Norah Fisher stared at her phone, her mind a tangled mess, before ending the call. It rang again almost immediately. She was about to hit decline when she noticed the name on the screen: her best friend, Elia Dean. But wait—wasn't Elia supposed to be on vacation?

Confused, Norah answered.

"Norah, I was in a car accident. I'm at the hospital now."

"What? Hold on—I'm on my way," Norah said, already breathless. She threw on clothes, didn't bother with her hair or makeup, and rushed out of her apartment.

"You're up?"

Jamie Olson's voice stopped her in her tracks as she stepped out. Did he crash at her place last night?

"Breakfast's ready. Care to join me?" Jamie offered, pulling her back to the present. But with Elia lying in a hospital bed, Norah didn't have a second to waste.

"Thanks, but I have to get to the hospital," she replied, darting out the door.

Jamie watched her leave, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes as he murmured, "To the hospital?" Her sudden exit left him deep in thought.

Norah got to the hospital as fast as she could.

"Norah!" Elia called out, her voice still carrying a teasing edge even from a hospital bed.

Norah rushed over, scanning Elia for any sign of serious injury. "Are you okay? Nothing major, right?"

"Just a few scrapes, nothing serious," Elia assured her with a bright smile.

Relief washed over Norah, and she sighed. "Weren't you supposed to be on vacation with Matthew? What happened? Did you two get into a fight?"

Elia and her boyfriend, Matthew Spencer, were known for their bickering, unlike Norah and Lionel, who rarely quarreled. Norah used to think her relationship with Lionel was perfect, but now everything had changed.

"Oh, please. I rushed back because of you!" Elia replied, feigning irritation. "You didn't even tell me about your engagement, let alone the complete mess it blew up into."

The engagement had been a spontaneous decision, and Norah hadn't wanted to ruin Elia's vacation with the news—or the drama that followed.

"Where's Matthew? I haven't seen him around," Norah asked, changing the subject.

"He went to visit Lionel," Elia replied, steering the conversation back with a teasing tone. "Come on, spill. I asked Matthew, but he clammed up."

"It's over between Lionel and me," Norah said plainly.

Elia blinked, momentarily surprised, then nodded in understanding. "If that's your decision, I'm with you. Honestly, Lionel was never good enough for you."

Elia had never liked Lionel, especially after Vivienne Powell came back into the picture. Vivienne's behavior had infuriated her on Norah's behalf.

"Maybe I should break up with Matthew too and embrace the single life with you," Elia declared with mock drama, just as Matthew walked in.

"Elia, quit messing around," Matthew scolded, clearly rattled by her words.

"What?" Elia snapped.

"Don't use breakups as a threat every time," Matthew warned.

As they launched into another playful argument, Norah quietly slipped out of the room.

"Norah. You're here."

Norah found herself face-to-face with Vivienne Powell just as she stepped out. Of course, Elia's room was right next to Lionel's.

Vivienne approached with a practiced smile. "Norah, I'm so glad you came. Lionel's been asking about you nonstop. He'll be thrilled to know you're here."

"I'm not here for him," Norah replied coolly, already moving to leave. "I have other things to do."

Vivienne reached out to stop her. "Norah, are you still upset with me? What do I need to do to make it right? Just say the word."

Norah let out a quiet scoff. Vivienne's empty promises were transparent. By the end of the day, Vivienne would spin the story to make herself the victim.

"Vivienne, you've played your part perfectly. I did what you wanted—I ended things with Lionel. Can you just leave me alone now?" Norah shook off Vivienne's hand.

Vivienne let out a dramatic gasp and crumpled to the floor, drawing every eye nearby.

Lionel, looking banged-up and bruised, emerged from the next room with the help of Marshall Ross.

Matthew and Elia followed, drawn by the commotion. Lionel's expression hardened the second he saw Vivienne on the floor.

"It's not Norah's fault. I tripped," Vivienne insisted weakly, making Norah look even worse.

"Norah, that's heartless! Vivienne is pregnant, for crying out loud! If anything happens to her, the Ross family won't let this slide," Marshall spat, hauling Vivienne to her feet.

"Please don't blame Norah," Vivienne said, her voice dripping with fake innocence.

Elia could barely contain herself, ready to lunge forward, but Matthew held her back.

