The air inside Stone Tech carried a distinct kind of rhythm. The steady tapping of heels across the tiles, the hum of synchronized keystrokes, and the soft clicks of coffee mugs against desks, it was a tempo Emilia hadn't realized she'd missed. But now, seated at the head of her executive office after eighteen months, she was back, and the empire she'd fought to protect still stood tall.
Emilia leaned back in her chair, adjusting the gold bangle on her wrist one Sebastian had given her the night before her return. A little charm for your comeback, he had whispered as he slipped it on. The gesture still warmed her every time she looked at it.
Tasha entered the office with a clipboard and a steaming cup of hibiscus tea. Hope and Elian made it easy this morning? she asked, grinning.
Emilia chuckled. Easy? That's a strong word. Elian insisted on putting jam in Hope's hair because she looked like toast. She shook her head, smiling. Motherhood is wild.
Tasha set the tea down. Wild, yes. But you're handling it like a queeen.
Outside, the office bustled with preparations for Emilia's return strategy. She had already mapped out a plan to expand their biotech partnerships, ushering Stone Tech into a new realm of innovation. And for once, the board wasn't fighting her. With Marcus Vane gone and Liam Ford exposed, she finally had breathing room.
Or so she thought
---
Meanwhile, at the workshop, Sebastian adjusted the hinge of a classic Aston Martin, the scent of oil and dust thick in the air. His team chatted a few feet away, but his mind wasn't on the car. His phone buzzed again. The same number. No name, just the cold, neutral digits blinking back at him.
Sarah.
He hadn't spoken her name aloud in years.
Once, she'd filled his world with ambition and pressure. A relationship built on conditions, on "why aren't you doing more" and "you should be aiming higher." She had walked out one cold November morning, suitcase in hand and judgment in her eyes.
Back then, he'd felt like he lost everything.
Now, he had Emilia. He had Elian and Hope. A family. A future.
He walked into the backroom, shutting the door, and finally opened the message.
SARAH: You're harder to find than I thought. We need to talk. It's important.
He locked the screen, tossed the phone onto the table, and rubbed his face with both hands.
Hey, boss! Devon, one of his oldest crew members, popped his head in. There's a customer asking for you. Says she won't speak to anyone else.
Sebastian stiffened. D..Did she give a name?
Devon scratched his chin. She said you'd know her when you saw her.
---
Back at Stone Tech, Emilia stood by the office window, watching clouds gather. She didn't like the strange weight she'd felt all morning.
Her assistant buzzed in. Ma'am, Adrian Wolfe from Titan Dynamics just sent in a meeting request. He's interested in a collaborative initiative.
Emilia's brow furrowed. Adrian Wolfe?. Titan was a ruthless competitor with a legacy of hostile takeovers masked as partnerships. She'd heard stories. Charming. Strategic. Dangerous.
Tell him I'll get back to him, she replied, voice calm but firm.
She turned back to her desk and glanced at the framed photo of the twins sitting beside Sebastian's laugh-wrinkled face.
Something about the day felt like the beginning of something.
She just didn't know what yet.
---
At the front of the garage, a woman stood, arms crossed, sunglasses resting on top of her honey-blonde waves. When Sebastian approached, she smiled like she knew all his secrets.
Sarah,? he said, voice low, guarded.
Sebastian, she purred. You look good. I see the rumors were true. You moved up.
He didn't return her smile. What do you want?
Her eyes swept across the workshop. Just to talk. I didn't come to cause trouble. I promise.
He exhaled slowly, anger and unease coiling in his gut. Five minutes.
As they stepped into the back office, neither of them noticed the tall, dark-suited figure across the street sitting in a black Audi. Adrian Wolfe leaned slightly forward, watching the two of them through a pair of dark lenses.
He tapped a finger against the steering wheel. Perfect cracks always start small, he murmured.
And then he drove away.