164

MR. QYLER’S POV.

Somewhere at the back of my mind I could hear the voices and the executives shuffling papers coupled with the clinking of pens tapping against the table but I barely noticed any of that because I was somewhere else entirely, despite being present. I was sitting at the head of the long, behind the mahogany table, staring at the pile of reports in front of me.

My mind wasn't in the room. It wasn't wasn't the numbers, the proposals or the endless chatter about market trends. No. My mind was somewhere else entirely and I wished I could just stop thinking but it wasn't just possible no matter how much I tried. Adeline. My granddaughter. The foolish mistake she was about to make just gnawed at me like a persistent ache and some kind of leech.

I clenched my hands under the table as I tried to focus on the meeting once again, it wouldn't let me. It was just impossible and I was still very confused on how I was going to stop the thoughts. The memory of her tear-streaked fac