Chapter 8 8

The morning sun sliced through the gap in the curtains, hitting the chipped kitchen table.

Josiah sat in the hard wooden chair. He pushed the cashier's check back across the table.

Flora stood by the stove, holding two mugs of cheap instant coffee. She froze, her knuckles turning white around the ceramic handles.

"Take it back," Josiah said. His voice was firm, leaving no room for argument.

Flora set the mugs down so hard the dark liquid sloshed over the rims. "Josiah, you need this to start over."

"I made some calls last night," Josiah lied smoothly, tapping his index finger against the table. "An old friend from Silicon Valley runs a venture capital firm. He agreed to front me a bridge loan. I don't need your money, Flora. Keep it for your business."

Flora stared at him. Her chest tightened with a confusing mix of intense relief and sharp embarrassment. She had offered him her soul, and he had handed it back.

But as she looked at his rigid posture, she realized it wasn't rejection. It was pride. He refused to drain her dry.

Flora slowly reached out and slid the check back into her pocket. Her eyes burned. "Okay."

Josiah exhaled a silent, ragged breath. He felt like he had just defused a bomb.

An hour later, Flora sat on the crowded subway train, swaying with the motion of the cars. She pulled out her phone to check her bank app, just to make sure the $84 was still there.

The screen loaded.

Flora gasped out loud. Several people turned to look at her.

Her available balance was $584.12.

She clicked on the transaction history. There was a pending deposit of $500 from an entity called J-Ventures.

Flora's heart hammered against her ribs. She frantically typed the name into a search engine. Nothing came up. It was a ghost company.

She immediately opened her texts and messaged Josiah.

Did you send me money?

Miles away, in a glass-walled boardroom at the top of the Knight Group tower, Josiah sat at the head of a massive mahogany table. He wore a bespoke charcoal suit.

His phone buzzed. He looked at the screen.

He typed back: It's household expenses. From my new loan. I'm your husband.

Flora read the text on the subway. A hot tear slipped down her cheek. Five hundred dollars was nothing in New York, but to her, it was proof that he was fighting for them.

After her shift, Flora practically ran to the grocery store. She went straight to the meat counter and bought two thick, discounted ribeye steaks.

When she got back to the apartment, Josiah wasn't there. A sticky note on the counter read: Meeting my investor friend.

Flora turned on the stove. She seared the steaks in a pan, the rich smell of burning fat and rosemary filling the cramped space. She lit a cheap vanilla candle and set it on the table.

In Manhattan, Josiah stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of his office.

Milo stood behind him, holding a tablet. "The J-Ventures shell is active. We can funnel millions into her business without triggering SEC red flags."

"Do it," Josiah said coldly, his gaze sweeping over the endless city lights. "Set up a 'Small Business Innovation Grant' through the shell company. Make sure she's selected as the winner. It needs to look like she earned it through a legitimate application."

"You're playing a dangerous game, Boss. If she digs into the grant's origins..." Milo warned, trailing off.

Josiah turned around. His eyes were lethal, burning with a fierce protectiveness. "Just make sure she gets what she deserves without raising any alarms."

At 8:00 PM, Josiah unlocked the door to the Brooklyn apartment.

The smell of steak hit him instantly. He walked into the kitchen and stopped dead.

Flora stood by the table, smiling. The candlelight flickered across her face, softening her tired eyes.

"I wanted to celebrate," Flora said, pointing to the plates.

Josiah sat down. He picked up the cheap steak knife and cut into the meat. It was slightly overcooked and tough.

He put a piece in his mouth. It tasted better than any meal he had ever eaten in his life.

He looked across the table at Flora. The fake persona he had built was melting, piece by piece, burning away in the heat of this tiny, rundown apartment.

One day, Josiah thought, his jaw clenching, I am going to drop the entire Knight empire at your feet.