Lionel's face was stony, completely devoid of warmth. "Norah, apologize to Vivienne."

A small, bitter smile flickered across Norah's lips. Of course. When it came down to her or Vivienne, Lionel would always choose Vivienne.

"Lionel, are you blind? Norah would never do something like that," Elia interjected, her anger finally boiling over.

"Lionel, it really wasn't Norah," Vivienne chimed in again, playing the innocent martyr.

The manipulation was masterful. Every fake defense only made Norah look guiltier.

"Norah, I'm telling you to apologize to her," Lionel repeated.

Norah nodded. "Fine. I'll apologize."

She stepped closer to Vivienne, and Lionel's expression eased slightly.

"I'll apologize for anything I've done. But first, let me do something actually worth apologizing for."

With that, Norah cracked her hand across Vivienne's face, hard enough to send her sprawling to the ground.

Blood dripped from the corner of Vivienne's mouth as she lay there, stunned.

Norah turned to Lionel, her gaze cold and steady. "See? If I really wanted to hurt her, it wouldn't have been some weak little shove."

Elia felt a surge of satisfaction and had to stop herself from clapping.

Vivienne was seething on the inside, but she'd never expected Norah to actually hit her.

Lionel's face darkened.

"Norah, are you out of your mind?" Marshall roared, stalking toward her.

Matthew Spencer, who had stayed silent until that moment, stepped between Marshall Ross and Norah Fisher.

"Marshall, this is between Norah and Lionel. Stay out of it."

Marshall opened his mouth, but Norah cut him off. "Matthew, I've got this."

Matthew frowned, worried. He knew Marshall could be a real piece of work.

Even so, Norah gently nudged Matthew aside and walked straight up to Marshall.

"Norah Fisher, apologize to Vivienne right now, and we'll pretend this never happened," Marshall demanded, all swagger and no clue who he was dealing with.

Norah knew exactly how little respect Marshall had for her.

Across the room, Elia Dean pushed, "Lionel, say something."

"Norah should apologize to Vivienne," Lionel said coldly, as if she had embarrassed him.

To him, Norah was just making a scene at the hospital, showing up only to stir up trouble.

With Lionel backing him, Marshall got even bolder. "Norah, get on your knees and apologize to Vivienne, and we'll let it slide."

Norah smirked, stepping close enough to rest her hand on Marshall's shoulder.

"Norah, what are you doing?" he asked. Before he could react, Norah delivered a swift, brutal kick to his groin.

She didn't hold back. Not even a little.

Marshall crumpled to the floor, groaning in agony.

Norah stood over him, completely unfazed, and landed another solid kick. "Marshall, didn't your cousin tell you I know self-defense?"

Matthew winced on Marshall's behalf, realizing his earlier worry had been misplaced.

"Marshall Ross, I tolerated you out of respect for Lionel. Now that Lionel and I are done, do you really think I'm going to stand here and let you disrespect me?"

Norah shifted her glare to Lionel.

"And you, Lionel. We're over. Stop talking to me like you have some kind of authority over me. You don't."

Lionel's expression flickered, anger bleeding into something that looked a lot like regret—worse, somehow, than any bruise.

"Norah Fisher, if you bring up breaking up one more time, we're done for good," Lionel warned.

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" Norah scoffed.

She turned to Elia. "Let's catch up another time. I'm leaving."

Elia nodded. "Okay."

Norah walked away without a backward glance, each step echoing with quiet resolve.

Lionel watched her go, a flicker of panic racing through him. It was a feeling he'd never had with her before, but it had been building, growing sharper after everything that had happened.

Matthew walked over to Lionel and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Lionel, you know Norah better than that. You really crossed a line."

"She attacked someone, and you're taking her side?" Lionel snapped.

To Lionel, Norah was just some spoiled girl throwing a tantrum.

Elia tugged Matthew away. "He's blind and heartless. Why waste your breath?"

People like him wouldn't listen anyway.

Ending things with Lionel was the right call for Norah.

Matthew sighed and followed Elia back inside.

"Lionel, don't be mad at Norah. If she's upset with anyone, it should be me for ruining your engagement," Vivienne Powell said, every inch the picture of innocence, her voice trembling with fake tears.

Marshall, still seething, added, "Bro, Norah's taking advantage of your feelings. She's out of control. If you don't put her in her place now, who knows what kind of chaos she'll cause once she marries into this family?"

