Eventually, under relentless pressure, Ulyana surrendered her phone.
"Fine."
She handed it over first to Graham.
The moment he saw the meme, he stared at it for several seconds.
Then sighed.
Then laughed, a genuine laugh.
Then Rowan wanted to see. "What is it?"
Graham handed him the phone.
Rowan looked at the image and immediately laughed as well.
"I've been wondering why I keep getting tagged in things today."
The image had somehow perfectly captured Graham's perpetual expression of exhausted disappointment whenever the people around him caused problems.
The staff attending the briefing looked completely bewildered.
Not by the meme.
By the fact that this was happening at all.
Normally, someone interrupting a meeting would receive a very swift reminder about professionalism, let alone for an internet meme.
Yet somehow Ulyana had derailed an entire security briefing.
And nobody seemed upset.
Not even Rowan.
Several staff members exchanged confused glances. Apparently the rules were different for her.
Eventually the laughter died down and the meeting returned to its serious tone.
Reports resumed.
Final preparations were approved. And after another hour, the official business concluded.
The staff began filing out one by one.
Though many of them paused before leaving.
"Good evening, Madam Vasily."
"Madam."
"It was a pleasure meeting you."
Ulyana smiled warmly at every single person.
"Goodnight!"
"Travel safely."
"Thank you for your hard work."
The staff visibly adored her. One particularly senior member of staff stopped near the door and smiled.
"Madam, I saw you on the news."
Ulyana looked at him unsure what he would say next.
"Oh?"
"Cameras cannot do you justice."
She immediately laughed. "Stop! Thank you!"
The older man then looked toward Rowan and winked while a mischievous smile appeared.
"It seems Rowan is a better man with a strong woman around."
Several staff members immediately pretended not to hear.
Rowan rolled his eyes and chuckled.
The man laughed and departed before retaliation could occur.
Soon the office emptied.
The atmosphere shifted again. The lighthearted energy vanished once the door closed.
Security protocols activated.
And the real meeting began.
The underground briefing.
Graham moved toward the main display screen.
Hak looked toward Rowan, toward Ulyana, then back toward Rowan.
Leaning slightly closer, he lowered his voice.
"Should we send her out?"
Rowan barely looked up from the documents in front of him.
"No."
Hak frowned. "Don't you think it's a little…"
He glanced toward Ulyana.
"…sensitive?"
For the first time, Rowan lifted his gaze, his expression remained calm.
Certain.
"She's fine."
Hak still looked unconvinced.
Rowan leaned back slightly. "She's Nikolai's granddaughter."
Then Rowan added: "Trust me."
Hak studied him for a moment, then glanced toward Ulyana.
She looked completely unbothered, merely waiting and observing. The same way she'd quietly observed everything else throughout the day.
Eventually Hak exhaled.
He didn't fully agree.
But he wasn't interested in arguing the point.
Not now.
Not in front of everyone.
So he let it go.
And turned his attention toward Graham, who was already preparing to deliver the briefing that would determine exactly what kind of situation they were walking into overseas.
- -
This meeting wasn't nearly as long as the previous one.
But the tone was significantly more serious.
The atmosphere in the room shifted completely as Graham began presenting the latest intelligence. After weeks of searching, they had finally located the former employee who had defected from their organisation.
The discovery had come through a private investigator working several leads across Southeast Asia.
The target had established a small operation in Kuala Lumpur. Unfortunately for him, that was also where Rowan, Hak, and Graham would be spending the first two days of their trip.
The timing was almost too perfect, which made all three men suspicious.
Graham stood beside the display screen as photos, financial records, and movement reports appeared.
"The problem isn't finding him anymore."
"We found him."
"The problem is getting him." Hak folded his arms. "Without making it obvious."
Graham nodded. "If he suspects we're involved, he'll disappear."
"And if he disappears," Rowan added, "we lose our best lead on the new faction."
The room fell quiet.
Because that was the real issue.
They needed him alive.
Not only alive.
Cooperative.
He possessed information regarding the rapidly growing faction that had been aggressively expanding throughout several regions.
A faction that seemed to be recruiting experienced personnel at an alarming rate.
Nobody wanted to risk losing that intelligence.
For several minutes they discussed possibilities.
Every option had flaws.
Too direct.
Too obvious.
Too risky.
Eventually frustration began creeping into the conversation.
Then a voice quietly spoke up.
"Rather than trying to get him to come to you…"
Everyone turned toward Ulyana. "…why don't you get him to try to hire you?"
The room fell silent.
Graham blinked.
Hak looked at her.
Even Rowan paused.
Because none of them had considered that angle.
Ulyana continued. "I think anything that tries to lure him out of his territory is going to make him suspicious."
She gestured toward the screen. "He's already defected once. He's obviously cautious."
