Jake's pov

The air in my home gym tasted like sweat and raw effort; music pounded through the speakers, a heavy bassline vibrating through the floorboards, matching the thump of my own heart.

I gripped the cold steel of the barbell, my muscles screaming, pushing for one more rep. Each lift was a way to burn off the coiled tension, the frustration from Daniel's office earlier; Claire Hammond, Ellie, those losing deals-it was a damn storm, and I needed to feel something real, something ...