He continued with a small grin on his face "You might just be the first woman to make a deal with me Twice, Aren't you afraid of making a deal with me, beside you know what name they call me" "The White Demon"
Jedidiah leaned back in his chair, the leather creaking softly beneath him. His fingers steepled in front of his face as his eyes stayed locked on hers. The faintest smirk played at the corner of his lips, but his silence was deliberate—dragging the tension like a drawn bowstring.
"You're serious," he said finally, not as a question, but as a quiet acknowledgment.
Alice swallowed hard. "Dead serious."
Jedidiah continued with a small grin on his face "You might just be the first woman to make a deal with me Twice, Aren't you afraid of making a deal with me, beside you know what name they call me"
"The White Demon, The beautiful Sin, Chaos E.T.C. I know them" Alice replied firmly
His gaze sharpened. "You're asking me to walk back into a world I swore I'd never set foot in again. And not just that—you want me to step back into your family's empire. The same place that once…" His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "…spat me out."
She met his eyes without flinching. "Things are different now."
"Different?" His tone carried a trace of mockery. "No, Alice. People don't change. They just hide their teeth until they're ready to bite again."
Alice leaned forward, her fingers curling around the edge of his desk. "If you have a point, make it."
His smirk deepened. "You want me back in the company? Then you'll have to prove something first."
"Prove what?"
"That you're not walking in here with someone else's agenda. That this isn't just a family stunt to put me on a leash again."
Her heartbeat quickened. "You think I'm lying?"
"I think," he said, his voice low, "that everyone lies when they're desperate. If I remember you were still the same person who made a deal with me last time and look how it all ended" He paused, leaning forward now, closing the space between them until the desk felt too narrow to contain the weight of his presence. "Tell me something you've never told anyone—about your family. About yourself. Something that costs you to say out loud."
Alice stiffened. The request felt less like a test and more like a scalpel cutting toward a wound she'd kept stitched shut for years.
"That's ridiculous."
"It's the price," he said simply, leaning back again as if the matter were already settled.
Her mind churned. If she refused, she knew she'd lose him—lose any chance of getting his help. If she spoke, she risked giving him a piece of herself that could never be taken back.
After a long silence, she drew in a breath. "Fine. You want the truth?"
Jedidiah's eyes stayed locked on hers, unreadable. "Always."
Her voice came out quieter than she wanted. "When my mother died, I didn't cry because I missed her. I cried because I was relieved. Relieved that she wasn't here to watch me fail at being her daughter. Relieved… that I didn't have to pretend anymore."
For a moment, the room felt like it had stopped breathing. Ava, still by the desk, froze in place. Jedidiah's expression didn't change, but something flickered in his eyes—interest, maybe even understanding.
"You've been carrying that for a long time," he said finally.
Her gaze dropped to the desk. "You wanted something that cost me. There it is."
Jedidiah was silent for another beat before nodding slowly. "Alright, Alice. You've bought my attention. But my help?" His lips curved into something between a smile and a warning. "That's going to cost more."
She looked up, a mix of frustration and defiance in her eyes. "How much more?"
He leaned forward again, voice dropping to a near-whisper. "Enough to make you wonder if saving what's left of your family… is worth losing yourself for."
Alice's knuckles whitened where they gripped the edge of his desk. "Stop circling me with riddles, Jedidiah. Tell me what it's going to take."
He leaned back, his gaze slow and deliberate as it swept over her—calculating, dissecting, never rushing. "You think this is about the what. It's not."
Her brow furrowed. "Then what is it about?"
"It's about the how." His voice was quiet but carried the weight of something dangerous. "What if I won't step back into that company unless I'm in complete control of my movements, my resources… and you."
"Excuse Me?" The word came out more startled than she intended.
"You are excused and Yes, you." He said it without hesitation, like it was the most natural part of the deal. "If I'm going to walk into a lion's den, I'm not doing it blind. You're going to work under me. Every meeting, every negotiation, every trip—by my side. Not your father's side, not your board's side. Mine."
Her chest tightened. "You want me to be your assistant?"
His lips curved in that slow, infuriating way. "Not an assistant. A partner. But one who answers to me. No secrets, no side conversations, no running off to consult someone else. If you work with me, you work only with me."
"That's control," she said flatly.