No one interrupted because unfortunately she was making sense.
"So instead of making him leave…"
She leaned back slightly. "Give him something he clearly doesn't have."
Graham frowned. "Like what?"
"Security."
The room became very quiet.
Ulyana continued. "Build a reason for him to seek you out."
She pointed toward the information displayed on the screen.
"If he's building a new operation, he'll have vulnerabilities with assets, shipments, personnel... whatever it is."
She shrugged. "Offer a solution to a problem he already has."
Now Graham was listening very carefully.
"Under that guise," Ulyana said, "you can place trusted people close to him without it looking suspicious."
A pause.
"...because from his perspective, he hired them."
The three men exchanged looks.
Not because the idea was revolutionary, but because it was annoyingly practical and practical plans tended to survive.
Finally Graham spoke. "…That's actually not bad."
"Not bad?" Hak muttered. "I hate it when she's right."
Ulyana looked pleased. "I get that a lot."
Rowan simply leaned back in his chair, watching her.
A small smile appeared despite the seriousness of the discussion.
Because once again, she had quietly entered a conversation she wasn't expected to contribute to.
And somehow given them a perspective none of them had considered.
Thanks to Ulyana's suggestion, the meeting ended with a completely new direction.
Graham was already outlining the logistics while Rowan made notes of the adjustments they would need to make once they landed overseas.
Eventually the briefing concluded.
Rowan gathered a few documents before turning to Ulyana.
"Angel, I need to go over a few things with Graham. Give me ten minutes?"
Ulyana smiled. "Take your time."
Rowan squeezed her shoulder appreciatively before leaving the office with Graham.
The moment the door shut, the room felt quieter.
Hak leaned back in his chair. "Well, look at you."
"What?"
"You've got everyone listening to your ideas now."
Ulyana laughed. "They were good ideas."
"They were."
The pair fell into easy conversation after that.
They joked about Graham becoming an unwilling internet meme, then about Marcel's determination to create the world's greatest burger.
For a while it felt normal, almost like old times.
But eventually the conversation slowed and Hak's expression became more serious.
"What?" Ulyana asked quietly.
He was silent for a moment before speaking, "You've been drawing a line."
Ulyana looked away. "Hak…"
"Don't."
His voice wasn't angry, just tired.
"Not with me."
The room fell quiet.
Ulyana understood exactly what he meant.
The distance.
The caution and the way she'd started holding herself differently around him.
Hak looked down briefly before meeting her eyes again.
"I know things have changed."
Neither of them spoke for several seconds, because they both knew they were talking about more than friendship.
More than timing.
More than Rowan.
"I never wanted to lose you, Yan." The honesty in his voice made her chest ache.
"You won't."
"I don't know that."
Ulyana looked at him silently.
Hak gave a small, humorless laugh. "That's the problem."
The office fell quiet again.
Neither seemed sure what to say next. Only that things between them felt different now.
More complicated.
More fragile.
Hak had closed the distance between them, looking into her eyes intently.
"You have no idea what you do to my heart." he said almost whispering, while he clutched his chest.
Ulyana could only silently look back into his eyes.
He hovered closer, their faces inches apart.
"Say something, please."
"Hak, I-" Her brows were raised in concern.
The rise and fall of his chest seemed to match the rhythm of her heart pounding in her ears.
He then kissed her, softly... almost reverently and she couldn't help but melt at the gentleness.
The second Hak tried to deepen the kiss with more passion Ulyana pushed him back.
"Hak, stop. We're literally in Rowan's office."
"I know." He just closed his eyes and kissed her again.
Ulyana's heart ached because she could kiss Hak forever but then the thought of Rowan discovering them made her feel sick.
But Hak still made her senses numb.
Ulyana leaned on the table, then Hak lifted her and sat her on the desk to kiss her deeper. He stood between her knees and possessively held her against him.
The sound of approaching footsteps finally broke the tension.
Ulyana's eyes snapped open and she pushed Hak back aggresively.
"I said stop!" She said breathlessly.
Hak looked bewildered but then came to his senses.
"I-"
She had a pained expression. "I already told you that you don't get to do that anymore. You don't get to kiss me whenever you want."
Hak immediately and silently moved back and took a seat in his chair.
Ulyana looked toward the office door.
A moment later, Rowan and Graham returned, still discussing travel schedules and operational details.
The conversation Hak and Ulyana had been having ended there.
- -
A few minutes later, Rowan and Graham returned to the office.
The moment the door opened, Hak stood.
No explanation.
No usual sarcastic remark.
He simply grabbed his things and headed for the door.
"Hak?" Graham called after him.
Nothing. The younger man kept walking.
"Hak..."
Still nothing.
The office door closed behind him.
Graham stared at it for a moment.
Then sighed. "Bloody kids these days."
