The call comes in the middle of dress shopping.
I'm standing in front of a mirror in the SoHo boutique Harper found, wearing a simple silk dress that makes me feel like myself, when my phone rings. Marcus.
"Tell me this can wait," I say, admiring the way the dress moves. "I'm having a moment here."
"It can't wait. Violet, I need you to sit down."
The tone makes my stomach drop. I step off the platform, sink onto the velvet bench. Harper's immediately beside me.
"What happened?"
"Nothing bad. Actually, something incredible. TechForward just made an offer for Knight-Carter Ventures."
TechForward. The tech conglomerate. One of the biggest in the world.
"An offer for what? Partnership? Acquisition?"
"Full acquisition. They want to buy the entire company." He pauses. "For fifty million
