Shoulder to lean on
Ann let her phone drop onto the couch, letting out a quiet sigh that lingered longer than she intended.
Jayden was still refusing to budge. Still determined to fight every decision like the world wasn't slowly cornering her.
If she keeps this up… will she ever settle?
The thought unsettled her more than she liked.
Ann reached for her phone and called her secretary.
"Reschedule Jayden's meetings for today," she said briskly. "She's not coming in. Send the files I requested to my assistant I'll go through them later."
A pause.
"Yes, I'm sure."
She ended the call and leaned back, staring at nothing in particular.
She had known Jayden since university late-night study sessions, chaotic heartbreaks, and career wins they had celebrated like personal victories. Jayden had always been the careful one. Measured. Controlled. But somewhere along the line, that control had turned into a wall.
And Ann wasn't sure Jayden even realized how high she had built it.
A knock pulled her out of her thoughts.
Her assistant handed over a stack of files. Ann took them with a nod, flipping through the top pages out of habit, but her mind was elsewhere entirely.
Jayden.
Always Jayden.
By evening, Ann had stopped pretending to focus. The clock dragged itself forward painfully slow, each minute reminding her of the conversation she needed to have.
Eventually, she gave up.
She grabbed her bag and left.
Jayden opened the door on the second knock.
"Ann?" Surprise flickered across her face.
"I was thinking about you," Ann said simply, stepping forward and pulling her into a tight hug without hesitation.
No questions. No judgment.
Just presence.
Jayden exhaled into the hug like she had been holding her breath all day.
They moved inside together. Jayden dropped onto the couch with the kind of exhaustion that sank into bones.
"I'm fine," she said weakly. Then corrected herself with a small laugh. "Or… I'm trying to be."
Ann sat beside her, slipping an arm around her shoulders. She felt the tension there immediately.
"You don't have to be fine," Ann said quietly. "Not with me."
Jayden leaned back slightly, eyes staring ahead.
"It's everything," she admitted. "My parents. The marriage. The pressure. The feeling that I don't even get a say in my own life."
Ann listened without interrupting.
When Jayden finished, Ann squeezed her shoulder gently.
"I'm not going to give you those empty speeches," she said. "But I will tell you this you're not alone. Not in any of it. Whatever happens, we deal with it together."
Jayden turned her head slightly, something soft breaking through her tired expression.
"You always say that," she murmured.
"And I always mean it," Ann replied.
A small pause settled between them.
Then Ann lifted the box in her hand.
"I brought dinner."
Jayden blinked. "You didn't"
"I did," Ann cut in, opening it. "And before you ask, yes, it's your favorite."
Lemon cheesecake.
Jayden laughed softly, the sound lighter than anything she'd felt all day.
"You really know how to fix a mood."
"I try," Ann said, handing her a plate. "Eat. We'll deal with your father's grand plans later. Tonight is for breathing."
For the first time in days, Jayden actually relaxed.
They ate in comfortable silence for a while the kind that doesn't need filling.
Then Ann leaned back slightly, bumping Jayden's shoulder with hers.
"Alright," she said lightly. "After this, we plan. Properly. Mr. Cole is not winning this battle unchallenged."
Jayden's lips curved faintly.
And for the first time that day
She didn't feel alone.