Freya stepped out of the cab and stood in front of the glass building of ABC Technologies. She tilted her head slightly, a small, confident smile playing at the corners of her lips.“Well, Scott Grayson,” she murmured softly to herself, straightening her blouse, “let’s see how long it takes before you’re wrapped around my finger,” she said as she walked through the main doors.The receptionist, a polite young woman, greeted her with a professional smile and directed her to the top floor. Freya kept her posture perfect — poised but not stiff, graceful without looking like she was trying too hard. Everything about her screamed control.When the elevator doors opened, she was met by a wide corridor that led straight to Scott’s office. She could already feel her pulse quicken slightly, though not from nerves — from excitement. There was a kind of thrill in knowing she was about to meet the man everyone talked about. The man she’d been sent to bring down.She knocked once, then twice.“Com

ABC TECHNOLOGIES The sky outside the tall glass windows of ABC Technologies was already dim.Most employees were either leaving or gathering their things to call it a day. Freya exhaled softly, running her fingers through her hair as she looked around her desk. Her first day had been long — exhausting, even — but it had also been productive.She smoothed her blouse and straightened the few papers on her desk before glancing at the clock on the wall. It was past six. A small smile tugged at her lips. Time to wrap up.After a quick check of her reflection in the small mirror she kept in her drawer, she stood and walked toward Scott’s office. As soon as she reached Scott's office, she pushed the door gently and peeked in.Scott was still at his desk, sleeves rolled up, eyes fixed on his laptop. He looked tired but focused.Freya leaned slightly against the doorway, her tone soft. “Sir?”Scott looked up almost immediately, his brown eyes meeting hers. “Yes, Miss Hayes?”She smiled polite

Freya arrived at ABC Technologies before the building had fully opened.The air inside still carried the faint scent of floor polish, and the lights along the hallway glowed with that sleepy, early-morning dimness. She had barely slept a wink, yet her face showed none of it. The dull ache behind her eyes, the heaviness in her limbs, the constant buzz of exhaustion — she hid it all beneath the calm mask she had mastered long ago.Her desk sat neatly by the large window at the far end of the corridor. She dropped her bag there and sat for a moment, just long enough to let the chair take her weight. She rubbed her temple briefly and exhaled, thinking back to the hours she’d spent the previous night combing through files and trying to trace one name — Richard Thornton. But still she wasn't able to get the direct contact of the man or find any way to reach him directly.Every attempt had hit a wall. Thornton’s number wasn’t public, and the company directories were locked tighter than a vau

ABC TECHNOLOGIES The heavy glass door to the conference room clicked shut. Everyone seated at the long table avoided eye contact. No one dared speak first.Scott stood at the far end of the table, his back to the room, both hands braced on the surface as he stared down at a single sheet of paper — the email from Skyview Horizon. His jaw flexed, the faintest muscle moving under his skin. The calm that usually made him look so controlled now felt dangerous, like the stillness of a storm before it hit.Finally, he spoke.“Skyview Horizon has pulled out of the deal.”The words were soft, but the room heard the weight behind them.Murmurs rippled quietly through the conference room. A few employees exchanged uncertain glances, their pens tapping nervously against their notepads.Scott straightened slowly as he turned to face them. “Does anyone,” he began, his voice steady and even, “want to explain to me how this happened?”Silence.His eyes swept the table — from the marketing head to t

DAMIAN'S HOUSE The day had dragged on far longer than Damian would have liked.By the time he left the office, the sun was already dipping low behind the skyline. His head throbbed faintly from hours of meetings, unanswered emails, and the constant buzz of phone calls that had barely stopped since morning. The traffic on his way home didn’t help either. The steady hum of engines and impatient honks only deepened the exhaustion already settled in his bones.He rubbed a hand over his face as he drove, leaning his elbow against the car door, staring blankly ahead. All I want is a shower, food, and my bed, he thought tiredly. That’s all.The thought of his empty, peaceful house felt like a reward. He imagined the silence greeting him, the warm air of home wrapping around him after such a long day. The faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he turned into his street.It was a quiet neighborhood, the kind where people nodded politely at one another in the mornings and went about