Falling For My Ex's Dad (Clarissa and Gabriel)

Clairessa's POV

"Again." I paced in front of my desk, back and forth. For now, it doubled as our makeshift pitch rehearsal space. "Start from the top-and this time, hold your ground during the close. That's where your confidence always slips."

Adrian groaned, dragging a hand through his hair. He launched into the opening of his pitch for the fifth time that hour, fumbling his phrasing halfway through and glancing at me, clearly hoping for reassurance.

"You're still not projecting enough confidence." My voice stayed gentle-so he'd understand it was a suggestion, not a criticism. "They want to believe in you. But that only happens if you believe it first."

"I'm trying," he muttered, his eyes low, heavy with fatigue.

We'd spent the entire weekend like this little sleep, long days, and even longer nights.

Me coaching. Him hanging on by a thread.

We drilled everything-posture, tone, pacing, handling objections, anticipating questions. I cut him off mid-sentence, redirected his focus, refined every word until it hit with precision.

Now, with the weekend behind us and the pitch day fast approaching, the pressure was heavier than ever. Adrian had to nail this. He had to impress the CEO and seal the deal.

I had poured blood and sweat into this project. I couldn't afford to see it fall apart. And beyond that, there was the deal Gabriel and I had struck: if Adrian delivered, the contract between us would end, and my app would finally get funded.

My freedom would be restored.

And that's what this had become:

A battle to the finish line.

Training Adrian felt like walking a tightrope. Gabriel had clearly set me up to fail— but I was determined to prove him wrong.

Adrian's success was my way out, and I was going to make damn sure he was too prepared to stumble. That's why I pushed him so hard.

He was giving it everything he had, but I could see how drained he was. The laptop sat open between us on the table, buried under notes and slides.

His voice was hoarse from repeating the same section over and over.

"Clairessa," he muttered, pushing the laptop aside and slumping into the seat behind him. "Can we take a break?"

I gave him a firm look. “You said it yourself—your dad's expecting you to win Randolph over. If we're going to get this right, we can't take breaks, Adrian."

"I know." He tipped his head back, groaning. "But maybe one way to get it right is

to take a break. A real one. Let's grab coffee. Or go for a drive. Anything."

I crossed my arms. "That's a bad idea. Especially now. We're so close. Maybe once we're done."

He turned to me, frustration flashing across his face. "Then I guess I'm done for today. My head's spinning. We've been at this for hours, and I can't keep up with your pace. You might be able to power through, but I'm tapped out."

I studied him, about to respond, when my office door slid open.

Nicole stepped in with the subtle drama of a soap opera entrance, her eyes gleaming like she'd just caught us doing something we shouldn't.

Not surprised.

Gabriel had warned me he was pulling her onto the project-but that didn't make her timing any less irritating. Her gaze drifted over me, slow and judgmental, before settling on Adrian with a smug little grin.

"When I heard you started working at your dad's company, I asked around." She huffed, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Your office was empty, so I figured-of course you'd be here, wasting time instead of actually working."

Adrian stiffened, already fed up from the long day. He stood. "Nicole, what the hell are you doing here?"

She gave a sweet, mocking smile and gestured vaguely around her. "Uh, I work here? Have you forgotten already? Storm Innovations?"

Adrian let out a humorless laugh. "Nicole, that's not what I'm asking. I don't care if

you work here. What are you doing in Clairessa's office?"

She held up her hands like she was doing us a favor. "Joining the project,

obviously. Your father assigned me to help wrap things up."

I barely managed to suppress an eye roll. I'd warned Gabriel that bringing Nicole

on board was a terrible idea-especially knowing how disruptive she could be.

But apparently, he thought throwing her into the mix was a brilliant move.

Adrian blinked at her, confused and clearly suspicious. "That's not true. You're not on this project. Clairessa, the rest of the team, and I have been working nonstop for weeks. You're not part of it. You're lying."

Nicole laughed, cold and sarcastic. "Oh, Adrian Still so self-important. Hate to burst your bubble, but the world doesn't revolve around you Your dad asked me to join. He

knows how valuable I am. Guess he figured your little project could use some of my... magic."

