The heavy silence of the bedroom broke into thousands of awkward pieces. Startled by the sudden intrusion, Lorenzo instinctively tried to push himself up off the mattress to create distance. But in his haste, his right hand slipped on the smooth, slick silk of the bedsheets. His weight shifted forward abruptly, and before he could catch his balance, his lips crashed directly against Roxana’s. It was a brief, accidental kiss—soft, electric, and completely unexpected. Roxana’s eyes widened to the size of saucers, a jolt of pure adrenaline shot straight through her veins, and her heart hammered wildly against her ribs. Before her mind could even process the warmth of his lips, the sudden rustle of her stepmother stepping further into the room snapped her back to reality. Flustered and burning with a fierce blush, Roxana quickly raised her hands and pushed Lorenzo’s heavy chest away with a sharp gasp. Lorenzo threw himself back, smoothly rolling off the bed and standing up in one f

The morning light filtering through the thin, faded curtains of the Vance residence was still pale gray, barely cutting through the heavy midnight fog that wrapped around Oakhaven. It was just a few minutes past 6:30 AM. Inside the small bedroom, the silence of the apartment was broken only by the rhythmic, steady breathing of Roxana. She lay buried beneath the heavy blanket, her body completely relaxed, deeply lost in the peaceful, healing aftermath of a night that was finally free from the terror of vipers. Lorenzo sat quietly on the edge of the mattress. He remained perfectly still for a moment, listening to the soft sound of her breath, ensuring that his own movements didn't disturb the fragile sanctuary she had found. Moving with a fluid grace, he slipped into his shirt, his fingers tracking the cuffs with precision. He turned his head slightly to look down at her in the pale, diffused light of the dawn. The harsh, exhausting lines of anxiety that haunted her delicate featur

The two of them walked to a halt just in front of him with a sneer on their faces. "Dressed in complete, pathetic rags, Lorenzo...what on earth do you think you are doing in a place like this?" Chloe mocked loudly, her voice rising just enough to draw the curious, judging eyes of several passing vice presidents. "Are you here to collect scraps? Are you here to dig through our executive trash bins for food? Let me tell you right now, you're entirely too late. Yesterday at the hall, Justin kindly offered you a standard security guard job out of pure, unmerited charity, but you actually had the absolute stupidity to turn it down. And now you come barging into the sacred halls of Vanguard Apex looking for work? Let me tell you, you're a joke. You'd be an absolute embarrassment even as a janitor in a magnificent building like this." Justin let out a mocking laugh, stepping forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Chloe, deliberately trying to use his height to intimidate the quiet you

Iris quickly pulled up a tablet, her fingers flying across the ledger. "The core issue today is the technology infrastructure framework for Vance Technological Enterprises. Per your explicit directive last night, I initiated the preliminary draft for a one-million-dollar partnership contract to stabilize their immediate debt. However, after reviewing Roxana Vance’s proprietary code architecture and her specific system integration models this morning..." Iris paused, taking a steadying breath. "The one-million-dollar figure is a severe understatement of her worth. I have restructured the proposal. I plan to raise the master contract valuation to six million dollars over the next fiscal cycle." Lorenzo tilted his head slightly, his dark eyes shifting toward her. "Six million?" "Any more than that, and their current operational framework will collapse under the weight of the compliance requirements," Iris explained thoroughly, her corporate intellect taking over her nervous demeanor.

Garrick took a step forward, his chest puffed out to its absolute limit as he leveled a cold, threatening glare at Iris. "I am a shareholder of this company, Iris. If you continue to be so incredibly stubborn, so completely blind to the financial reality of this garbage contract, I will personally convene an emergency board meeting by noon and move to have you permanently removed from your position as President for gross negligence of corporate assets!" Iris stood perfectly still, her arms remaining folded across her chest. A deep, dangerous silence settled over the executive floor. She looked at the three of them—their faces twisted with greed, their bodies rigid with an arrogance that was completely hollow. She didn't look angry; she looked profoundly amused. She glanced sideways at Lorenzo, who had walked over to a nearby leather armchair, casually leaning against the armrest as he watched the theatrical display play out. "Let me ask you something, Director Garrick," Iris said