Nathan’s eyes rose above the magazine. “What?”“Your cooking skill.” She chuckled, spoon tapping the bowl. “You were always attentive to ingredients but most times…you messed up in the kitchen.” Her laugh was soft, nostalgic.His gaze locked on her. Her laughter lit her face, making her look effortlessly beautiful, almost glowing. He couldn’t deny it, even now she was gorgeous when she laughed.But he didn’t laugh. His lips stayed pressed, his expression unreadable. He just looked at her.Her laughter faltered. She stopped, cheeks tingling with sudden self-consciousness. “I’m sorry,” she muttered, lowering her spoon. “I shouldn’t have recalled that.”Silence stretched between them, heavy, the echoes of unspoken moments filling the space.Nathan leaned back on the couch, his magazine shielding half his face though his eyes flicked occasionally toward Natalia. She took another spoonful of the meal he had prepared, chewing thoughtfully. Then she paused, set the spoon down, and her gaze s

Taylor lifted her head and the moment folded inward, a loop of hope so bright it almost hurt. In her mind she envisioned it: him stopping at the car, her breath hitching, her hand on his arm.“Nathan!” she would cry, voice raw. Then glance at the press of his sleeve under her fingers, the desperate tilt of her face, the word finally spilling out, “I love you…”.In the memory, he had not pulled away. Instead, he had frozen, then his own face had softened, the hardness melting into something tender, and he had whispered, as if confessing a secret he’d held too long, “I love you too.”She blinked and the scene snapped like a thin glass, gone. Reality rushed back in: the car’s taillights shrinking down the road, dust settling over the empty driveway. He had left. He had driven off, angry, away from her reach.For a second she stayed suspended between the imagined warmth and the cold truth. The rooftop of her hope collapsed. Tears blurred the edges of the world, but she shoved them down wi

Later that day, Nathan was at Dynasty Group and attended a meeting in one of the conference rooms. The conference room smelled faintly of polish and paper, its glass walls gleaming under the fluorescent light. Nathan sat at the long oval table, shoulders relaxed, expression unreadable. To the others around him, he was just a newcomer, another insignificant face in a room dominated by senior heads of departments. Their eyes weighed him, dismissive and suspicious. None of them knew that the man sitting quietly with his hands folded was the hidden owner of everything they believed they controlled.Liera cleared her throat softly, her posture poised at the head of the table. The murmur of idle conversations stilled. “I called for this special meeting,” she began, her tone crisp, “to finally introduce you all to Nathan.” Her eyes flicked briefly to him, then back to the group. “Most of you here know we secured Teslow Valley, and it was because of his efforts.”Polite but half-hearted cla

Nathan stopped in the center of the office and looked at her, his expression unreadable. The air between them thickened with old understanding, Liera’s voice softened, almost maternal, when she spoke.“If it’s because of what happened five years ago,” she said, “you don’t have to worry. I won’t fail to have you protected like I did then.”A faint smile twitched at the corner of Nathan’s lips, more ironic than amused. “You think I’m scared?” His voice was calm but edged with quiet mockery. “For the unknown people who tried to kill me five years ago and failed?”He turned away from her and walked to the desk, his movements deliberate, shoulders relaxed but his jaw tight. His hand brushed across the polished surface as he shook his head. “No. Hiding my identity will enable me to find them. It’s best this way. I can only reveal myself when I’ve gotten all I want.”He paused, eyes flicking toward the panoramic glass behind her, where the city shimmered like a living entity. “And when I’

Silence stretched. Heath’s jaw worked. “Nathan’s ex-wife? That low thing?”“Exactly,” Braxton said, dropping the cigarette into the ashtray and grinding it out with a slow, deliberate press. “She was married to him. She might know things—habits, people, oddities. If we get her to talk—legitimately or by pressure, we might pull at the seam that rips him open.”Heath’s expression slid into calculation, cold and bright. “So what? Do we strong-arm her? Kidnap her? Make her sing?”Braxton shrugged as if discussing the weather. “Not crude. Not yet. We plant ideas, offers she can’t refuse. Or use leverage – money, promises. Make her think her interests align with ours.”Heath’s laugh was harsh. “And if she refuses?”“We find another angle,” Braxton said, lean and assured. “We’re patient. We’re meticulous. Nathan’s not a quick kill. He’s a puzzle. We will solve it.”Heath’s fingers tightened into a fist. “Fine. Start with her. See what she knows. If she even hints at something, we move.” He r