Adrian narrowed his eyes. "There's no way my dad assigned you without telling me. Get out of Clairessa's office."

She squared her shoulders. "I'm not going anywhere. Or did you forget it was you

who helped me get this job in the first place?"

Adrian stepped closer, eyes locked on hers. "You're right about that. But remember-since I helped you get the job, I can also make sure you get fired."

"Oh, you wouldn't dare," Nicole shot back.

I stood there, watching their back-and-forth until I'd had enough. Stepping between them, I placed a hand on Adrian's chest.

"Calm down." Then I turned to Nicole and back to Adrian. "She's right. Your dad mentioned it a few days ago. The deadline's tight, and he can't risk us falling behind. So yes... she's been added to the team."

Nicole's smirk widened, triumphant. "See? Told you I wasn't here to cause trouble. I'm here to help. You should be grateful."

I faced her squarely. "Nicole, I don't care who asked you to join. I'm the lead onnoveldrama

this project. If you're not here to be useful or if you try to stir up drama-I'll walk you out myself. Am I clear?"

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

I returned to my seat and gestured toward Adrian. "Let's get back to it. Adrian, please sit." I turned to Nicole. "You too. Sit."

Nicole plopped down into the chair opposite mine, legs crossed dramatically. "So, catch me up. What have you two been working on?"

I pointed to the files spread out between us. "You can see for yourself."

She barely glanced at them. "Humor me."

I sighed. "Before you barged in, we were reviewing Adrian's pitch. He's presenting

to the CEO tomorrow, and we're finalizing the deck and his closing."

Nicole snorted, loud and condescending. "Adrian? Delivering the pitch?" She laughed. "Tell me you're joking. You're seriously going to tank this pitch." Adrian threw up his hands. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

She tilted her head. "Adrian, come on. You know I know you. Six months was enough to see all your quirks. You hate speaking in front of a room full of people, and now you're pitching to a CEO? A multi-million dollar proposal? Really?"

I jumped in before Adrian exploded. "Nicole, enough!

The last thing we need right now is you trashing his confidence. I've been working with him for weeks. He's come a long way, and he's earned this."

Nicole raised her hands. "Fine. But since I'm on the project now, I can't let it fail. So-Adrian-why don't you show me what you've got? Let's see this pitch of yours. Who knows, I might even help. Nobody knows you better than me, right?" Her voice was laced with flirtation. Adrian looked at me, exasperated. “Claire, I can't deal with this. I need air."

I reached for his hand. "You can. Don't let her get to you. She's just another voice

in the room—just pretend she's one of the stricter board members. Let's go over the section you were most comfortable with."

Adrian gave my hand a quick squeeze, then stood. He pulled out the printout of the pitch and began reciting the final lines.

But midway through, he faltered. Lost his place. Silence stretched.

Nicole broke it with another burst of laughter. "I called it. You guys are screwed. Is this what he's going to do tomorrow? He can't even finish a closing line. Why the hell is he leading this pitch anyway? From what I've heard, you're the one who's done all the work. So why are you letting him take the lead?"

"I believe Adrian can do this." My Adrian tone was firm, hoping she'd get the message. "He just needs more practice. And as for why he's giving the pitch, Mr. Storm specifically requested it. That's why we're doing this. That's why we need to get him ready."

Nicole opened her mouth, but I refused to let her speak. "So instead of tearing

him down, maybe try supporting him. You're part of this team now. And in this

team, we don't belittle each other. We encourage each other. Got it?"

Nicole nodded. "You're right."

Then she turned to face Adrian. "I apologize, and I'll try to be more careful with my feedback. But don't expect me to tell lies."

It was clear Nicole's apology wasn't genuine, and inside, I was seething, but I fought to keep it together.

Ever since she got here, all she's done is throw jabs and make everything worse.

She didn't understand how important this pitch was how much was riding on Adrian getting it right. She had no idea about the contract. And if she kept pushing him, I knew Adrian would break.

"I'm done." Adrian's voice was low but tense, each word strained through

clenched teeth.