Adira's POV
Two weeks after the summit, my assistant slipped into my office, eyes wide.
"Ms. Williams... you have an unscheduled visitor."
I frowned. "I don't do unscheduled."
"I know, but... it's Jayden Craig."
My pen stilled. The mysterious man from the summit. The one who had left me with questions I couldn't shake.
"Send him in," I said, masking my surprise with a cool tone.
The door opened, and there he was. Impeccably dressed, calm, his presence filling the room like he owned it. He didn't look out of place in my office in fact, he looked like he belonged there.
"Mr. Craig." I gestured to the chair opposite me. "To what do I owe this... surprise?"
He sat, leaning back with the ease of someone who never begged for permission. "I wanted to discuss potential opportunities. Expansion. Partnerships. Your Study Spot has potential beyond coffee shops. You know that, don't you?"
I narrowed my eyes. "You've been researching me."
He didn't flinch. "I don't waste time on things I don't believe in."
His certainty rattled me more than I wanted to admit. "And what exactly do you believe in, Mr. Craig?"
He held my gaze, his voice steady. "You."
The words landed heavy in the air. My pulse skipped, but I forced myself to keep my expression neutral. "That's flattering. But I don't build empires on admiration. If you want to talk business, talk business."
He smiled faintly, like he expected that. "Fair enough. I believe The Study Spot can become a global ecosystem for students and young professionals not just a café. Co-working spaces. Networking hubs. Technology integrated into the experience. I can help you get there."
I leaned forward, studying him. He spoke like he already knew my thoughts — ideas I hadn't dared voice outside my private journals.
"How do you know so much about me?" I asked quietly.
That smile again. Infuriating. "Let's just say I make it my business to know brilliance when I see it."
Jayden's POV
Every word from her was sharp, cautious, like she was testing for weakness. But beneath her steel exterior, I saw the girl I remembered fierce, determined, still carrying the fire that had caught my heart all those years ago.
I couldn't tell her yet. Not that I had been her silent investor when others walked away. Not that every milestone she celebrated had also been mine in secret.
So I gave her just enough. Enough to stay close. Enough to make her curious.
Her world was built on walls. I wasn't here to break them.
I was here to wait... until she opened the door herself.