Michael's POV
Settling into the plush leather of my first-class seat, I unbuttoned my collar and released a long breath that had been trapped in my chest for hours.
This business trip felt endless, not because of its duration but because every moment away from New York meant another moment without Allyson. The ache of her absence had followed me through every meeting, every handshake, every forced smile at corporate dinners.
What should have been a standard three-day negotiation, I compressed into thirty-six hours. The pharmaceutical CEO signed our merger agreement ahead of schedule, the contracts were locked down, and my legal team handled the remaining details. Any other time, I would have celebrated such efficiency. Instead, my thoughts kept drifting to her laugh, her touch, the way she looked at me like I was worth something more than my bank account.
