Chapter 8 - Training Under The Iron Queen
Over the next two weeks, Ivan’s life transformed into a grueling masterclass in corporate warfare and high-level strategy. When he wasn't spending precious evenings with Fiona in their new park-view apartment, he was locked in the 50th-floor office with Jessi until midnight.
She taught him how to read balance sheets like tactical maps, identifying weak points in hostile corporate takeovers. In return, Ivan taught her advanced situational awareness, showing her how to spot surveillance operatives tailing her town car through Manhattan traffic.
“You’re learning faster than any Harvard MBA I’ve ever hired,” Jessi remarked one rainy Tuesday evening, sliding a cup of black coffee across her desk. Ivan took the cup, feeling the warmth radiating against his fingers.
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“Survival is the best teacher, Mrs. Sterling,” Ivan replied simply. “When you have a daughter depending on you, failure ceases to be an option.” Jessi stared at him for a long moment, a rare, genuine softness touching her usually impenetrable gaze.
“Call me Jessi when we’re off the clock,” she said softly, watching the raindrops streak down the floor-to-ceiling windows. Ivan offered a faint, respectful nod, realizing that beneath the ruthless corporate armor lay a deeply lonely woman fighting for her legacy.
