind—every excuse I’d conjured lying in bed trying to convince myself to not go to her room; I’d snatched it as a weapon and landed my blows.
Unfortunately, in the aftermath of the battle, I still felt cornered. I still felt scared.