Audrey cut him off with a look. "Don't waste your breath. Let the results talk."

Reid shut his mouth and straightened the bid documents instead. Then he pulled out her chair. "Ms. Griffin."

They'd barely sat down when Omar Bell arrived carrying two absurdly overloaded breakfast plates. "Your favorite. Eat. My father and his team are ten minutes out."

He dropped into the seat beside her and leaned in. "There aren't many bidders today, but every one of them is serious. You're sure you don't want me to put in a word?"

Audrey gave him a flat look, picked up a pastry, and pushed it into his mouth. "Do you really have that little faith in me?"

Omar grinned around it. "My mistake. Don't be mad."

"I'll be remembering this conversation."

Their banter pulled glances from across the otherwise silent hall.

Diego and Marcus couldn't stop watching her. "I don't love this," Marcus murmured. "Omar's feeding her pointers."

Diego's eyes narrowed. "You told me the Bell family wasn't stupid."

"I'm just saying. There's always a chance it doesn't go our way."

If Diego won, Marcus's family stood to make a fortune. He had skin in it.

"And if she wins," Diego said, rubbing his temple, "then we weren't good enough." He was already turning over the fallback.

More firms filtered in and the hall came alive. Then Gerald Bell, head of the Bell Group, came through with his team and went straight into the conference room, leaving an aide at the door.

"Good morning, everyone. I'll be coordinating today. Please wait until your number is called. Team one."

Omar glanced at Audrey's number and smirked. "Dead last?"

"Going first doesn't mean walking out with it." She sipped her coffee and watched Diego disappear into the conference room ahead of everyone, a dry smile on her lips.

"Something funny, Ms. Griffin? You honestly think you're winning this on merit? Look around. Every company in this room is top-tier. Can a boutique security firm really compete?" Marcus sneered.

Omar turned on him. "Nervous, Mr. Vance? Relax. Relationships are a qualification too."

Audrey didn't bother looking up. With small men, why spend the words?

By mid-morning, it was her turn.

She took a breath and walked into the conference room without hurrying. Reid followed with the documents.

Gerald Bell blinked when he saw who the last candidate was, and adjusted his glasses. "Ms. Griffin. Does your family know you're here?"

He and Audrey's father, Victor Griffin, went back thirty years, though their paths had drifted. Very few people knew how close the two families had once been.

Audrey smiled politely. "If I'm sitting here, they know. But let's run the standard process, Mr. Bell. This is the full plan, and these are the letters of intent I've already secured."

Then she laid the whole thing out.

Behind her, Reid couldn't look away. She burned brighter than anyone who had walked through that door all morning.

The Bell team started out flipping through her proposal. One by one, they set the pages down and just listened.

By the end, nobody was reading.

When she finished, the vote was unanimous, and it didn't take a second round.

Reid froze for half a beat, unsure what came next.

Audrey stood. "Thank you. I'll make sure the Bell Group gets the hospital this city should have had twenty years ago."

She turned and walked out, and her smile never slipped.

The moment she cleared the door, Omar got to her first. "Well?"

Reid snapped his fingers. "What do you think? Start planning tonight." He tipped his chin at Omar, smug as anything.

Diego's stomach dropped. He didn't need to be told.

Then Marcus shot out of his chair and lunged at Audrey, grabbing for her arm.