CHAPTER 153: CHAIN REACTION

The meeting ended with Nick laying out a lifeline—promising to leverage his network and secure new contracts. It wasn’t a permanent solution, and he knew it. But it would keep the company’s engines running, at least for now, buying Georgia the time she desperately needed.

When everyone else had gone, Georgia insisted on walking him to his car. The cool afternoon air contrasted with the heat still simmering inside her chest. She exhaled, cheeks flushed, before she dared to speak.

"I’m sorry you saw me like that earlier," she confessed, her voice low, almost hesitant. "I don’t know what came over me... It’s just... when I saw you, Nick, you felt like home. And I couldn’t hold it in."

Her own words shocked her; the moment they left her mouth, her face burned scarlet.

Nick stopped her retreat with a steady embrace, his arms wrapping around her like steel. "And I’m glad you did," he murmured against her hair. "Don’t carry all of this weight at once. One step at a time, Georgia. I’ll handle what I can on my end." His lips pressed softly to her forehead, anchoring her in a way that paperwork and strategy never could.

"Thank you... again," she whispered, her throat tight with emotion.

Nick pulled back slightly, his gaze lingering on her face. "I need to head back to the office, need to finish some work. The interior design team will also arrive tonight since the CEO’s office is now vacant. I’ll probably stay at my penthouse tonight—it’s closer, and I don’t want to wake you in the middle of the night. Is that alright?"

Georgia nodded. "Of course. I’ll be working late too. Drive safe, Nick."

On impulse, she rose on her toes to brush her lips against his—a polite farewell kiss, restrained, professional. But Nick wasn’t a man satisfied with restraint.

His hand came up, firm and commanding, cupping her face. In one swift motion, he deepened the kiss, stealing the breath right from her lungs. It was torrid, consuming—an unapologetic claim that left her trembling in her heels.

Only when he was satisfied did he release her, lips glistening, eyes dark with unspoken promises. Without another word, he stepped into his car, leaving Georgia standing there in the parking lot, heart racing, body ignited, the weight of the day momentarily burned away by the man who had just kissed her like she was his oxygen.

When Georgia stepped back into her office, the glow of laptop screens still illuminated the room. The three women hadn’t moved; their fingers were flying across keyboards, the tension in the air as sharp as a ticking clock.

"What are you all still doing here?" Georgia asked, arching a brow. "I thought you were going home."

Bella didn’t even look up. "Nope. Too much to fix after that termination. Overtime it is."

Jenny finally glanced up from her screen, hesitation in her eyes. "Georgia... since we don’t have East West anymore, should I start entertaining smaller companies? It’s not much, but it could keep us afloat."

Georgia pressed her lips together, thinking fast, before giving a sharp nod. "Do it. But prioritize big projects and long-term contracts. And Jenny—draft a newsletter. Reach out to everyone, both current and former clients. Send me the list of prospects. If I have to show up at their offices personally, I will."

Melanie leaned forward, cautious but insistent. "What about Nick’s company? Since East West dropped us, we’re bleeding. Our seafarers barely have clients to be dispatched to once their current contracts expire, and the positions we need to fill won’t last. Nick’s already invested in us. Can’t we pitch Knight Fleet Maritime? Even better, if Knight Group itself considered us..."

"I’ve thought about it," Georgia cut in, her tone sharp but laced with fatigue. "But their manpower division is tied to three other agencies. The exclusivity of their contracts forbid adding more. Breaking that clause means millions in penalties. It’s not an option."

Melanie’s shoulders slumped. "Then we double our efforts. Grind harder. Find the clients ourselves."

"Exactly," Georgia said, reclaiming her fire. "Leave the presentations to me—I’ll be the one in front. You focus on your departments. Stop the recruitment for the operations manager and finance manager. I’ll handle operations myself, and the accounting firm can cover finance. It’ll save us overhead while we stabilize." Her tone left no room for argument. "Now—wrap up, close your files, and go home. We’ll need our strength for tomorrow."

The women exchanged tired glances but smiled faintly at Georgia’s fierce resolve. One by one, they gathered their things and left, leaving her office finally silent.

The moment the door shut, Georgia’s mask cracked. She lowered her head to the desk, her shoulders trembling with exhaustion. "How the hell am I going to survive this?" she whispered to the empty room.

But then his words surfaced, threading through the storm in her chest—Nick’s steady voice, low and unshakable: ’I’m in this with you.’

Her breath caught. Somehow, the memory of him motivated her, gave her just enough strength to lift her head again. Because now, she wasn’t standing alone in the fire. She had him at her side. And with Nick beside her, she could face down the storm.

Georgia stayed behind long after the office had emptied. She balanced a fast-food dinner on her desk while keeping Katie and Wendy on a video call, laughing softly at their stories.

She was exhausted, but she refused to be absent from Katie’s day—no matter how relentless her schedule. Even if it was through a glowing screen, she wanted her niece to feel her presence.

When the call ended, the quiet crashed back in. Georgia pushed aside the empty takeout bag, squared her shoulders, and turned back to her laptop. Her inbox was overflowing, subject lines blurring into one another, each stamped urgent with similar subject headers.

Her pulse quickened. She clicked the first email. Then another. Then another.

Her blood ran cold.

"What the hell?!" Her voice sliced through the silence, echoing against the glass walls. One hand flew to her mouth, the other clutching the edge of the desk as if bracing for impact.

She scrolled faster, her heart hammering harder with every message. All of them—different senders, different tones, but the same verdict. The fallout she thought she had bought time to control was already detonating, chain reaction after chain reaction, unraveling in real time.

Georgia squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the rising tide of panic. ’How could this much damage happen in a single day?’

Her chest tightened. But Nick’s words surged back into her memory, cutting through her fear like steel. However, this time, she’s not sure if that alone could help her survive this much weight.