Leia arrived at the restaurant ten minutes early.
Habit.
One did not build a company from nothing while running two identities without becoming obsessively punctual.
She sat at a corner table overlooking the city and checked her watch.
Three minutes until noon.
A neat leather folder rested beside her.
Inside were company portfolios, project reports, and everything she thought Jack Garlan might ask about.
If he asked about Ben, however...
Well.
That was another matter entirely.
The waiter approached.
"Would you like anything while waiting, ma'am?"
"Just water, thank you."
The waiter nodded and walked away.
Leia exhaled slowly.
She wasn't nervous.
At least that's what she told herself.
This was merely another business meeting.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
A few moments later the restaurant doors opened.
Her eyes drifted toward the entrance.
And immediately found him.
Jack Garlan.
Tall.
Confident.
Tailored charcoal-gray suit.
The kind of man who looked perfectly at ease walking into any room.
Even from a distance he carried an unmistakable presence.
People noticed him.
Not because he demanded attention.
But because attention naturally followed him.
Leia suddenly understood why he was so successful.
The man radiated competence.
His gaze swept the restaurant.
Found her.
Held.
For one brief second.
Then he smiled and began walking toward her.
"Ms. Clark?"
Leia stood.
"Mr. Garlan."
They shook hands.
His grip was firm.
Warm.
Professional.
Yet somehow the contact lingered a fraction longer than necessary.
Or perhaps she imagined it.
"Thank you for agreeing to meet."
"Of course."
He gestured toward the chair opposite hers.
"May I?"
"Please."
Jack sat.
The waiter immediately appeared.
Clearly recognizing him.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Apparently, he wasn't a stranger here.
After drinks were ordered, Jack settled comfortably into his seat.
For several moments he simply looked at her.
Not in a rude manner.
Not even an intimidating one.
More like he was evaluating an interesting blueprint.
Looking for weaknesses.
Trying to understand how the pieces fit together.
Leia had met plenty of businessmen.
Most underestimated her instantly.
Jack appeared to be doing the opposite.
And somehow that made her more uncomfortable.
"So," Jack finally said.
"Where is this famous boss of yours?"
Straight to business.
Leia almost laughed.
Of course.
No pleasantries.
No warm-up.
No wasting time.
She liked that.
Unfortunately, she also dreaded that question.
"Mr. Archibald is abroad."
"Again?"
"Again."
A smile tugged at her lips.
She had answered this question so many times it practically came with muscle memory.
"He has interests outside architecture."
"Such as?"
Leia shrugged.
"I honestly don't know."
Jack raised an eyebrow.
"You don't know?"
"Not really."
"You're his top architect."
"Exactly."
She leaned back in her chair.
"He hired me to oversee architecture projects, not manage his personal life."
A surprisingly genuine laugh escaped Jack.
The deep sound made something flutter unexpectedly inside her chest.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Jack was beginning to understand why clients enjoyed working with her.
She wasn't merely competent.
She was quick.
Confident.
Comfortable in her own skin.
Or at least she appeared to be.
Still.
Something wasn't adding up.
The woman sitting across from him looked capable of running an entire company.
Yet somehow the mysterious Benjamin Archibald remained hidden behind the curtain.
How?
Why?
"And he trusts you with everything?"
Jack asked.
"As far as architecture goes, yes."
"That's a lot of trust."
"It is."
"You've never wondered why?"
Leia smiled.
Every day.
Every single day.
"I'm grateful for the opportunity."
A safe answer.
Perhaps too safe.
Jack noticed.
The food arrived shortly afterward.
The conversation shifted to work.
Projects.
Trends.
Design philosophies.
Urban planning.
Sustainability.
Construction challenges.
And to Jack's surprise, the hour flew by.
Leia debated ideas fiercely.
She defended her opinions.
She challenged his.
Twice she made him reconsider his own assumptions about mixed-use developments.
No easy feat.
Most people simply agreed with him.
She argued.
And somehow he found that refreshing.
At one point he asked casually,
"How long have you been with Ben Architecture?"
"From the beginning."
"The beginning beginning?"
"The beginning beginning."
"Meaning before the firm became successful?"
"I was there before we landed our first client."
Jack studied her.
There it was again.
That tiny flash of pride.
Almost possessive.
As if she wasn't describing a company she worked for.
But a company she built.
The thought surfaced unexpectedly.
Then disappeared just as quickly.
Impossible.
If she owned the company, why create Ben Archibald at all?
No.
That made no sense.
The lunch gradually became less like a meeting and more like a conversation.
And that realization caught both of them by surprise.
Usually Jack disliked business lunches.
Most felt like negotiations disguised as meals.
This felt different.
Easy.
Natural.
Comfortable.
Dangerously comfortable.
"Can I ask you something?" Jack said.
Leia nodded.
"Why architecture?"
The question genuinely surprised her.
Nobody ever asked that.
Most people asked about her father.
Or Ben.
Or scandals she'd never even participated in.
Not architecture.
Architecture itself.
She thought for a moment.
Then smiled softly.
"The same reason people fall in love with music, I suppose."
Jack remained silent.
Waiting.
She continued.
"I like creating spaces."
Something brightened in her eyes.
"A building exists long after we're gone."
Her voice softened.
"Families grow up in those spaces."
"People fall in love there."
"They build businesses there."
"They make memories there."
She smiled.
"I think that's beautiful."
For several moments neither spoke.
Jack simply watched her.
And suddenly understood something.
She wasn't ambitious because she wanted recognition.
She was ambitious because she genuinely loved her work.
That was rare.
Much rarer than beauty.
Their plates had long been cleared when Jack finally glanced at his watch.
Two hours.
The lunch had lasted two hours.
Far longer than intended.
"Well."
He stood and offered his hand.
"This has been unexpectedly enjoyable."
Leia accepted it.
"Unexpectedly?"
He nodded.
"I expected a discussion about your boss."
The corner of his mouth lifted.
"Instead I spent two hours learning about you."
For reasons she couldn't explain, the comment affected her more than it should have.
As they walked toward the exit, Jack paused.
"Ms. Clark?"
"Yes?"
"I feel like we're going to be seeing a lot more of each other."
Leia laughed lightly.
"Is that a prediction, Mr. Garlan?"
"No."
His eyes held hers.
A little longer than necessary.
"A certainty."
Then he smiled.
Polite.
Professional.
And entirely too charming.
As Jack watched her leave, he slipped a hand into his pocket.
His curiosity regarding Benjamin Archibald remained.
If anything, it had grown.
But a new problem had emerged.
One he hadn't anticipated.
Because somehow, without realizing it, he had spent most of lunch thinking about Leia Clark.
And that was significantly more dangerous.