Alex Wolf sat rigidly at the head of the long table, eyes sharp beneath furrowed brows. The negotiation buzzed around him like static, but his attention was divided — split between the dense legal jargon and the two women.
Vanessa Holt, with her poised, icy glare and razor-sharp tongue, was a formidable adversary. Alex had known her for many years—merciless, calculating, and fiercely protective of her firm's interests. Her disdain for Sophie had been obvious the moment she noticed her presence beside him. That quiet contempt didn't surprise him; what unsettled him was how oddly protective he felt, almost instinctively, despite barely knowing Sophie.
Sophie Carter sat to his right, a place he had ordered her to sit, nervously clutching her portfolio and notebook, trying to appear composed yet somehow vulnerable. There was something in her—a flicker of determination, an unspoken fire—that didn't belong in the polished, ruthless world they all inhabited. Alex fought against watching her a little too often, a flash of something unexplainable tightening his chest.
He disMs. ed the thought quickly. This was business, not distraction.
But Vanessa's pointed remarks, the way she circled Sophie with barely concealed hostility, sparked a flicker of irritation in him. He didn't tolerate unnecessary challenges—especially not when they targeted someone who was, at the very least, trying to prove herself.
When the meeting drew to its close and the agreement was signed, Alex rose smoothly, his gaze sweeping the room with quiet authority. Without looking back, he moved toward the door, his mind already shifting gears to the next challenge.
Yet, as he passed Sophie's hesitant figure, his eyes drifted to her. Not acknowledging her, but because he found he was slightly worried. There was a reason Vanessa had called for this hasty meeting and he hoped that with bringing Sophie into it Vanessa would slip and reveal what was going on. The one thing he had gained from this meeting, was the confirmation that Vanessa was hiding something. The small fragments of fear and slight panic in her expression had been a dead giveaway that he was on to something. He hoped that with Sophie present Vanessa would either slip or expose whatever it was that had made her anxious.
Outside the conference room, the tension briefly slipped from his shoulders. But his thoughts lingered on the two women—Vanessa's cold precision and Sophie's raw, untested resolve.
In this world of glass walls and sharp edges, one thing was certain: neither of them would be easy to forget.
Sophie stepped out of the quiet corridor into the polished marble lobby, the soft echo of her heels mingling with the distant murmur of traffic outside. Ahead, Alex Wolf strode toward the sleek black cars waiting just beyond the glass doors, his tall frame cutting a striking figure—broad shoulders, an Asian hint in his sharp features, his dark eyes shadowed with exhaustion but still blazing with determination.
Sophie hesitated for a moment, then summoned her courage and called softly, "Mr. Wolf."
He paused mid-step and glanced back briefly, his gaze sharp and assessing, but unreadable. For a beat, it felt like he might keep walking. Then he stopped, waiting for her to catch up.
"Before we go...," Sophie began, swallowing the nervous lump in her throat, "I need to use the ladies room."
Her voice was steady, but inside her heart was pounding like a drum. She couldn't tell if the flicker of attention in his eyes was irritation or mere acknowledgment.
Alex's eyes narrowed slightly, the faintest furrow appearing between his brows. After a moment, he gave a curt nod. "Make it quick. We don't have much time."
Relief bloomed inside her chest, like a small flame in a dark room. "Thank you," she said, her voice soft but sincere.
She turned away, walking briskly down the corridor, each step echoing in the sleek silence. Behind her, the sound of Alex's footsteps faded as he returned to his focused stride toward the waiting car.
But Sophie's mind was elsewhere. The way he'd looked back—so brief, so guarded—was unlike the cold indifference she had expected. She wondered if there was more beneath the surface, something hidden beneath that sharp exterior.
Shaking the thought away, she reminded herself why she was here: this was just the beginning. Whatever challenges lay ahead, she needed to be ready. —---------------------------------------------------------------------
Alex eased into the leather seat of the waiting car, the soft click of the door closing behind him barely registering. His mind was already racing through the next steps—deadlines, strategy, the countless moving parts that didn't stop just because one person needed a break.
A flash of irritation flickered briefly when Sophie mentioned needing to use the ladies room. This wasn't how he'd planned the timeline, and every delay felt like another crack in the tight schedule he'd painstakingly built. Time was a luxury he didn't have.
But then, beneath the irritation, a grudging acknowledgment settled in. She was new to this world, after all. Underneath the pressure, everyone had limits. A quick pause to regroup was sensible—and frankly, necessary.
He forced a measured breath and pushed the impatience aside. There was no room for friction now, not when the stakes were so high and so much still rested on what was to come.
—----------------------------------------------------------
Sophie stepped briskly down the sleek hallway, the polished floors gleaming beneath the soft glow of recessed lights. She pushed open the door to the women's ladies room and slipped inside, the quiet hum of the building's air conditioning replacing the tense buzz of the conference room. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves, feeling the lingering weight of the meeting settle uneasily in her chest.
As she washed her hands, steadying herself before returning to the car and the next leg of the day, muffled voices caught her attention from a slightly ajar door leading to a small storage closet at the back of the ladies room. Curiosity prickled at her, a magnetic pull she tried to resist, but she edged closer, careful not to make a sound. Curious and cautious, Sophie edged closer, her heart quickening.
Two assistants, young women with voices hushed but tinged with excitement, were chatting animatedly.
"I can't believe Vanessa made such a scene over that new girl," one whispered. "why would she be so clearly hostile? It was clearly obvious that Vanessa had something to hide!"
The other laughed softly. "Right? And Alex Wolf—he's usually so controlled. But today, I swear, he looked like he wanted to snap. Something about Vanessa's presence always gets under his skin."
Sophie's brow furrowed. "Gets under his skin?"
"Yeah," the first said, "I'm telling you, Vanessa is terrified - If that data leak ever comes to light, her entire firm could fall into Alex's hands."
The other nodded, eyes wide, cheeks flushed as if the very mention of the secret sent chills down her spine. "She's pushing hard to keep it buried. The higher-ups don't even know yet, but the legal team is already on edge, scrambling to contain the fallout."
Sophie's heart skipped a beat. This was why Vanessa had shown panic a couple of time during the meeting. A data leak—an insider threat of some kind?—was far more serious than she had expected, and definitely something no outsider should be privy to. The implications were enormous: one slip could bring down an entire empire.
Sophie's fingers clenched tightly as her mind raced. She wasn't sure what to do with the information—whether to warn Alex, keep it secret, or quietly get out before she was noticed. One thing was clear: her simple interview had landed her smack in the middle of a dangerous game, and her presence was stirring up trouble far beyond what she had imagined.
She stepped back silently, heart pounding, and stepped away from the closet door silently. Catching her reflection in the mirror, she forced herself to appear calm and collected—yet beneath the surface, a storm of uncertainty and resolve was already gathering.