Chapter 15

After dinner, Victor insisted on driving me home.

I eventually gave in, on one condition: he had to drop me off at the entrance of the alley near the convenience store.

“Are you sure you want to get off here, Miss?” Danny, Victor’s personal driver, asked as he pulled over.

“Yes, this is fine.”

“I’ll walk you inside,” Victor offered.

I gave him a questioning look. “There’s no need. My house is just around the corner.”

“How close?”

Suppressing a sigh, I pointed toward an orange-painted flat nestled inside the alley. Bougainvillea flowers spilled across its front, adding a splash of color to the modest little flat.

“There. You can see it from here.”

Victor glanced at the house before finally relenting.

“All right. Be careful, Sevra, and get some rest.”

“Thank you, Victor. For everything today.” I smiled sincerely before turning to Danny. “Good night.”

“Good night, Miss.”

With a final wave, I headed toward the alley, relieved to have escaped an unnecessary escort to my front door.

I had no idea that, moments after I left, Victor would be making a decision that could cost someone their life.

***

The moment I stepped out of sight, Victor’s phone rang.

Braddy, one of his most trusted assistants and an old college friend, was calling.

Victor answered immediately.

“What is it?”

“Boss, we’ve found out what happened with the anti-drone system contract.”

“Go on.”

“Someone leaked our bid information to a competitor. The leak came from inside the Ministry of Defense.”

Victor’s expression hardened.

He had been pursuing a lucrative contract to supply anti-drone systems to a Southeast Asian country. The deal would have strengthened his influence in the region, but everything had fallen apart just as the negotiations were nearing completion.

“Do we know who leaked it?”

“Yes. He’s closely associated with Brandon Greek’s right-hand man.”

Victor leaned back, tapping a finger against the armrest.

Brandon Greek. Another fool who had mistaken his patience for weakness.

“What are your instructions?” Braddy asked.

“Since the deal is lost, make sure the person responsible pays for it.”

“Understood, Boss.”

Victor ended the call and gazed at the city lights passing beyond the tinted windows.

“Human life really is cheap sometimes, isn’t it?” he remarked casually.

Danny kept his eyes on the road.

Even after years of working for Victor, he had never grown entirely accustomed to his employer’s cold indifference toward human life.

For Victor Haulette, eliminating a problem was often easier than negotiating with it.

And tonight, someone had just become a problem.

***

The following morning, I arrived at Haulette Tower earlier than usual, hoping to grab breakfast at the little cafe across the street.

My savings were running dangerously low, and I needed them to last until payday. Financial worries aside, I refused to let them show.

Dressed in a peach blouse and white trousers, I collected my cappuccino and croissant before heading into the building.

I had barely stepped into the elevator when someone pushed past me.

Anne.

The HR manager shot me a contemptuous look before turning away.

“Good morning, Ms. Anne,” I greeted her politely.

“Morning,” she replied curtly.

I offered a faint smile, expecting nothing more of the exchange.

Apparently, even that was too much for her.

“What are you smiling at?” she demanded.

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Do you think you’re better than me now?” Her eyes narrowed. “Just because you’ve been hired as the CEO’s secretary, you think you can look down on me?”

I stared at her, genuinely bewildered.

Was she seriously picking a fight over a smile?

“We both work here, Ms. Anne. I suggest we keep things professional, especially since you’re the HR manager.”

I delivered the words calmly, without raising my voice.

Her face stiffened. For a moment, she looked as though she wanted to slap me.

Instead, she stormed out the moment the elevator doors opened.

I watched her leave and took a sip of my cappuccino.

What a way to start the morning.

Still, I had more important things to worry about than an insecure HR manager.

The rest of the week passed relatively smoothly.

I organized Victor’s documents, managed his correspondence, and kept his schedule running on time. Anne occasionally tried to make things difficult, but her petty tactics barely inconvenienced me.

I had dealt with far worse than office politics.

Then came the day Victor was scheduled to leave town on business.

Over the past week, I had noticed that my new job was far less ordinary than I had expected. Working for Victor Haulette meant dealing with a demanding schedule, an intimidating boss, and the occasional feeling that his attention lingered on me longer than necessary.

Still, I had a job to do, and I intended to do it well.

***

What Sevra didn't realize was that her presence had already begun to change the way Victor saw the world.

For years, his life had revolved around business deals, power struggles, and the endless pursuit of greater influence. He rarely found anything outside his empire worth anticipating.

Then Sevra Monace came along.

Her beauty had caught his attention, but it was her intelligence, composure, and quiet confidence that kept drawing him back. She wasn't dazzled by his wealth or eager to win his favor. She treated him with a natural ease that few people dared to show him.

And that made her all the more intriguing.

Every day, Victor found another reason to keep her close.

Now, with an upcoming business trip forcing him to leave the country, he discovered something he hadn't expected: he wasn't particularly pleased about the prospect of spending several days away from her.

It was an unfamiliar irritation, one he had no intention of acknowledging aloud.

Victor Haulette was accustomed to getting what he wanted.

And increasingly, what he wanted had nothing to do with business.

It was a woman who still insisted on keeping her distance from him.

Sevra Monace.