26. A Night to Remember

Jacob’s POV

My office was a symphony of silence, broken occasionally by the hum of the air conditioner and the soft click of my pen. Work was a distant murmur, forgotten in the corner of my desk, while my mind replayed the events of last night. This wasn't the first time it had done so. Each time, the memories played out like a film, every scene vivid, every emotion raw and real.

I leaned back in my chair, eyes fixed on the ceiling, mind far away. The night had begun with a minor disappointment. Anastasia's unexpected cancellation of our meeting had left me slightly off-balance. I had been looking forward to our conversation about a potential business agreement between our firms, but I knew life had a way of throwing curveballs. We would meet again, soon.

I had reached out to Rima with the familiar request to work on some tasks, an evening ritual we had become accustomed to. But her immediate refusal took me by surprise. There was a spark of sass in her vo