"That's survival," he countered. "Your family has a way of… conveniently forgetting alliances when it benefits them. If I'm going to help save your company—I need to know exactly where your loyalty lies."
Alice hesitated, her mind spinning. Work under him? Follow his lead? She could already feel the tension that would create—not just between them, but in her relationship as mother and son.
"What if I say no?" she asked, testing him.
Jedidiah's smirk didn't falter, but his eyes hardened. "Then you can watch everything crumble from the comfort of your home. And when it does, don't bother calling me, beside I ignored their calls for a reason."
Silence stretched between them. Ava remained still by the desk, carefully avoiding their eyes, but Alice caught the faint curve of her lips—like she'd seen this dance before.
Finally, Alice straightened in her chair. "Fine. I'll work with you. But if you're expecting me to roll over and take orders like one of your boardroom puppets—"
He cut her off, leaning forward so close she caught the faint scent of his cologne—warm, smoky, impossible to ignore. "No, mom. I don't expect you to roll over. I expect you to keep up."
Her pulse kicked up, and she hated that he could see it.
"Interesting," he said finally, leaning back again. "You never seize to amazing me, dearest mother. I guess we have a deal."
She have a sigh of relief as she slummed back to her chair like someone who had been holding her breath for long.
He spoke calmly. "For someone who has always disliked working in the company. You sure love the company."
She sat while staring deeply into her phone and she silently muttered "I guess you can say so"
She stood, clutching her phone, trying to steady herself. As she moved toward the door, his voice followed—low, deliberate. "Alice?"
She paused.
"Whatever you're not telling me yet…" His eyes locked onto hers. "…make sure you're ready to tell me before someone else does."
The door shut behind her with a soft click, but the words stayed in her head like a lingering echo.
Jedidiah sat in silence, his jaw set, his eyes heavy with a deep, unreadable expression. The weight of something unseen pressed on him, and after a long pause, he rose from his chair. His movement was steady, deliberate, like a predator finally deciding to move in for the kill.
Ava's gaze followed him, her heart thumping as his figure disappeared through the glass door of his office. She knew that look all too well. That expression only meant one thing—he was ready to hunt.
Minutes passed, each one stretching like an eternity until he emerged again. His presence filled the hallway instantly. Without breaking stride, he walked past the office doors, his footsteps echoing sharply against the polished tiles.
Ava's eyes stayed locked on him, curious, cautious, until his voice reached her.
"Follow me."
He didn't stop, didn't even glance her way. The command was sharp, cold, and final.
It took her several seconds to realize he had spoken to her, and by the time she gathered her thoughts, he was already gone. Panic rushed through her chest as she scrambled to pack her things. She hurried after him, weaving through employees until she burst through the main doors, her breath ragged.
There he was—seated in a black low-ride car, the engine humming like a restrained beast, waiting for its master's release.
The moment she pulled the door open and slid in, the car shot forward, merging into the bustling streets.
"Where are we heading to?" Ava asked between breaths, clutching her bag tightly.
Jedidiah cast her a quick sidelong glance, his lips twitching in faint amusement.
"Did you run? All I did was walk."
Her response was sharp, fueled by irritation.
"You called me without my knowledge! I had to pack my things and—"
He cut her off smoothly.
"Are you traveling? Wait…" His brows lifted in surprise. "Did you apply makeup?"
Her lips curled into a playful pout as she pulled out a compact mirror and touched her face.
"A woman is never to be caught off guard when it comes to beauty," she replied, acting cute as if to disarm him. Her hand moved gracefully, brushing her cheeks with color even as the car blazed forward.
Jedidiah shook his head slightly, half in disbelief, half in quiet amusement. But his eyes hardened again as they fixed on the road.
"So," she pressed, her tone turning serious. "Where exactly are we going?"
His fingers tightened around the steering wheel, his voice low and certain.
"To the battlefield."
The weight in his words made Ava straighten in her seat. She studied his profile for a moment—the sharp jaw, the burning eyes, the unshakable calm. Then she exhaled and shook her head with a wry smile.
"Fine," she murmured. "If it's a fight, I'm in."
The car screeched to a halt in front of an old apartment building. Without hesitation, Jedidiah stepped out, his coat brushing against the side of the car as he moved. Ava followed quickly, her heels clicking against the ground.
And then they saw her.
Alice.
She stood at the entrance of the apartment, quiet— shocked at their coming.