"Your company leaked my investment plan."Sera's voice was calm and controlled.Her tone was like she was discussing a minor issue.
Lucian Voss didn't even look up from his drink. The bar was modern and sleek just the way he liked it, with dim lighting and the quiet hum of wealthy laughs. "If I leaked it, you'd be in serious trouble by now," he said evenly.
Sera's eyes narrowed slightly. "That sounds like an admission of guilt."
Lucian looked up to meet her gaze, his eyes cold and calculating as usual. She looked like a woman who wouldn't back down, with her sleek black dress and perfect posture. Her expression was calm, but her eyes told a different story.
"You don't scare me, Lucian," Sera said, her voice firm.
"Then you're not paying attention," Lucian replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Sera leaned forward, her elbows on the table. "Your hedge fund sold four million shares of AvasTech 48 hours before I invested. That's not a coincidence."
Lucian smirked and swirled his drink. "Coincidence doesn't make me money."
The silence that followed was tense, like a challenge had been issued. Lucian's movements were deliberate and calculated, like he was always planning his next move.
Sera's eyes locked onto Lucian's. "I don't play games."
"Everyone plays, Sera," Lucian said, his voice smooth. "Some just pretend not to."
Sera's jaw tightened. "I'm not one of them."
"Then you'll lose," Lucian said softly, like it was a fact.
Sera's eyes flashed with anger, but she kept her cool. "You sure do think you are untouchable" she said.
"I know I'm careful," Lucian replied, taking another sip of his drink.
"Careful doesn't make you clean," Sera said, her voice laced with venom.
"Neither does pretending to be righteous," Lucian shot back, his eyes glinting with amusement.
A new glass appeared between them, but neither reached for it.
Sera's voice was cold when she spoke. "I'm not here for small talk."
"No one is," Lucian said, his voice equally cold. "You're here because your firm's struggling and you think I had something to do with it."
Sera's eyes didn't flicker, but her voice dropped to a lower tone. "Did you?"
Lucian's smirk was back. "Would it matter if I did?"
Sera's eyes locked onto Lucian's. "It would to you."
Lucian arched an eyebrow. "Because you'd try to ruin me?"
Sera's smile was cold and calculated. "Because I'd succeed."
That earned her a faint smile from Lucian. "You always sound like you're making a threat," he said. "You should try being quieter. It's more intimidating."
The corner of Sera's mouth twitched, but she didn't smile. "You'd mistake it for mercy."
Lucian's gaze didn't waver. "And you'd mistake mine for interest."
For a moment, the only sound was the hum of the air conditioning and the quiet murmur of the bar's patrons.
Then Sera's phone buzzed, breaking the silence. She didn't look at it right away, but Lucian's eyes flicked to the screen.
When she finally picked it up, her face didn't change, but the silence did.
"Bad news?" Lucian asked, his voice laced with curiosity.
Sera turned the phone so he could see the screen. A single text message glowed in the dim light: "Debt settled. Check your inbox."
Lucian's smirk faded, and his hand stilled over his glass.
"Someone playing games?" he asked, his voice neutral.
Sera's eyes locked onto Lucian's. "Not the kind I like."
She opened her email, and a new message loaded. The subject line read: "Interest Paid in Blood."
The image took a few seconds to load, and when it did, Sera's face remained calm, but Lucian's didn't.
The photo showed a man in a suit, lying in a narrow alley. His eyes were open, and blood pooled beneath him.
"Who is that?" Lucian asked, his voice tight.
Sera's voice was calm when she replied. "My CFO."
Lucian exhaled once, slowly. "That's... unfortunate timing."
Sera's eyes locked onto Lucian's. "Timing isn't the problem."
She turned the phone toward him again, her tone unshaken. "Read the signature."
At the bottom of the email, a single line of text read: "Tell Lucian I'm back."
The world seemed to still around them, like time itself had paused.
Lucian didn't move, didn't blink. Sera's eyes locked onto his, searching for a reaction.
"You know who sent that, don't you?" she asked, her voice firm.
Lucian's expression was cold and heavy. "I thought he was dead," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
The words hung in the air like a challenge.
Sera's eyes narrowed slightly. "Apparently, you're wrong."