With a quick swipe, he dialed the number. The line connected on the very first ring. "President Iris," Lorenzo stated flatly, his eyes locked onto Sean’s smirking face. "I have a procurement manager named Sean currently sitting in the Vance residence, claiming he represents your inner circle and using his position to extort a family. Terminate his employment immediately, revoke his credentials, and initiate a full internal audit into his department." On the other end, Iris’s sharp, authoritative voice cut through the receiver, loud enough for the quiet room to catch the rigid tone. "Understood, Master. I will handle it personally and ensure he faces the full extent of our legal team." Lorenzo clicked the phone shut, slipping it back into his pocket with elegance. Sean stood frozen for a second, before bursting into a wild, frantic fit of hysterical laughter, clapping his hands together. "Oh my god! This is too good! You actually hired an actress to pretend to be the public fac

"President Iris...please," Sean stammered, his voice cracking into a high-pitched, desperate plea as he clutched the phone. "I didn't know...I swear I didn't know he was your friend! It was a misunderstanding! I was just trying to protect the company's interests—""Save your breath," Iris interrupted, her tone dropping into a cold finality that signaled absolute, irreversible ruin."As of this exact microsecond, Sean, you are officially fired from Vanguard Apex Corporation. Starting tomorrow morning, your credentials are deleted, your access to the tower is revoked, and your final salary will be legally settled to the penny."Sean’s breath hitched, a low, pathetic whine escaping his throat. But Iris wasn't done."Furthermore," Iris continued, her voice dripping with an icy ruthlessness, "our data has already flagged your department. We have extensive, documented evidence that you have been secretly taking massive financial kickbacks from low-tier supply chains over the past fiscal yea

Lorenzo sat back against the fabric cushions, unbuttoning his simple jacket as he turned his head to look at Roxana.The quiet space between them felt heavy, the reality of what they had just executed hanging in the air.Roxana let out a long, ragged breath, leaning her head back against the wall as she stared at the glowing television screen."My family is...embarrassing," she whispered, her voice thick with a sudden, raw emotion.She didn't look at him, her eyes fixed on a random late-night news broadcast. "The moment they think you're a nobody, they treat you like dirt under their shoes. The moment you show a sliver of power, they crawl on their knees to serve you dinner.""It's the rule of the elite, Roxana," Lorenzo said softly, his voice a steady anchor beside her. "They don't worship the person. They worship the shadow the person casts."Roxana turned her head, her deep eyes studying the sharp profile of his jaw. "And what about you, Lorenzo? What kind of shadow are you actuall

She opened her mouth to object, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs, but her tongue felt utterly tied as she looked at Lorenzo's completely calm, steady expression. Under the intense, heavy gaze of her stepmother, she couldn't bring herself to refuse.The click of the bedroom door closing behind them seemed to instantly cut off the suffocating warmth of the living room.Roxana stood just a few inches past the threshold, her back rigid, her hands clutching her leather folder against her chest like a shield.The room was small, far tighter than the expansive suites she had grown up with before her family’s financial decline, but it was meticulously organized.A single soft desk lamp cast a warm, amber glow across a neat rows of textbooks, a simple white vanity, and a modest double bed pushed against the far wall.Roxana’s face was still burning a deep, radiant crimson under the soft light. She couldn't bring herself to look Lorenzo directly in the eye.This was the first time in

"You," Roxana teased, her eyes sparkling with a playful, bright light she hadn't shown all evening.She stepped closer to the bed, tossing her towel onto the vanity chair. "The great Lorenzo, the man who just dismantled a Vanguard Apex manager and a squad of international mercenaries without blinking an eye, is currently terrified of looking at a girl in a nightgown. Are you always this easily frightened?""I am not frightened," Lorenzo defended himself, his voice dropping into a deeper, slightly defensive tone as he crossed his arms. "I am simply exercising proper, gentlemanly respect for my host.""Sure you are," Roxana laughed softly, sitting on the edge of the mattress and tucking her legs beneath her. "You look like a statue right now. Relax, Lorenzo. I won't bite."Lorenzo let out a low huff, the ridiculousness of the situation finally breaking his rigid composure. "You're incredibly bold for someone who was trembling in my arms ten minutes ago.""That was situational," she shot