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I make a bowl of cereal at sunrise

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I make a bowl of cereal at sunrise. Cheerios with almond milk and banana slices. I stand at the bar and chomp. Okay, I'm going to ask who Kim is today. Jace had a night to relieve his stress.

When done devouring the cereal, I rinse the bowl and then go to the foyer. To my surprise, Jace is descending in a plum suit. "Oh, hi. Morning." I say as he clears the last steps.

"Morning, honey bunny." He kisses me. "I'll be gone for 3 days; if you want to return to the city, you can."

"3 days?"

"Yes."

"For what?" Is he going to see her?

Jace buttons the cuffs of his sleeves, keeping his eyes on me. "To reconstruct the brand...against my will. Unfortunately, I can no longer dismiss the investors. The stocks rely on them. Strygent won't fully bounce back unless I fold." He states sourly.

"Fold...? Meaning dealing with piracy, right?"

"Yes...and with the pricing scale."

"But that means cutting the plug on half of your audience."

"Sadly, it does." He breathes the words with much tension.

"That's pretty harsh...one apple shouldn't spoil the bunch."

"I pleaded my case with a similar statement, turns out the group is heartless. The middle class and down are beneath their funding. If I don't budge, my investors will pull out. STRY stocks will plummet to the hundreds and remain unredeemable."

"Well, that's not fair; you're all about inclusion. They're killing your dream." I strain my forehead.

"I know, but...nothing lasts forever." One side of his mouth tugs downward. "I wish it could stay the same. I was young, thinking everyone could work together in harmony. I didn't consider the bad side. This is a lesson."

I frown. "Do you want to do this?"

"Doesn't matter."

"But you're the owner..."

"Owners have to kneel sometimes."

"But...your vision."

He lays a finger on my lips to hush me. "It's fine. Now, you can't stay here alone for 3 days."

"I could stay at the penthouse with my parents."

"With bodyguards, you're in the limelight now; that means protection wherever you go."

"How many?"

"My whole squad."

"That's overkill, isn't it?"

"No." A bleak expression consumes his face "You'll be surprised how fast death threats roll in," Jace says lowly. "Do you need to pack anything?"

"Yeah...I'll make it quick. Five minutes."

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