Updated Mar 22, 2026 • ~4 min read
Chapter 8: Competing Presentations
MAREN
The Hartley account.
Six weeks until final decision.
They want follow-up presentations.
Both agencies.
Head-to-head again.
I’m fourteen weeks pregnant now.
Starting to show.
Just slightly.
Loose blazers hide it.
For now.
But Sienna notices.
“You’re glowing.”
“I’m nauseous.”
“Same thing.”
The second pitch is tomorrow.
Ross Agency versus King Industries.
Round two.
Conrad is obsessed.
“We NEED this account, Maren. It’s everything.”
I know.
But I’m distracted.
Because Jasper and I have been meeting secretly for weeks.
Dinners. Doctor’s appointments. Long conversations about the future.
He’s all in.
Committed to the baby.
To me.
But tomorrow, we have to be enemies again.
***
The presentation is at Hartley headquarters.
Same conference room.
Same setup.
Ross team on one side.
King team on the other.
I’m across from Jasper.
Again.
Our eyes meet.
Brief. Loaded.
No one else notices.
Conrad presents first.
Aggressive strategy.
Bold vision.
It’s good.
Really good.
Then Jasper’s turn.
He stands.
Confident. Commanding.
And his presentation is perfect.
Better than ours.
More innovative. More daring.
Shit.
He’s going to win.
***
After the meeting, I’m furious.
Back at the office.
Pacing.
“He’s going to steal this from us,” I tell Sienna.
“Maybe not—”
“He is. His pitch was better. Admit it.”
She hesitates.
“It was strong.”
“It was perfect.”
My phone buzzes.
Jasper.
*”Can we talk? Tonight?”*
I’m too angry to respond.
But Sienna grabs my phone.
“Go. Talk to him. This anger isn’t good for the baby.”
She’s right.
I text back:
*”Fine. 8 PM. Your place.”*
***
JASPER
Maren shows up angry.
Storms into my apartment.
“You’re trying to steal Hartley.”
“It’s a competition. That’s how it works.”
“You could have held back. Given us a chance.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because I’m carrying your baby!”
Silence.
That was a low blow.
We both know it.
“That’s not fair,” I say quietly.
“None of this is fair. You’re a King. I’m a Ross. We’re competing for the same account while secretly having a baby together. Nothing about this is fair.”
She’s right.
I step closer.
“What do you want me to do, Maren? Throw the pitch? Sabotage my own company?”
“No. I just… I don’t know.”
She sinks onto my couch.
Exhausted.
I sit beside her.
“Talk to me.”
“I’m scared. If we lose Hartley, Uncle Conrad will blame me. Say I wasn’t good enough. That I failed the company. Failed my mother.”
“That’s not true—”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s true. He’ll think it.”
I take her hand.
“What if we both lose?”
She looks at me.
“What?”
“What if there’s a third option? Someone else wins. Not Ross. Not King. And we both walk away clean.”
“That’s not how this works—”
“Hear me out. What if we stop competing? Start collaborating? Merge our agencies. Win Hartley together.”
Her jaw drops.
“You’re insane.”
“Maybe. But think about it. Ross-King Agency. Combined resources. Best of both firms. We’d be unstoppable.”
“Our families would never allow it.”
“They don’t have to know. Not yet. We win Hartley first. Together. Then we tell them.”
She’s considering it.
I can see the wheels turning.
“It’s impossible.”
“Is it? Or is it the only way forward?”
Long pause.
“I need to think about it.”
“Fair.”
She stands to leave.
I catch her hand.
“Maren. Whatever happens with Hartley. With our families. I’m not walking away from you or this baby. You know that, right?”
Her eyes soften.
“I know.”
She kisses me.
Soft. Sweet.
Then she leaves.
And I’m left wondering if my crazy idea might actually work.
END OF CHAPTER 8
Reader Reactions