"Shut up. She's your sister-in-law. Even if she's wrong, it's not your place to run your mouth," Lionel shot back.

Still, Norah's behavior genuinely irritated him.

Suddenly, Vivienne gasped, clutching her stomach.

"Vivienne, what's wrong?" Lionel rushed to her side as she let out a pained groan.

"It's my stomach... I must've hurt it when I fell," she said, wincing with far too much drama.

"Marshall, get a doctor," Lionel ordered, scooping Vivienne up and carrying her into the hospital room.

***

Outside the clinic, Norah took a deep breath, feeling unexpectedly light.

Breaking up with Lionel wasn't as hard as she'd imagined. She felt free—free to be herself, no strings attached.

She'd planned to head straight to the office, but she realized she'd left her phone behind in her rush and needed to grab it before dealing with the fallout of the breakup.

When she got home, Norah was surprised to find Jamie Olson still there. "You haven't left yet?"

"Are you trying to kick me out?" Jamie asked, feigning a wounded look.

Norah panicked a little. "No, that's not what I meant."

For some reason, the hurt flicker on Jamie's face tugged at her heart.

"I saw you rush out without your phone. I was worried and couldn't reach you, so I decided to wait."

She had, in fact, left in a hurry that morning.

"I went to the clinic. My best friend was in a car accident, and I went to see her."

Norah felt the need to explain—maybe because of the sincerity in Jamie's eyes, or because she didn't want him to get the wrong idea.

But what wrong idea was there to get?

Jamie's eyes brightened at her words. "Is she okay?"

"Just a few scrapes."

Thinking back to the night before, Norah asked hesitantly, "Jamie, I drank a lot yesterday. Did I... say anything stupid?"

"You were quiet. You fell asleep at the table," Jamie said earnestly.

Could that really be true?

Norah wasn't so sure. She'd been told before that she got chatty when she drank—once she'd even announced her feelings for Lionel in public.

But those days—when Lionel was still crazy about her—were long gone.

Love—or the lack of it—was painfully obvious now.

Still doubtful, Norah studied Jamie's honest face and decided to take his word for it.

"Have you eaten? Let me make you something."

"Okay." Norah didn't argue. She was hungry.

As she watched Jamie move around the kitchen, she couldn't help but say, "Jamie, with your cooking and the way you take care of people, any woman who married you would be really lucky."

She hadn't known him long, but Jamie seemed kind and considerate—a good man to have in her corner.

"Then why don't you marry me?" Jamie asked as he set a tray of food in front of her, his eyes completely serious, not a single trace of teasing in them.

Norah Fisher was suddenly only inches from Jamie Olson—close enough to make out every fine detail of his skin and feel the heat of his breath. Her heart gave an unexpected jolt.

"Jamie, are you serious?" Norah stepped back quickly, avoiding his gaze. But her racing heart wouldn't slow down.

A flicker of disappointment crossed Jamie's eyes, so brief she might have imagined it. Then he slipped back into his usual cool composure. "Let's eat."

He set the breakfast on the table.

"Okay," Norah said, joining him at the table.

"You go ahead. I'm just going to change," Jamie said, much to Norah's surprise.

"It's such a coincidence—I bought an apartment right next door to yours," he added.

Norah blinked. What were the odds?

Jamie headed next door while Norah started her breakfast. It was as if their conversation from moments before hadn't even happened.

After she finished eating, Norah got ready for work. Jamie mentioned he needed to handle some business at the office too, and they went their separate ways once they reached the lobby.

As soon as Norah arrived at her company, her secretary approached her. "Ms. Fisher, the chairman wants to see you in his office."

"Alright, I understand."

Norah knew exactly why her father was calling her in. She touched the faint palm print still visible on her cheek, let her hair fall over that side of her face, and walked to the chairman's office.

"Dad, you wanted to see me?"

Meir Fisher set his work aside as Norah entered. "Norah, I just got word that Ross Corporation is pulling out of the partnership with us?"

"Yes." Norah nodded.

"I'm sorry, Dad. It's my fault the company is in this position."

Meir stood and walked over to her. "Don't talk nonsense. It's not your fault. They're the ones mixing business with personal matters."

"Dad, I just found out that G.K International is expanding in Boston. I'd like to approach them," Norah said, laying out her plan.

