Cut deep

Her world stopped spinning the moment she heard Charles Montgomery’s name. The air in Damian’s office suddenly felt thick and suffocating. She gripped the arms of her chair, her knuckles turning white as the implications of Jackson’s words sank in.

“Charles? Are you certain?” Her voice came out as a whisper.

Damian’s eyes were fixed on her. “Elara, who is Charles Montgomery?”

She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. “He was... he is... my mentor. The man who gave me my first real chance in the corporate world.” The words tasted bitter in her mouth.

Memories flooded back unbidden: Charles’s encouraging smile on her first day, his patient explanations, his teachings, and the pride in his eyes when she closed her first major deal. Each recollection was now tainted by the knowledge of his betrayal.

Elara stood abruptly, needing to move, to do something to quell the storm of emotions threatening to overwhelm her. She paced back and forth in Damian’s office, her heels clicking on t