Semua Bab Silent Flame: Bab 11 - Bab 20

The following morning, Evelyn stood in front of the mirror longer than usual.There was no reason to. Her makeup was the same as always... subtle, professional, clean. Her outfit, a navy pencil skirt and pale blue blouse, was carefully chosen to say capable but forgettable. The tiny gold lock around her neck was tucked neatly beneath her collar.No one could know. Not yet.She had a job to do, and the last thing she needed was Linda or any of the team whispering about favoritism or worse, scandal. Drake Industries didn't suffer rumors well.By the time she walked into the headquarters' lobby, the building hummed with its usual high-functioning, high-stress energy. The glass facade reflected Seoul's morning light like a beacon, and the marble floors echoed with the fast clicks of polished shoes.Evelyn moved with purpose, her steps steady, her expression composed. No one suspected a thing.But just as she turned toward the elevator b

By Monday, Seoul buzzed with whispers of an exclusive gala hosted by the Foreign Trade Council. It was one of those opulent, invitation-only events where business titans rubbed shoulders with dignitaries and media moguls. Drake Industries, of course, was not just attending. Alexander Drake was set to deliver the keynote.What Evelyn hadn't expected was that she'd be attending too.The invitation came not through her inbox, but directly from Alexander's executive assistant, delivered by hand."You've been assigned to coordinate visual content during Mr. Drake's speech," the assistant explained briskly. "You'll be seated near the media table. Business-formal attire required."Evelyn's heart jumped but her face remained neutral. She knew better than to show surprise, especially when she could already picture Genevieve's smirk upon hearing the news.The Grand Seoul Ballroom was a palace of modern luxury: floating glass staircases, veils of silk curtain

Genevieve Moreau walked through the executive wing of Drake Industries with the elegance of a queen returning to her rightful throne.She had spent five years transforming the American branch into a revenue-generating machine by revamping operations, building powerful partnerships, and cultivating a formidable reputation from coast to coast. Yet no amount of success abroad had satisfied her.Because Alexander wasn't there.And Genevieve did not believe in losing.Not to competitors, and certainly not to a marketing assistant who couldn't keep her hands or eyes to herself.She hadn't confronted Alexander directly. Not yet. Genevieve preferred war by a thousand cuts which are subtle and untraceable.For now, she had two goals.Win back Alexander.And make Evelyn crack.Evelyn was already feeling the strain.In the days following their private confrontation, Genevieve had embedded herself in nearly every cross-departmental decision. She sat in on meetings that didn't require her presence

By mid-October, the halls of Drake Industries buzzed with preparations for the company's Winter Expansion Initiative, a massive campaign aimed at launching several new tech-forward service hubs across Southeast Asia. It was the kind of campaign Evelyn lived for with high stakes, high visibility, and the perfect opportunity to finally move from shadows to spotlight.Except this one came with Genevieve's fingerprints all over it."She's co-heading the campaign?" Evelyn said, eyes narrowing at the memo."Apparently," Linda muttered without looking up. "Per Alexander's orders."That was a lie. Alexander had said no such thing. Evelyn knew that because they still met in hushed moments with stolen minutes in stairwells or late-night calls where his voice softened and hers cracked under exhaustion.He would never knowingly throw her into Genevieve's line of fire.Which meant Genevieve had found a way to make it look like he had.That night, Evelyn sat at her apartment dining table, the campa

The sun had barely risen over Seoul when Evelyn stepped into the executive boardroom of Drake Industries, shoulders squared, expression calm. Today was supposed to be another closed-door marketing review, but there was a shift in the air. Electric, expectant, and heavy with something unspoken.She wasn't alone in feeling it.Across the table, Genevieve sat poised in a crisp black suit, hair twisted into a severe chignon. Her mouth curled in a faint smile, though her eyes glinted like knives. To any outsider, the two women were professional equals. But beneath the table, a quiet war churned.Alexander entered last, flanked by two senior board members and his longtime legal counsel. He offered no greeting. Instead, he simply said, "Let's begin."Evelyn opened her laptop and, with the click of a key, cast the first stone."Before we review projections," she said, her voice firm but controlled, "I'd like to present a report comparing campaign strategies submitted over the past 4 weeks - m