Lionel Ross's cancellation was clearly a tactic to prove she couldn't move on. He probably assumed she'd have to come crawling back for the company's sake. But Norah was determined to find a partner who valued the project's merit—not one blinded by a personal vendetta.

Meir nodded, considering. "G.K International is a major conglomerate. Would they consider a project like ours?"

"In Los Angeles, our project might look small. But this is Boston. G.K is new here and will need partnerships to establish themselves."

Norah was confident their project had real value. The scale often depended on the partners involved.

Meir agreed. "You're right. While Fisher Corp isn't a giant, we've been an established name in Boston for a century."

"Then, Dad, I'll reach out to G.K International."

True to her word, Norah set off immediately, determined.

"Alright, I believe you can do it." Meir gave her shoulder a reassuring pat, but then he noticed the mark on her face.

"Norah, what happened to your face?"

Norah quickly tried to cover it, but Meir had already seen. His expression darkened. "Was it Lionel?"

Norah didn't deny it.

"How dare he," Meir fumed. "I'll confront him myself. My dear girl, I'd never lay a hand on you—what gives him the right?"

"Dad." Norah quickly stopped him. "I've already taken care of it."

Meir looked at her curiously.

Norah nodded. "Really, I have. Have I ever let someone walk all over me?"

The slap had its roots in Vivienne Powell's manipulations, and Norah had already retaliated. She hadn't struck Lionel directly, but she knew he had faced his own consequences.

Fisher Corp wasn't as powerful as Ross Corp, and her father confronting Lionel would only bring unnecessary embarrassment. She wouldn't allow him to go through that on her behalf.

"Norah." Meir's eyes filled with concern.

Norah brushed it off. "Dad, I'm fine. It's over. Please, let's not tell Mom. There's no need to make her worry too."

"Alright." Meir sighed, still heavy with fatherly worry.

Norah grinned. "Really, I'm okay. I'm off to work now."

"Go ahead." Knowing Norah didn't want him to fret any further, Meir held back his concerns.

Leaving the chairman's office, Norah returned to her own office and carefully reviewed the proposal for the Lakeside project. Once she was satisfied everything was in order, she headed to G.K International.

G.K, being new in Boston, would likely have plenty of companies competing for a collaboration. Norah had to seize the opportunity.

"Hello, I'm Norah Fisher from Fisher Corp. Here's my card. I'd like to speak with your project director—if you could let them know I'm here."

Norah handed her business card to the receptionist, her purpose clear.

The receptionist looked at the card and smiled warmly. "Are you Ms. Fisher?"

Norah was taken aback, nodding uncertainly. Did they know her?

"Please follow me, Ms. Fisher." The receptionist was polite and respectful, leaving Norah even more puzzled.

She was led straight to the project director's office.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Ms. Fisher is here to see you, Mr. Olson."

The director?

Norah briefly thought of Jamie Olson. Was this because of him?

That didn't make sense. Jamie had his own company. Why would he be the director at G.K?

"Let her in," came a man's voice from inside.

The voice was familiar—almost like Jamie's.

Could it be him?

The receptionist opened the door. "Ms. Fisher, please go in."

Norah gave a small nod and stepped inside, curious to get a look at this Mr. Olson.

"Hello, Mr. Olson. I'm Norah Fisher, project manager from Fisher Corp."

Norah introduced herself, then lifted her head to meet the man.

A man stood close—so close it startled her—and Norah instinctively stepped back.

It wasn't Jamie Olson, just someone with the same surname. A flicker of disappointment passed through her, though she didn't even notice it herself.

"I'm Maximo Olson. Please, have a seat. No need to be so formal."

Maximo's friendly demeanour left Norah slightly unsure how to react. For the head of a major project, he seemed way too relaxed.

While Norah sized up Maximo, he was studying her just the same.

Is this the woman Jamie is so hung up on?

"Mr. Olson, what did you say?" Norah asked, confused by his quiet mumbling.

Maximo quickly collected himself, shifting to a more formal tone. "Oh, nothing. What brings you to my office, Ms. Fisher?"

"I…"

Just as Norah began to speak, a voice outside interrupted them.

"Mr. Olson, the CEO of Ross Corporation is here to see you."

Lionel?

Norah's brow furrowed slightly.

Why was he here?