chapter 5

serena's pov

I had barely finished ordering the food and drinks when Ryan arrived, his face brightening the moment he saw his favorite dishes waiting on the table.

"Serena, have you seriously never thought about coming to Travis Business to work as my secretary? Name your price."

"Thanks for the offer, Ryan, but my contract with Blackwood Business hasn't ended yet," I replied with the answer I always gave. "I'm not planning to leave for now."

My abilities were good enough that plenty of people in the industry wanted to recruit me. There had even been a time when a drunk business partner tried to poach me directly in front of Adrian. Adrian hadn't said anything then, but later that night, he took out his frustration on me in bed. Eventually, I signed a long-term contract with Blackwood Business because I wanted to reassure him.

Ryan sighed, both impressed and envious. "Adrian really is lucky. Having someone as capable as you working for him explains a lot about Blackwood Business's success."

"You're flattering me. Compared with Adrian, I actually admire you more because you built Travis Business from nothing." It was nothing more than polite conversation, but Ryan clearly enjoyed hearing it and smiled.

"I really like negotiating with you, Serena. You always know exactly what to say. Come on, I'll drink to that."

"Your liver isn't in great shape," I said, taking the glass. "I'll take this one. Bottoms up—you can just sip yours."

Ryan liked direct wolves, which was why he appreciated my way of doing business. After I finished the drink, he quickly stopped me. "Don't push yourself too hard. As for this project, I'll sign with you and no one else."

"Then thank you, Ryan," I said, personally pouring another drink for him.

Ryan studied my face more closely. "Serena, are you sick? You look awful. Should I ask my driver to take you to a healer?"

Before I could answer, a server knocked and entered carrying a bottle of Romanée-Conti. "Ryan, Adrian heard you were dining here, so he sent me to deliver this wine."

Ryan looked at the extravagant gift, thoroughly confused. Adrian was apparently at The Golden Court too, so why wasn't he here with me?

Before Ryan could ask, Adrian walked in with Elena by his side.

"Ryan, do you like the wine?" Adrian asked as a greeting, his gaze passing over me without stopping. He was wearing only a crisp white shirt perfectly fitted to his lean frame, while his jacket was resting over Elena's shoulders. The meaning behind that gesture was obvious, and the irony wasn't lost on me—I had been the one who chose that jacket for him.

Ryan looked at the bottle again before shifting his attention to Elena, having already guessed that there was something between them; a wolf giving his jacket to a she-wolf said enough. "It's incredibly thoughtful of Adrian. How could I not like it? And this is…?"

Ryan's eyes briefly moved toward me, but I remained composed, even as my face became even paler.

"Let me introduce you," Adrian said. "This is Elena, the new director of Blackwood Business's Investment Department Three. Elena, this is Ryan from Travis Business, an old friend of Blackwood Business."

Elena stepped forward and offered Ryan her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ryan. I hope we'll work well together."

"The pleasure is mine."

Travis Business had worked with Blackwood Business on several projects, so Ryan was familiar with some of the company's internal structure. Investment Department Three had existed for less than a year, but its director position had remained vacant while everyone assumed it was being kept for me. For that entire year, I had handled Department Three's projects while carrying my other responsibilities, turning it into Blackwood Business's best-performing department despite having so little time. I had planted the tree, but someone else was going to sit beneath its shade. Even Ryan, who wasn't part of our company, felt uncomfortable watching it happen.

"By the way, Ryan," Adrian continued, "Elena will be taking over the Blackwood Business and Travis Business project from now on. I brought her here so you two could meet."

Ryan frowned. "But Serena has always been my contact. Changing people suddenly…"

"Serena is only a secretary," Adrian dismissed the concern. "We had her handling it temporarily before Elena returned. Now that the person who should be responsible is here, the project is going back to her." He then added reassuringly, "Don't worry. Elena has a finance PhD from Meridona Wellington–Turner School of Business and worked for leading banks in other places. I spent a great deal to recruit her, so her expertise is beyond question."

Ryan wasn't concerned about Elena's qualifications; he was concerned about me because I had put too much work into that project for him not to notice. Watching Adrian hand it over as though it meant nothing was difficult even for an outsider.

Yet I surprised myself with how calm I felt. Adrian had personally brought Elena to meet the partner to protect her, giving her the care and support I had never received from him. So I spoke evenly, "I'll organize the project documents and transfer everything to Elena as soon as possible."

"Thank you for doing that, Serena," Elena said, remaining perfectly polite.

I gave her a faint nod, stood, picked up my bag, and turned to Ryan. "Ryan, please continue the discussion with Elena. I'll leave now."

Ryan clearly wanted to stop me, but having no position from which to interfere, he could only offer support in his own way. "This is an internal decision for Blackwood Business, so there's nothing I can say as an outsider. From my side, it makes no difference who I negotiate with. But Adrian knows I prefer drinking with friends. Serena once finished nine glasses of white liquor and earned my respect. I wonder how well Elena handles alcohol?"

Elena smiled graciously and lifted her glass. "Probably not as well as Serena, but I'm happy to drink with you, Ryan."

Before she could raise it to her lips, Adrian took the glass from her and finished the drink before Ryan could respond. "She's not feeling well. I'll drink it for her."

Ryan knew Adrian was allergic to alcohol, which was why I had always been the one drinking for him during business events. In all the years Ryan had known Adrian, this was the first time he had ever seen Adrian drink for another person.

Then what had all the drinks I swallowed for him meant? I was asking myself the same question outside the door.

…

When I returned home, I took my medicine and lay down. Not long afterward, Maya called to ask whether I had been resting properly, taking care of myself, and following the healer's instructions to stay completely away from alcohol.

I answered vaguely, but Maya knew immediately that I was lying. "So you drank again?"

"It was a work dinner. I didn't have a choice."

Maya exploded. "Are you trying to kill yourself? Did you forget that you nearly died from alcohol poisoning? How can that bastard Adrian keep sending you to drinking events?"

"It won't happen again," I promised her.

Maya clearly didn't believe me. "You said that last time!"

"This time I mean it."

"How serious are you?"

I was quiet for a moment before asking, "Do you know any lawyers? Someone strong enough to go up against Blackwood Business's legal team?"

Maya's expression changed. "What are you planning?"

"I want to terminate my contract with Blackwood Business. You know I signed a long-term agreement with strict conditions, and their legal department is aggressive. Most lawyers won't want to take it."

Only then did Maya understand that I wasn't speaking impulsively. Her voice was filled with shock. "Are you really Serena?"

"The one and only."

"This is a day worth celebrating! My hopelessly love-struck best friend has finally come to her senses!" Maya sounded genuinely delighted, and if I hadn't needed to rest, she probably would have kept talking until morning. "Leave the lawyer to me. I'll find someone strong enough for you," she reassured me before we ended the call.

Talking to Maya had lifted some of the heaviness from my chest. Just as I began feeling sleepy again, my phone rang with Adrian's name on the screen.

I answered, keeping my voice calm. "Adrian, is something wrong?"

"Bring me allergy medicine," he commanded, his voice carrying the same authoritative tone it always had.

"Okay, Adrian."

I ended the call, switched off my phone, and went to sleep. As for a wolf who wanted to play the hero, drink on behalf of a beautiful she-wolf, and end up suffering an allergic reaction… that had nothing to do with me.