Beneath Her Ice

In Eliza Darcy's world, silence was power.

Her penthouse office on the 47th floor of Darcy Innovations was a cathedral of quiet — floor-to-ceiling glass, concrete and obsidian furniture, and a view of Manhattan so pristine it made men forget how small they were. There were no personal photos. No trophies or soft edges.

Just her. Sharp as strategy. Cold as calculation.

And at the moment, staring down the digital pitch deck glowing on her tablet like it was personally offensive.

MERGER PROPOSAL: COREHEALTH + DARCY INNOVATIONSLead Investor: Catherine Bourgeois

The file was perfect — sleek projections, immaculate data, market dominance wrapped in ethical language. On paper, it was genius.

In practice? It would demolish several grassroots health initiatives. Including a small but promising network of community clinics — the same ones Will Bennett's nonprofit helped build.

"Eliza," came the voice of Catherine Bourgeois behind her. "You haven't said a word."

Catherine always entered without knocking. You didn't knock when you helped build the empire.

Eliza turned. Her mentor was everything the press described: commanding, ageless, impeccably dressed in storm-colored couture. Catherine wasn't a woman. She was a verdict.

"It's… efficient," Eliza said coolly.

"It's inevitable," Catherine replied. "And a chance for you to transition from tech innovator to legacy architect."

Legacy. The word hit like a scalpel.

"You'd be the face of a nationwide overhaul in digital healthcare. Think of the scale. The control. The history."

Eliza's eyes lingered on the deck again.

"There's a community alliance involved with these clinics," she said quietly. "Nonprofit-run. Not equipped to survive the restructuring."

"They'll adapt. Or vanish. Either way, they're not our problem."

That clipped, matter-of-fact tone — it used to inspire Eliza. But today, it grated.

"They're trying to do something real," she said. "Hands-on care, preventative tech, outreach. It's not... performative."

Catherine arched a brow. "You sound emotionally invested."

Eliza stiffened.

"No," she said. "Just thorough."

A pause. Then Catherine gave her that unreadable smile.

"You're a visionary, Eliza. But vision without ruthlessness is just dreaming out loud."

And with that, she placed a signed memo on the table.

"We'll present the partnership at the board summit in three weeks. I trust you'll lead the pitch."

As soon as she was gone, the silence wasn't power anymore.

It was pressure.

Eliza paced the length of the room, ignoring the skyline. Ignoring the flicker of Will Bennett's face in her memory — not soft, but fierce. Passionate. Disruptive in ways that irritated her... and made her feel more awake than she had in years.

She hated how clear his voice still was in her head.

"You get to prove you're not just numbers and code."

For years, Eliza had done nothing but rise. She built walls, fired friends, stayed off social media, avoided anything that might expose her to the one thing she feared more than failure:

Feeling.

Because feelings slowed you down. Made you weak. Got you left behind.

But now?

Now there was a partnership on the line. A legacy. A test of everything she'd built. And somewhere in the mix — a man who didn't ask for her approval… and had somehow gotten under her skin.

She hated that.

Almost as much as she didn't want to lose it.