Chapter 5
Alethrisha POV
It was a bright Monday morning, and I was scheduled to meet William Alexander Seth again.
We arrived at his office as planned. His secretary escorted us to the top floor, where Seth Arclay Trade and Logistics operated at its core. The hallway hummed with quiet efficiency the rhythmic tapping of keyboards, low conversations, the faint scent of coffee and polished wood.
By the time I reached his office, the soft aroma of jasmine tea greeted me before he did.
William welcomed me with composed ease and gestured for me to sit. A cup of tea was placed before me moments later. Basil tea.
I noticed.
We moved directly into business. I asked about delivery timelines, customer feedback, and operational efficiency. He answered without hesitation clear, structured, and thorough. His confidence was not performative. It was grounded, earned.
When the meeting drew to a close, he paused, his tone easing.
"Do you like the tea?" he asked.
"Yes," I replied simply.
"I remembered," he said. "From our last meeting."
"That's unusually attentive for a logistics executive," I said, my voice neutral but edged with dry amusement.
His lips curved slightly. "Details matter."
For a moment, his gaze lingered not intrusive, not careless. Just… deliberate. When I shifted, he immediately looked away, professionalism reasserted without apology.
Then he spoke again.
"I'd like our meetings to feel less… transactional," he said carefully. "Not now, perhaps. But eventually."
I studied him for a second longer than necessary.
"Business is transactional by nature," I said calmly. "Anything beyond that requires intention."
"I understand," he replied, without argument.
That, more than anything, surprised me.
I stood, signaling the end of the meeting. As I walked out of his office, one thought followed me, uninvited and persistent.
He wasn't pushing. He was waiting.
And that unsettled me more than pressure ever could.