“When are you going to be done playing games down in that place?” he asked, as I took the stairs and I forced myself to breathe before lashing out at him.

“When the show is done and the Valle Mar deal is locked in, remember?” I kept my voice low, because the moment my father realized he’d me riled up, he’d keep pushing until I exploded.

“I heard that secretary of yours is down there. Is that what this is about? You chasing tail?”

If I got pissed off things would just go off the rails. “My former assistant,” I ground out. “She also has a degree in interior design and her own business, and yes, she’s the lead designer for the project the show is covering,” I informed him as I stepped into the hallway. The conference room’s wall was made of glass and I could see Alba clearly even from ten feet away. She was standing by a long table that took up most of the room, poring over a bunch of drawings she’d spread out on the table. She was in one of her Dallas outfits. An emerald green blouse and tight gray skirt. Her curls bounced around her head and I could see just a hint of the lace of her bra as she stretched to slide a paper closer. Focused. Intense. Going after what she wanted with everything she had.

My father droned on about contracts and potential properties to buy, but my focus had already drifted away from him.

Need pulsed through me merely from watching her. This was it, what I’d come here for. This woman who had been here on her own for hours already. Working, chasing her dreams. She must’ve noticed me, because she popped her head up and looked right at me for just a second. And she looked...pleased?

“Dad, I need to go.” I heard the surprised intake of breath and a hole opened in my stomach. That instant guilt at displeasing my father. But I didn’t backtrack. I wouldn’t apologize.

“I built a kingdom for you, and you act like you’re doing me a favor.”

“I didn’t ask for it.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Where did I start? I hadn’t wanted any of this. Three years ago, I’d been prepared to tell him I didn’t want to take over as the head of Ganas Corp. That I wanted something different than what he’d envisioned for me, but then he’d had a heart attack, his third in ten years, and everything changed. I’d taken over the day-to-day operations, hired a third assistant, and told myself I’d help until he was stronger. But one year had turned into three and I forgot that Ganas was my father’s dream, not mine. Here in Dallas I’d begun to remember.