LOGINHe didn't give her room to retreat, and for the first time all day, Lyra didn't want any.The kiss didn’t stay gentle for long. It was deep, demanding, and born from weeks of dangerous proximity and shared fires.Their hands roamed hungrily. Lyra’s fingers found the front of his shirt, tugging his tie loose, while Laurent’s hands tightened at the back of her neck before slipping down to the zipper of her blouse, pulling her closer until there was zero careful distance left between them.Lyra let out a quiet gasp against his mouth, her hands moving instinctively up to the back of his neck, her fingers tangling tightly into his hair. Laurent’s arm wrapped around her waist like a band of iron, pulling her against his chest until she felt every ragged beat of his heart.The heat radiating between them was intoxicating. He tasted like smoke and expensive scotch, kissing her with a fierce, possessive intensity that made her head spin and her body melt completely against his solid frame.L
The word Helios sat in the glass office like a second, devastating detonation.Tristan found his voice first—raw, strained, and dangerously loud.“You can’t be serious. After everything Coles built with you—”“Coles built nothing with me after you sent her away,” Noah cut him off flatly. “She brought me into this firm. You merely borrowed her competence and called it culture. I’m done subsidizing your collapse.” He turned his back on Tristan and looked directly at Lyra. “I’ll have my legal team contact Helios by morning. I assume Mr. Crawford has no objections to initiating a preliminary discussion?”Amidst the surprise, Lyra felt a flicker of confusion. “You knew him...?”“Come on,” Noah shrugged, a small, knowing glint in his eyes. “I might be old, but I’m far from foolish. For you to walk into my fire and save the day, your new boss had to clear the path.”Lyra couldn't help a faint smile, glancing over at Laurent. He didn't let a full smile break his executive composure, but the q
Security officers from both firms moved simultaneously.Darrell lunged for Tristan again, but Tristan caught his wrists mid-air, a quick, wild left hook catching Darrell flush across the cheek.The glass office instantly erupted into shouting, the sharp scrape of heavy leather chairs, and the ugly, violent sound of a corporate partnership disintegrating in real time.“Enough!”Lyra’s voice cut through the chaos—not a scream, but an absolute, razor-sharp command. She stood up from her chair, looking at both of them with profound disgust. “Do neither of you have an ounce of shame left?!”Helios tactical security immediately stepped into the breach, physically forcing the two men apart. Coles’s own internal security guards froze in place, utterly unsure whose authority ranked higher in a building that no longer felt like anyone was in control.Laurent didn't raise his voice. If anything, a low, amused chuckle threatened to break past his lips as he enjoyed every second of the spectacle
The private executive elevator at Coles Industries opened onto a floor that already carried the sharp, metallic stench of pure corporate panic.Lyra stepped out first. Laurent maintained his position half a pace behind her, his presence an absolute shield. Owen and two towering Helios tactical security officers followed in a disciplined second line—visible enough to command total respect, yet understated enough to avoid looking like a federal raid.The moment her heels hit the polished marble floor, the entire open-plan office fell dead silent. Whispers erupted instantly across rows of cubicles as employees nudged each other, side-gossip spreading like wildfire.A few senior analysts even offered faint, hopeful smiles, praying that Lyra Quinn had returned to save the sinking ship one last time.Lyra swallowed hard, keeping her head held high. This building used to be her second home—before her life and her work were ripped away from her.She had only taken a dozen steps down the mai
Laurent did not raise his voice—which somehow made the moment infinitely worse. Lyra couldn't tell if he was furious or completely detached. But his dark eyes never once left hers.“You went to the hospital,” he repeated softly. “After Lang used it as direct leverage on that jetty. After an ambush. After I asked you directly.”Lyra locked her phone screen and set it face-down on the glass table.“I went because the formal notices weren't going to stop,” she admitted, coming clean because she knew no cover story would save her from his scrutiny. “And because someone else already attempted to pull that exact file last week.”“You told me you went to see your mother.”“I told you what I could afford to say in a war room with your CTO twenty feet away,” her voice remained steady, unyielding. “It’s personal, Laurent. But it’s also no longer just personal. That threat on my phone made sure of it.”Laurent’s silence stretched tightly between them, heavy with everything he was holding back—t
The high-ceilinged lobby held the suffocating stare long enough for the entire front security desk to freeze.Tristan broke first—not out of surrender, but out of watching his own calculations fail in real time.“You’re the sole reason for her attitude!” Tristan hissed, taking a step toward Laurent. “You think I don't remember you at the hospital? Holding my wife in your arms?!”“Ex-wife,” Laurent corrected, completely unshaken. He stared down into Tristan’s eyes with a cold, unyielding stillness.The hatred between them was mutual and lethal.“This is far bigger than your damn pride, Crawford!” Tristan snapped.“No,” Laurent countered quietly. “It’s exactly the size of her personal safety. Now leave.”Darrell placed a firm hand on Tristan’s shoulder before his boss could make an irreversible mistake.“We hear you loud and clear, Mr. Crawford,” Darrell interjected smoothly, before meeting Laurent’s gaze. “We’ll transmit whatever data we have through proper channels—not through lobby s







