Chapter 32 Watching Her Shine
Watching Her Shine
Grayson
Kate is going to work herself into the ground.
I can see it happening. The before-dawn arrivals. The midnight departures. The way she moves through the building with her jaw set, like she's fighting a battle no one else can see.
She is fighting one. She just shouldn't have to.
Wednesday evening, I find her exactly where I expected. Hunched over her desk, surrounded by color-coded printouts and sticky notes only she can decode. Hair falling out of its bun. Coffee stain on her sleeve.
She's beautiful.
"You're at it again," I say from the doorway.
She doesn't look up. "This is important."
"So is sleep."
"I'll sleep when I close the deal."
I want to argue. Want to tell her she doesn't need to prove anything. That the whispers don't matter. That she's already earned her place here a hundred times over.
But, I know Kate.
She needs to do this for herself.
So, I set the sandwich on her desk—turkey and swiss, no mayo, exactly how she likes it—and press a kiss to her hair.
"Don't stay too late."
"I won't."
We both know she's lying.
I leave her bathed in the glow of her laptop screen. I don't leave the building until her light finally goes dark at midnight.
—
Friday arrives fast.
The GreenTech meeting is at two. I'm not attending. Kate made that clear. But, I can't focus all morning. I keep checking my watch. Staring at the clock.
Maxwell stops by around three.
"She's still in there," he says. "Confident. Professional. Like she was born for this." He grins. "Stop worrying."
I try to focus. Review budgets. Answer emails. Pretend I'm not counting the minutes.
At four-thirty, my phone buzzes.
Kate:
They're considering it. Meeting went well.
Relief floods through me.
Me:
Told you.
Kate:
Don't gloat yet. Not a done deal.
Kate:
But thank you. For believing in me.
I stare at that last message for a long moment.
She has no idea how easy it is.
—
Monday morning. Budget meeting. And then I see her through the glass walls.
Kate is on her phone, pacing outside her office. I can't hear her. But I can read her body language.
The moment she stops mid-stride.
The moment her hand flies to her mouth.
The moment her whole face lights up.
She got it.
I excuse myself and head straight for her office. By the time I arrive, she's already gone—sprinting toward Maxwell's door.
I follow at a reasonable pace. Arrive just in time to hear her shout through the open door.
"GreenTech signed!"
"Twenty million! They said yes!"
Maxwell pulls her into a hug. I lean in the doorframe, watching.
Pride swells in my chest. Sharp. Fierce. Overwhelming.
She did it. All on her own. Exactly like I knew she would.
—
The company gala is Friday night.
I've attended dozens of these. Expensive venues, overpriced champagne, forced networking. They've always felt hollow.
Tonight is different.
I arrive at Kate's door at seven sharp. When she opens it, I forget how to breathe.
Midnight blue dress. Hair swept up. Makeup subtle but perfect.
Powerful. Stunning. Completely herself.
“You’re… kind of breathtaking.”
Her expression softens, surprise flickering in her eyes before it melts into something warmer.
“Funny,” she says quietly. “I was just thinking the same about you.”
A slow smile spreads across her face. She slips her hand through my arm like it’s the most natural thing in the world, and together we step forward, moving into the night side by side.
The ballroom is crowded. Maxwell finds us near the bar almost immediately and raises his glass.
"To our brilliant COO."
We toast. Kate relaxes beside me. For the first time since she took this position, she looks like she belongs here.
Because she does.
Then, I see Sarah approaching.
The office gossip. The woman who's been whispering against Kate since day one.
My jaw tightens.
"Kate," Sarah says, smile like a knife. "I heard about GreenTech. Impressive." She tilts her head. "Though I have to ask—are you here because of your skills? Or because of Grayson?"
Nearby conversations stop.
I'm about to step in when Kate speaks.
Her voice is calm. Clear. Absolutely steady.
"I'm here because I earned it. I secured a twenty-million-dollar contract this week. On my own. Because I studied, prepared, and proved that Evervolt was the right partner for GreenTech."
The room goes silent.
"If anyone has a problem with that, they can schedule a meeting with me. Professionally."
Sarah looks like she's been slapped.
Someone starts clapping. Then someone else. Then, the entire section erupts.
I step forward and take Kate's hand.
She's better at this than I ever was. I say it out loud. I mean it.
Kate has something I never had. She leads with strength and heart. She demands respect while still treating people with kindness.
Sarah disappears into the crowd. I don't watch her go.
—
Later, we're back at the penthouse.
Kate is barefoot, hair down, pins scattered on the entryway table. She stands at the floor-to-ceiling window in her midnight blue dress, the city lights reflected around her like stars.
I cross the room and wrap my arms around her from behind. She melts into me, her hands covering mine.
"A few months ago, I was an assistant who blew up an espresso machine," she says softly. "Now I'm COO after closing a twenty-million-dollar deal."
I press a kiss to the curve of her neck. "You earned every bit of it."
She turns in my arms. Face to face. Close enough that I can see the gold flecks in her hazel eyes.
"I know," she says. "And that's what makes it incredible. I actually know it now."
I cup her face in my hands. "I've known it from the beginning."
"You're biased."
"I'm right."
She laughs. The sound settles somewhere deep in my chest, like it was always meant to be there.
Then, she kisses my cheek.
"I love you," she whispers. "Not because of the job. Not because you believed in me. Because you see me. The real me. Chaos and all."
"The chaos is my favorite part."
"Liar."
"Truth." I kiss her forehead, her temple, the corner of her mouth. "I love every messy, brilliant part of you. Especially the part that blows up espresso machines. It brought you to me."
She's real. This is real.
I pull back and reach into my jacket pocket.
A small velvet box.
"It's not what you think," I say quickly, opening it to reveal a delicate gold key on a chain. "It's the key to the cabin. I had it made into a necklace. So you always have home with you."
Her hand flies to her mouth.
I fasten it around her neck. The key settles just above her heart.
She turns and throws her arms around me.
"I love you so much," she says against my shoulder. "So much it scares me sometimes."
"I know the feeling."
We stand at the window, the city glittering below, our future stretching before us.
Uncertain. Challenging.
Ours.