Falling For My Ex's Dad (Clarissa and Gabriel) novel Chapter 197

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.”

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