"Kian, this is our company's Sales Director, Ms. Barlow."The HR specialist, oblivious to my turmoil, politely made the introduction.The woman, so beautiful it hurt to look at her, yet so infuriating I wanted to scream, seemed to notice the change in my expression. She was frowning slightly, as if trying to place me."Hello, my name is Ava Barlow. Have we met somewhere before?" she asked suddenly."Heh." A cold laugh escaped my lips. "Of course we've met. I've even seen you tied up in the trunk of a car, Ms. Barlow, with tape over your mouth, begging me with your teary eyes to—""Be quiet!"Ava's face flushed a deep red, her chest heaving."So, you remember who I am now?"Ava seemed to be struggling to control her emotions. After taking a moment to compose herself, she turned to the bewildered HR specialist. "You can leave us now."The specialist opened his mouth, but thought better of it and scurried out of the office.Once the door was closed, Ava fixed her gaze on me. "Three years

I knew that when dealing with guys like Vince Russo, who have a heavy street vibe, you can't show any weakness, even if you're intimidated. The moment you flinch, you lose all leverage, and things will only get worse.So, even as Vince glared at me, I kept my expression relaxed. I took a slow, deliberate sip from my glass and said, "Mr. Russo, it's true that Ms. Barlow didn't send me with a message. But I have something I want to say to you.""What is it?" Vince demanded, his face still a thundercloud."Then I'll be direct," I began. "Mr. Russo, it's natural to appreciate beauty. Our Ms. Barlow is a stunning woman, and as a man, there's nothing wrong with you being attracted to her. But, if you'll permit me to be blunt, you and Ms. Barlow are not a good match."I ignored the fact that his expression was getting uglier by the second and continued."Frankly, you're a successful man, Mr. Russo. You have money, which naturally attracts a lot of women. But you're mistaken about one thing. O

Maybe it was the shock, or maybe it was pure terror, but Ava didn't scream or struggle.She just stood there, frozen, her mouth agape in horror.My body was pressed against hers. I stared at her delicate face, so close I could see her trembling eyelashes, the slight quiver in her dark pupils, the way her beautiful lips trembled.Adrenaline surged through me. My mind went blank with a primal need for revenge.This self-righteous woman who repaid kindness with betrayal.She had cost me everything.My life was already in ruins. What did one more prison sentence matter, if it meant I could finally unleash all my pent-up anger and hatred?"What are you doing? I'm warning you, don't do anything crazy…"Ava had found her voice, but she still didn't scream or fight back.She must have known the hotel room was soundproof, and that struggling would be useless."I just want you to know what it feels like to be taken. It's a taste you should have gotten a long time ago."I pinned both of her hands

So, I gathered my thoughts and began. "Mr. Sadiq, if the technical gap isn't that significant, I think you should place more importance on the software system's maintenance and updates. All software can have vulnerabilities, and corporate systems are especially prone to hacker attacks. This requires dedicated personnel on standby 24/7 to handle emergencies. After all, when a company's office system goes down, the losses can be substantial.""That's maintenance. As for updates… the purpose of an OA system is to improve efficiency. But even a custom-built system will have areas that are clunky or overly complicated. This requires optimization and continuous improvement. Corporate management structures evolve and improve, and the system must adapt to better serve the company.""What I'm trying to say, Mr. Sadiq, is that everyone uses JAVA2 for software development these days. The technical gap isn't that big; it's mostly in the details. But when it comes to efficiency and service… America

I followed her to a nearby high-end clothing store and, without holding back, picked out two suits and a pair of leather shoes. The total came to over fifteen hundred dollars, which Ava paid for. I knew she'd just expense it to the company anyway.Then, Ava took me to the hotel where the project team was staying and got me a new room, right next to hers.She had also rented a small conference room and told me to join the rest of the team there as soon as possible.I went to my room, dropped off my things, and splashed some water on my face to clear my head before heading to the meeting.Including Ava, there were eight people from the project team in the conference room, deep in discussion.The moment I walked in, all eyes snapped towards me. There were looks of confusion and whispers exchanged.Ava cleared her throat, silencing the room. "Let me reintroduce everyone. This is Kian, my work assistant. He officially joined us two weeks ago but had to take some personal leave. He's now bac