Rowan raised an eyebrow. "What's up with him?"
"No clue," Graham replied. "And frankly I don't want to know."
He gathered the remaining documents and pointed between Rowan and Ulyana.
"Try not to create any more problems while I'm gone."
"We've never created problems," Ulyana replied immediately.
Graham looked at her.
Then at Rowan.
Then back at her. "…That's genuinely the funniest thing you've said all day."
With that, he left as well.
The office fell quiet.
Far too quiet.
Ulyana stared down at her hands, her feelings were a complete mess.
Hak's confession, the way he'd looked at her, the line he'd asked her not to draw and the kiss.
The guilt sat heavily in her chest despite the fact that she hadn't actually done anything wrong.
Somehow that made it worse.
Because she cared about Hak.
Deeply.
Always would.
Yet every time she looked at Rowan, her heart seemed to move in a different direction. She didn't know what to do with that, she certainly didn't know how to untangle it.
A movement across the room pulled her from her thoughts.
Rowan had removed his jacket and was packing the last few work items into a travel bag. The sight made something ache inside her.
He was leaving.
Tonight.
Soon.
Too soon.
As if sensing her gaze, Rowan looked up.
His expression immediately softened.
"I'm already packed."
Ulyana blinked. "Hm?"
Rowan walked over and offered her his hand, a small smile appeared on his face. "Would you like to take a walk with me?"
For a moment, all the noise in her head seemed to quiet.
The guilt.
The confusion.
The uncertainty.
All of it faded slightly.
Leaving only Rowan.
And the fact that they didn't have much time left together before he boarded a plane.
Ulyana looked at his outstretched hand, then up at him; a small smile found its way onto her face.
"I'd like that."
Rowan's smile widened.
Then he gently helped her to her feet. And together, they left the office behind.
- - -
Rowan's POV
Something was wrong.
Rowan noticed it almost immediately after they left the office.
Normally, when they walked together, Ulyana was constantly talking.
Telling stories.
Pointing out random things.
Asking questions.
Teasing him.
Laughing.
But as of this moment…
Nothing.
She was still holding his hand, still walking beside him but she felt distant. Lost somewhere inside her own thoughts.
Rowan gave it several minutes before deciding he couldn't stand it any longer. As they walked through the estate gardens, he gently tapped her forehead with his finger.
"Hey."
Ulyana blinked and looked up at him, as though she had forgotten he was there.
"Everything okay?"
"Uhhh…" she replied intelligently.
Rowan couldn't help chuckling.
"…I guess?"
"Ah." He nodded solemnly. "So no."
A reluctant smile appeared on her face.
"Maybe."
"Care to share what's on your mind?"
For a moment she looked like she might answer, then she looked away.
And suddenly Rowan's stomach dropped.
Because her eyes had started filling with tears.
His entire body immediately went into panic mode.
"Angel?"
She blinked rapidly.
"Hey."
More tears.
Rowan stopped walking completely.
"Ulyana." His voice softened. "What did I do?"
The question escaped before he could stop it.
Because from his perspective things had been perfectly fine five minutes ago. Now she looked like she was trying not to cry.
"Did I say something?"
She shook her head.
"Did I miss something?"
Another shake.
"Then why are you crying?"
To his surprise, she didn't answer. Instead she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.
Holding onto him tightly.
Her face buried itself against his chest.
And just like that Rowan understood one thing.
She didn't need solutions right now.
She just needed him.
His panic settled immediately.
One hand came to the back of her head, the other wrapped around her shoulders.
"It's okay."
Her grip tightened.
"It's okay, Angel."
For several moments they simply stood there.
The evening breeze rolled through the gardens.
The distant ocean could be heard below the cliffs.
And Rowan quietly held her.
Eventually, without saying a word, he bent down and lifted her into his arms.
Ulyana didn't protest.
If anything, she seemed relieved.
Her head remained tucked against his chest as he carried her through the estate grounds.
Past flower gardens.
Past stone pathways.
Past several staff members who immediately pretended not to notice.
Rowan walked until they reached one of his favourite places on the estate.
A quiet cliffside lookout.
A wooden bench overlooking the ocean and the scattered islands beyond.
The sunset was beginning to paint the sky in shades of gold and orange.
He carefully sat down and settled Ulyana beside him.
She remained close.
Still quiet.
Still emotional.
Rowan didn't pressure her.
Didn't ask questions.
Didn't demand explanations.
Instead he simply rested an arm around her shoulders and gently rubbed her back.
Slow circles.
Patient.
Steady.
The same way someone had once done for him years ago.
Eventually he pressed a kiss against the top of her head.
"I'm not going anywhere tonight without making sure you're okay first."
And for however long she needed—
Rowan was prepared to sit there and watch the sunset with her in silence.