KEIFER'S POV
The room settled into a strange, charged silence after my last words. I could still feel the weight of his gaze on me, even though he was now staring down at the documents I'd handed him.
It was surreal—sitting across from Davis White, the heir to White Pharma Inc., talking about launching a company together. And yet, I didn't feel out of place. Not here. Not with him.
He tapped a pen gently on the edge of the table, thoughtful.
"Low-cost raw material, accessible labor, strong transport networks... you've laid it all out," he said finally, still scanning the charts. "Town B may not have the same prestige as Town A, but if you're right—this might be the smarter play."
"I am right," I said before I could stop myself. My voice was soft but certain. "And it's not just logistics. It's the people. They need what we're building."
He looked up, amused. "You're not afraid to challenge me, are you, Ms. Samuel?"
I met his eyes without flinching. "Only when I'm right."
That made him smile—really smile—and something unspoken sparked between us again. It wasn't flirtation, exactly. It was... respect. A shared recognition.
Still, I needed to keep my focus.
There was too much at stake.
He leaned back in his chair, interlacing his fingers as he studied me. "You know," he said slowly, "most people pitch ideas with hesitation. There's always a bit of doubt behind their eyes. But you? You walk in here with fire. You didn't just prepare a proposal—you brought a blueprint, a vision, and the grit to back it up."
I exhaled. "I don't have the luxury of failure, Mr. White."
He raised an eyebrow. "Neither do I."
Another quiet moment passed. And then, as if remembering something, he reached into the drawer beside him and pulled out a thick folder bound in black.
"I'll have my legal team draft the revised agreement," he said, sliding the folder toward me. "Equal partnership. Shared decision-making. And the company will be based in Town B, as requested."
Just like that.
No struggle. No ego.
He didn't fight me on it.
I blinked. "You're really okay with all of that?"
He tilted his head. "Why wouldn't I be? You're not just investing capital—you're investing your heart into this. That's rarer than funding. I'd be a fool to ignore that."
I swallowed the sudden knot in my throat. He didn't know it, but those words meant more than he realized.
Because this venture wasn't just about making medicine. It was about reclaiming something I'd lost.
Her.
My mother's face flashed in my mind—tired but kind, her hands stained with dried herbs, always humming while she worked, even when her body was failing. She had believed in healing the old way. Trusted the power of nature. But no hospital took her methods seriously.
And when her illness struck, they had no treatment for her—only expensive, cold medicines with more side effects than relief.
She deserved better. People like her deserved better.
And now, maybe, I could give it to them.
Davis stood from his chair, offering his hand. "Welcome aboard, partner."
I stood too, sliding my palm into his. His grip was warm—firm but not overpowering. There was a beat where we didn't let go, the air between us taut with something unspoken.
I cleared my throat and pulled my hand back gently. "Thank you, Mr. White. I won't disappoint you."
"I know," he said simply.
---
The ride back to campus was a blur.
I sat in the cab, my thoughts racing ahead of the wheels. The signed folder sat in my lap like a living thing—proof that the dream was no longer a dream.
Raavi would be waiting. I'd promised to update him. I could already imagine his reaction—wide-eyed, grinning, proud.
And maybe, a little hurt that I hadn't told him everything.
Because even now, I hadn't shared the full truth.
I hadn't told him why Town B mattered so much. Why I couldn't let the company be based anywhere else. Why I needed this to work there, of all places.
But I would tell him.
Eventually.
Maybe.
My phone buzzed. A message from an unknown number.
Welcome to White Horizons Inc. – Davis.
A small smile crept across my face. He'd already named the venture?
White Horizons.
Fitting.
My smile faded slightly as another thought took its place.
What would it be like, working side-by-side with him?
Could I really keep it professional—when he looked at me like that?
When he spoke to me like he saw me?
I shook the thought away.
This wasn't about romance. This was about purpose. About legacy.
And yet...
There was something undeniable in the way his eyes lingered on mine. In the way he listened—not just to my words, but the weight behind them.
I didn't know what it meant yet. And I didn't dare name it.
But I knew this: Davis White wasn't just an investor. He was going to be a force in my life now—one way or another.
And I had no idea what that would cost me.
---
Back in my dorm, I placed the folder on my desk and stared at it for a long time.
So this was the beginning.
Of healing.
Of building.
Of something I had waited my whole life for.
But also—maybe—the beginning of something I wasn't ready for at all.