Chapter 136

• I couldn’t have known how the rumors were spreading in the capital while I was away, focused on my own path. The corporate world was relentless, and so was my battle. Though the deal was done, the long road to recovery wasn’t as simple as walking away. The merger had been a disaster one that left me at the brink of collapse and now, the scars of that failure still followed me everywhere.
• The negotiations had been difficult, but not nearly as difficult as the aftermath. My team had managed to keep the fallout from completely derailing the company, but the personal toll it took on me was something I couldn't hide. There were still parts of myself I was trying to rebuild. Trust was shattered, deals were lost, and my public image had been dragged through the mud.
• The world seemed to be gunning for me, and I had a long list of naysayers who wanted to see me fail and they had plenty of ammunition. The scandal surrounding my past relationship with Adrian, and the way everything unraveled during the most public moments of my career, had created a storm that wouldn't pass quickly.