Her Need, His Answer
Dan sat in the passenger seat of the SUV, the silence heavy as he finished an intense internal debate. He sat forward, his jaw set as he finally reached a decision.
"Take me to Lance Industries, bro. I need to speak to Mr. Lance."
David smiled, checking his mirror before changing lanes to take the new route. "You finally sound like a man who wants to win his wife back."
While Dan and David navigated the city traffic, Amber Ann was already at the heart of the Lance empire. She had tried to remain strong when she first heard Christopher had flat-out denied her loan. She had even stayed calm when she found out his stated reasons were "high risk" and an "unsound business plan."
But she had nearly lost her composure when two of her investors backed out that morning. They were old family friends, so they hadn't demanded their initial capital back, but the vote of no confidence stung. She had run to her father—not for a handout, but for a second opinion. If Damon Lance Sr. contradicted Christopher Patrick, she still had a fighting chance.
She waited in one of the open-air conference rooms her father used to fire up his sales teams. Usually, the grandeur of her father's office—the antique furniture, fine art, and scent of expensive leather—inspired her. Today, it felt stifling.
As she waited, her mind wandered. A soft smile played on her lips as Dan came to mind. The idea of her "overreacting" by sending the divorce papers made her cringe slightly, but the thought of him truly fighting to be her husband made her heart skip. Dan had always been special. She frowned, remembering the day she innocently introduced him to Jessica. She had felt the spark between them immediately, but she had refused to believe she had lost him then.
That was the old Amber Ann, she told herself, shaking her head in defiance. Minimal confidence and a mountain of self-doubt. I believe in myself now.
At the same time, Dan arrived at the executive floor. The receptionist was polite but firm. "Mr. Lance is currently in a meeting, Mr. Trace. If you'd like to wait in the South Lounge, I'll let him know you're here as soon as he's free."
Dan nodded, turning toward the lounge. But as he walked down the long, carpeted corridor, a familiar sound stopped him in his tracks. It was a voice he knew better than his own—Amber's voice, filtered through the open-air design of the glass conference wing.
He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but the desperation and strength in her tone acted like a magnet. He stepped into a small alcove near the conference space, hidden by a large potted palm, and listened. He listened until he couldn't stay silent a second longer.
Amber Ann sat up straight as her father joined her. He had a thoughtful look in his eye, her business proposals and architectural plans gripped in his hand. He sat across from her and peered over his reading glasses.
"Are you sure I cannot just give you the money you need, honey? You can always pay me back—if you wish."
She was shaking her head before he even finished the sentence. "I want to do this on my own, Daddy. I want to show that I am capable."
"Amber Ann." He paused, taking his glasses off to make the eye contact even more intense. "No one has ever—ever—seen you as incapable." He patted the papers on the table. "This is a very good business plan. It is going to make a lot of money. And I will make sure everyone knows it."
Amber released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Thank you, Daddy. I already had two investors backed out on me this morning."
He looked up in genuine surprise. "Solely on young Christopher's opinion? Idiots!"
Amber said nothing, but her lips thinned. Her father studied her for a long time before shaking his head in disappointment. "This has something to do with Jessica, doesn't it?"
Amber blinked, surprised by his intuition. Damon Sr. chuckled darkly. "It is easy to surmise. Jessica was going to marry Christopher... until she found out your Dan had more money. Jessica and Samuel have always been my black sheep, but Jessica is the queen of selfishness."
Amber managed a small smile. "You're being dramatic, Daddy. But I agree. I think this has everything to do with her. It seems... Dan has turned her down."
Her father nodded, looking at the papers between them like a wall that needed to be climbed. "How are you doing on capital? You can't allow this project to stall."
Before Amber could answer, a voice boomed from the entrance—confident, determined, and defiant.
"It won't stall, sir. My wife and I are in the middle of an issue, but I will not let anything she wants fail."
Dan stepped into the room, meeting his wife's stunned expression with a firm, supportive gaze before turning to his father-in-law.
"Sir, I came here because Jessica confronted me in the street. I assure you, I will take care of my children if they are mine, but Amber Ann is my wife. I accept that I made a horrid mistake, but if she decides to take me back, she will be the only woman in my heart."
Dan paused, the air in the room vibrating with his resolve. "I have already informed Jessica of this. I've offered her help for the pregnancy, but I haven't told her that I've hired a private detective to find out the truth."
There was a silence that lasted only half a heartbeat before a wide, predatory smile spread across Damon Sr.'s face. He stood abruptly, slamming both palms down on the thick oak table with a resounding thud.
"It's about damn time, boy!"
Both Amber and Dan jumped, but Damon Sr. was already pacing, his hand cupping his chin. "I was thinking of doing the same thing. Neither of you tell a soul. We can't let this get back to her. Jessica is lazy, but she is also shrewd—cunning, even."
He turned back to them, his eyes narrowed with the look of a man who had won many wars. "Whatever you find out, I am behind you both one hundred percent."