Page 111 of Grizz

“All you can ask for,” I say.

“Loneliness doesn’t disappear just because you’re powerful,” he says, cutting me off.“It gets quieter, but you can fill it from time to time.”Julian sets his glass down on the desk, the sound deliberate.“Something’s bothering you,” he says.

I shake my head automatically.“I’m fine.”

He doesn’t react.Just watches me over the rim of his tumbler.“No,” he says evenly.“You’re not.”

I sip the whiskey I don’t need.The burn is welcome.“It’s been a long season.”

“That’s not it.”He pauses, then adds, “I know about you and Daisy.”

I stare at him.“You—”

“You’re my franchise player,” Julian says calmly.“And you two weren’t as discreet as you thought you were.”His gaze zeroes in on me even more so.“What happened?”

Heat crawls up my neck.Embarrassment.Exposure.“It didn’t work out.”

“That’s not an answer,” he replies.

I exhale through my nose.“I ended it.”

“Why?”

Because saying it out loud gives it teeth.

“Because I don’t trust myself,” I say finally.“Because I don’t want to ruin her.”

Julian studies me for a long beat, then leans back.“That fear sound familiar to you?”

I don’t answer.

“I loved someone once,” he says at last, voice lower now.“Truly.Completely.”His gaze drifts to the window.“And I lost her.”

I don’t move.

“You’ll be able to survive the choice to let Daisy go,” Julian continues.“You can build an empire.You can succeed beyond anything you imagined.”His voice hardens.“But you’ll carry the absence of her forever.”

I’m at a loss.I’ve never heard him speak like this.

“You don’t walk away from something extraordinary because of ghosts,” he says.“You don’t let the worst man in your life dictate the best thing that ever happened to you.”

I stare into the fire, the truth pressing in from every side.“What if I become him?”I ask.“What if I ruin her?”

“Then you deal with it,” Julian says.“You confront it.You get help.You take responsibility.But if you walk away now, your father still has power over you.”

A long silence stretches.

“There’s another thing you should know,” Julian adds.

I look up.

“Daisy gave her notice yesterday,” he says.“She’s leaving the organization.”

My breath leaves me all at once.“What?”

“She’s going home to Washington for Thanksgiving,” he continues.“Then she’s headed west.”

My pulse roars in my ears.“The job in Los Angeles?”