Loving DAD 1066

Sharon murmured softly to herself, “Climb up by stepping on Victoria?” 

Thomas’s voice was calm, each word precise and cutting. “Victoria’s starting point has always been higher than 

yours 

– 

-in both resources and connections. Your three brothers have been embedded in the company for years. With their support, she operates with inherent advantage. If you compete with her on conventional terms within the corporate structure, you will lose. You need a different strategy.” 

Sharon considered this. “What do you recommend?” 

“The business world is no different from a battlefield,” Thomas stated. “The oldest strategies of war apply perfectly. There’s no virtue in chaining yourself to the ‘righteous‘ path. Besides, very few who reach the top get there with clean hands. 

“Imagine you and Victoria are bidding on the same major project, and your proposal is objectively superior. Once your brothers catch wind of it, how do you think they’ll ensure Victoria wins?” 

He didn’t need to finish. Sharon already knew. They would apply pressure, offer bribes, or make threats. If that failed, they could always call on Jamie or Cole to lean on the decision–makers. 

She finally understood what Thomas was implying. 

From the moment she returned to the Kalen family, peaceful coexistence with Victoria was never an option. 

Since compromise was impossible, why not use the conflict to her advantage? 

Forget Jamie and Lex for now–the three Kalen brothers were the most immediate obstacle in her path. 

She couldn’t go around them. A detour would be a waste of time and energy, and they would only block her again. 

If there was no way around… she would have to break straight through. 

Sharon accepted Thomas’s counsel. She hadn’t returned to the Kalen family to play fair with Victoria. 

She turned to him with a faint smile. “Thomas, you’ve just opened up a completely new perspective for me.” 

She meant it. Thomas was frighteningly intelligent. 2 

A stray thought flickered through her mind, ‘What a terrifying enemy he would make.‘ 1 

Thomas seemed unaware of her brief distraction. He gestured toward her laptop. “What Xavier wrote isn’t useless. You can still use his analysis to predict which company Victoria will choose.” 

As Sharon refocused, she realized how close he had gotten. 

She was seated at her desk, facing the computer. He stood beside her, leaning down, one hand on the back of her chair and the other braced near the laptop–effectively caging her between the furniture and the solid warmth 

of his chest. 

He seemed oblivious to their proximity. One hand navigated the mouse while the other, holding a pen, pointed at specific points on the screen as he explained his reasoning. 

Chapter 1066 

The subtle, clean scent of his cologne wrapped around her. 

+25 BONUS 

Sharon’s heartbeat faltered. A strange, fluttering unease bloomed in her chest. 

Thomas was her bodyguard. He had seen her at her most vulnerable and knew more of her secrets than 

anyone. 

Even though outsiders whispered about the young, single woman constantly accompanied by a strikingly handsome man–even though her father and brothers sometimes watched them with unspoken suspicion–she had never given it a second thought. 

To her, Thomas was a friend. A confidant. Never a man. 1 

But now… she was acutely aware that the person alone with her in this room–so close she could feel the whisper of his breath–was not just her protector. 

He was a dangerous, fully grown man. 

And the sudden, visceral memory surfaced: this was someone whose physical strength could overpower her in an instant. 

If he ever decided to do anything… she would be utterly powerless to stop him. 1