Chapter Twenty-Five
The pressure was mounting, and I could feel it creeping up on me with every passing minute. The reality of working for Stefan—helping him build his empire—was no longer just a theory; it was happening, and it was happening fast. What once seemed like an illusion of a glamorous life now felt more like a high-stakes game where one misstep could ruin everything.
Stefan was a master of control, and I was learning quickly that nothing slipped past him. The way he moved through the day, each decision made with ruthless precision, was something I could never quite get used to. His world was a chessboard, and I was just one of the pieces, though he hadn’t yet told me which one I was supposed to be.
I sat across from him in his office, watching him as he worked through a pile of documents with surgical efficiency. The phone rang, and he answered it immediately, his voice low and commanding as he dealt with whatever business had come his way. I had learned by now that Stefan
