Beneath Her Ice

Will wasn't expecting the call.

"Mr. Bennett?" said a clipped, British-accented voice over the line. "This is Florence Yu. I represent Arcadia Futures. We'd like to speak with you regarding a joint initiative with Darcy Innovations. Or what's left of it."

He blinked. "I think you have the wrong number."

"No," the voice replied. "Miss Darcy gave it to me. She said you're the one who knows how to build things that matter."

Will hadn't heard from Eliza in three days. Not since the kiss. Not since the headlines about her investor fallout with Catherine Bourgeois.

He thought she'd retreated back into her world. He thought he'd been... shut out.

But this—this was her reaching out.

Even if she couldn't say it directly.

Eliza sat on the edge of her minimalist sofa, staring at the blinking cursor on her laptop screen.

DARCY INNOVATIONS – NEW PROPOSAL.

The title mocked her. She wasn't even sure she had a company anymore. After the Bourgeois withdrawal, three board members resigned. Media had a field day.

COLD CEO DITCHED BY MENTOR: What Happens When Ice Melts Too Fast?

But Will hadn't gone to the press. He hadn't thrown her under any bus.

And he hadn't replied to her message.

So she did what she knew how to do: built something.

A new proposal. A new foundation. And she sent it to Arcadia Futures, her rival company's top investor—one who hated Catherine's old-money control games and loved disruption.

Florence Yu was a risk. But Eliza had always been good at playing the long game.

Now, all that remained was whether Will would play it with her.

At the launch meeting two weeks later, Eliza entered the glass-walled conference room at Arcadia HQ to find Will already seated, sleeves rolled up, reviewing the prototype schematic.

He didn't stand. Didn't smile. But his eyes flicked up to meet hers.

And they stayed there.

"Glad you came," he said simply.

Eliza sat across from him. "I wasn't sure you'd accept."

"You made it hard to say no." He tapped the schematic. "This could work. Tech built for real impact. Transparent funding, open-source access for clinics, zero-profit models for rural areas. You really want to do this?"

"I want to build something that doesn't need to hide behind shareholders," she said. "Something real. Something... better."

He was quiet a moment. Then he leaned forward, voice low and calm.

"You know what changed my mind?"

She shook her head.

"You didn't ask for control this time. You asked for trust."

Eliza swallowed. "Do I have it?"

Will looked at her for a long, steady beat.

"You're earning it."

That night, they worked late, reviewing specs and logistics. But it wasn't just business. There were moments—accidental touches, unfinished sentences, glances that lingered too long.

At one point, Eliza dropped a stylus. Will bent down to grab it, but their hands brushed. She froze.

"Still ice-cold?" he asked quietly.

Her lips parted. "You tell me."

He didn't answer. He just stood. Too close. Too warm.

But he didn't kiss her.

Not yet.

Because this time, they were building something stronger than attraction.

Something with a foundation.