Chương 8
Daniel hesitated.
“No.”
That answer surprised him.
“I am telling you that anyone close to her becomes part of a game they did not agree to play.”
Callum looked through the coffee shop window.
Outside, people walked by carrying bags and talking on phones.
Normal lives.
Simple problems.
He looked back at the paper.
“And you?”
Daniel gave a tired smile.
“I agreed to play.”
“What happened?”
Daniel looked at the table.
“I thought I knew the rules.”
He stood.
“Turns out I did not.”
Before leaving, he stopped.
“Mr. Hayes?”
Callum looked up.
“Yes?”
“Whatever you do, do not try to impress her.”
Callum frowned.
“Why?”
“Because everyone else does.”
Daniel walked away.
Callum stayed there.
The paper remained on the table.
And for the first time, he wondered whether the reason Helena had seemed so surprised by him was not because he was different.
Maybe it was because she had spent years surrounded by people who never looked at her without wanting something.
Maybe it was because she had spent years surrounded by people who never looked at her without wanting something.
Callum left the coffee shop with the paper still folded inside his jacket.
He told himself he was not keeping it because he believed Daniel.
He told himself he was keeping it because throwing away information was irresponsible.
That was a journalist's answer.
A reasonable answer.
A professional answer.
The problem was that Callum was not walking back to the office thinking like an editor.
He was thinking about Helena sitting alone at dinner, pretending Garrett's words had not landed.
He was thinking about the way she had said she was used to people being complicated.
Like she had accepted disappointment as a normal expense.
That bothered him.
He hated that it bothered him.
By noon, he had read the email four times.
Not because it contained enough information to prove anything.
It did not.
That was what made it frustrating.
The message was vague.
It referenced conversations.
Concerns.
Potential vulnerabilities.
It never directly said Garrett wanted to hurt Helena.
It never directly accused him of anything illegal.
It was exactly the kind of document that could mean everything or nothing depending on who was reading it.
Callum had spent enough years around facts to know that uncertainty was where people made the most dangerous mistakes.
He did not call Helena immediately.
That surprised him.
A week earlier, he would have.
He would have rushed in because helping felt better than waiting.
But Daniel's warning stayed in his head.
Do not try to impress her.
Maybe that was the problem.
Maybe some part of him wanted to prove that he was useful.
Not because she needed him.
Because he needed to feel like he belonged.
He hated admitting that.
So he worked.
For three hours, he edited articles, responded to emails, and ignored the phone sitting beside his keyboard.
At three fifteen, Helena texted.
Coffee?
Callum stared at the message.
No explanation.
No business language.
Just coffee.
He smiled before he could stop himself.
He replied.
Sure.
The cafe she chose was not expensive.
That surprised him.
It was small, crowded, and located between two office buildings where people came during breaks to drink coffee quickly before returning to work.
Helena arrived five minutes late.
Not because she was careless.
Because she looked like someone who had been delayed by three conversations she could not end.
“You are late,” Callum said.
She looked at him.
“You are keeping track?”
“I am an editor.”
“That excuse is becoming overused.”
“It is still effective.”
She sat down.
For a few seconds, they simply looked at each other.
The difference between this meeting and the restaurant was obvious.
No expensive table.
No expectations.
No reason to pretend.
“How is Ruby?” Helena asked.
The question caught him.
“She is good.”
“Still criticizing your clothing?”
“She has expanded her criticism to my cooking.”
“Are you a bad cook?”
“I can make seven things.”
“That sounds like a dangerous number.”
“It is enough to survive.”
Helena smiled.
Then her expression changed.
Small.
Almost invisible.
But Callum saw it.
“You have something you want to ask.”
She looked at him.
“You are very observant.”
“That is not an answer.”
“No.”
She looked down at her coffee.
“I am trying not to make every conversation about my problems.”
“Why?”
“Because I have spent most of my life watching people become interested in me because of what comes with me.”
The honesty was quiet.
Not dramatic.
That made it heavier.
Callum waited.
She continued.
“Sometimes I forget that normal conversations exist.”
“This is a normal conversation.”
She looked around the cafe.
“Really?”
“No.”
He smiled.
“This place has terrible chairs.”
She laughed.
“There you are.”
“Where?”
“The person who says something honest instead of something impressive.”
Callum looked at his coffee.
“I am not very impressive.”
“That is exactly why people notice you.”
The sentence made him uncomfortable.
He did not know what to do with compliments that felt true.
So he changed the subject.
“How is the board meeting?”
Helena became still.
Not frozen.
Just careful.
“Difficult.”
“Because of Garrett?”
“Not only because of Garrett.”
That answer mattered.
Callum leaned back.
“Who else?”
She looked toward the window.
“People are complicated.”
He almost laughed.
“That word again.”
“I know.”
“So what does it mean this time?”
“It means sometimes people make decisions based on fear.”
“Are you afraid?”
Helena looked at him.
The question sat between them.
Finally, she answered.
“Yes.”
It was the first time she had said it.
Not implied it.
Not softened it.
Said it.
Callum did not rush to reassure her.
He did not tell her everything would be fine.
He did not pretend he understood.
He just nodded.
“That sounds exhausting.”
A small breath escaped her.
“Most people tell me I should not be afraid.”
“That sounds useless.”
“It is.”
“Fear exists whether people approve of it or not.”
May you like
She looked at him for a long moment.
“You really are an editor.”
