Elena Martinez leaned forward in the glass-walled conference room, her voice barely above a whisper as she fed Julian the merger figures. "Twelve-point-seven billion," she breathed into his ear, watching as he straightened his shoulders and delivered the number with practiced authority to the room full of investors.
"Gentlemen, the acquisition of TechnoVault will position Aegis Solutions at twelve-point-seven billion in market cap by Q3 2025," Julian announced, his voice carrying the confidence that had made him London's youngest tech CEO at thirty-two. The room erupted in approving murmurs.
Elena remained invisible in her corner chair, fingers already moving across her tablet to schedule the follow-up meetings Julian would need. This was how it always worked she was the architect, he was the face.
Later, in the elevator descending from the forty-second floor of the Shard, Elena's mentor Rebecca pulled her aside. "You know, Elena, the person who builds the throne rarely gets to sit on it."
Elena laughed, dismissing the concern with a wave. "Julian and I are a team, Becca. When he succeeds, I succeed."
But success felt increasingly hollow. Elena's days began at 5 AM with Julian's coffee preferences and ended near midnight managing his family's personal crises ,his mother's charity galas, his sister's university applications, even his dry cleaning. Her own fintech startup, which she'd been developing in stolen moments between Julian's demands, remained trapped in her laptop, labeled perpetually as a "hobby."
Everything changed on a gray Tuesday morning in November 2024. Elena was orchestrating Julian's presentation for the Frankfurt merger when her phone buzzed with a BBC News alert: "Sarah Chen, London School of Economics alumna and venture capitalist, returns to London after five years in Silicon Valley."
Elena watched Julian's face drain of color as he read the same headline. Sarah Chen,his university girlfriend, the one who'd left for America just as Julian was building Aegis from nothing.
"Reschedule Frankfurt," Julian said abruptly, already reaching for his coat.
"Julian, we've been preparing this for eight months-"
"I said reschedule."
Elena stared at his retreating figure, a cold realization settling in her chest. Six months of eighteen-hour days, coordinating with three time zones, and he was walking away for a woman who'd ghosted him half a decade ago.
That evening, Julian missed the dinner celebrating Elena's acceptance into the Women in Tech Leadership Program-something she'd achieved despite having no official title at Aegis beyond "Executive Assistant." His text was brief: "Catching up with an old friend. You understand."
Elena sat alone at the restaurant, her award certificate beside her untouched salmon, and wondered for the first time if understanding Julian had become her prison.