Beyond the Company Doors

 Zara stepped into her room, the faint scent of lavender still lingering in the air. The maid had already finished tidying up, moving about with quiet efficiency. Offering a small, polite nod of gratitude, Zara slipped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

 A warm bath awaited, the gentle aroma of oils mingling with the rising steam, cocooning her in a soft embrace. As she lowered herself into the soothing water, the tension clinging to her body seemed to dissolve. In that moment, there was nothing — no noise, no pressure — just peace. A rare, undisturbed calm.

 After what felt like hours, Zara stepped out, wrapped in a robe of quiet serenity, and dressed herself in simple, casual wear. The stillness of the house greeted her as she made her way downstairs.

 It was then that her gaze fell upon Ethan.

 Seated in the living room, files scattered on the table before him, his posture spoke of power and precision. Even at home, surrounded only by his personal secretaries, his aura remained cold, unreadable — commanding. The sharp angles of his jawline, the effortless confidence in the way he sat… it was impossible not to look.

 Zara hadn't paid him much mind when she first returned. But now, as she watched him — still dressed in his housewear, utterly unbothered by the world — something about him pulled her in. Her steps slowed. Her eyes lingered. There was a strange, invisible thread that seemed to draw her closer.

 Her trance was only broken when the butler entered.

 "Young Master, lunch is ready."

 The words shattered the quiet spell. Zara's heart stuttered. She had been staring. Worse… she had been captivated. Flustered, she quickly masked her expression, though the warmth creeping up her cheeks betrayed her.

 But Ethan had noticed.

 His gaze was sharp, as always. He had seen the softness in her look, the way her gaze lingered too long. And though his face remained cool, the ghost of a smirk threatened at the corners of his lips.

 He liked it. More than he cared to admit.

 Setting his file aside, Ethan handed it to David and stood. His voice was smooth, teasing — as if he hadn't caught her blushing at all.

 "Shall we have lunch?"

 Zara caught the teasing gleam in his eyes, the smile that hinted at unspoken words. But instead of acknowledging it, she met his gaze with a calm, deep look—one that betrayed nothing of her flustered state.

 Then, without a word, she turned gracefully and walked towards the dining room, her posture elegant, her movements poised.

 Ethan watched her go, the smirk finally forming fully.

 Oh, how he enjoyed this game.

----------

 At the Adam Group Headquarters, a storm gathered.

 The moment Jack ended a call with Zara, the gentle warmth in his face vanished. In its place, a sharp, dangerous cold took root, filling the room like a sudden winter chill. The atmosphere shifted, suffocating, the deadly weight of his fury impossible to ignore.

 When the assistant cautiously entered, he froze at the threshold, his voice quivering. The moment he stepped in, a bone-chilling coldness gripped him — the air itself felt like it could freeze anyone who dared enter. Gone was the boss who had, just moments ago, been dotingly speaking on the phone with a rare, soft expression.

 What stood in his place now was the man the world spoke of in hushed voices — cold, ruthless, and terrifying. The oppressive, suffocating aura filling the room made it difficult to even breathe properly. In that instant, the assistant understood.

 Something had happened. And whatever it was, it had pulled his boss back to his cold version.

 "E-Excuse me, Boss… you called for me…?"

 Jack didn't bother to soften the suffocating aura around him.

 "Our employees at the Clover Hill branch have been attacked and hospitalized," he said, his voice like ice. "Did you get the information?"

 The assistant paled, his throat bobbing.

 "N-No, Boss. I… I haven't heard anything. No one told me about this."

 Jack's gaze pinned him to the spot, sharp and cold.

 "I-I'll get the information right away, Boss!" the assistant blurted, fleeing as though death itself chased him.

 Minutes later, he returned. This time, dragging a man behind him — Tom, from the Central Coordination Team. The poor man was visibly trembling, sweat soaking the collar of his shirt.

 "Boss, this is Tom," the assistant explained. "He received the call from Clover Hill… but instead of reporting it, he… he hid it. Worse — he's been working with those responsible."

 Tom's knees nearly buckled.

 Jack didn't lift his head from the files before him.

 But the cold in the room grew sharper, slicing through the silence.

 Without so much as a glance, Jack spoke.

 "Take care of this. I don't want to see him again."

 The words landed like a death sentence.

 "Yes, Boss." Mark, Jack's assistant, seized Tom by the arm.

 The man stumbled out of the office, relief flooding his face as though he'd narrowly escaped death.

 After all, getting fired was better than being buried.

 Outside, Mark's voice was low, final.

 "Go collect your things from HR. You're done here."

 Tom's voice quivered.

 "M-Mr. Mark… so… I-I can leave…?"

 A cold smirk played at Mark's lips.

 "Yes, Tom. You can leave… unless you'd prefer me to escort you out myself."

 "I-I'll leave! Right away!"

 Tom scurried off like a frightened rat.

 As he vanished down the hall, two nearby employees exchanged quiet words.

 "He's new, isn't he?" "Yeah… just a couple of months."

 They shook their heads.

 "What a waste." "Did he think he could get away with this?"

 Mark scoffed.

 "He thought he was safe. What an idiot. In this place… there's no such thing."

 They chuckled, but their eyes stayed wary. In Adam Group, no one who betrayed was truly safe.

 And as for Tom — he thought he'd escaped.

 What he didn't know was that in Jack's world, silence wasn't mercy. The moment Tom left those doors, his fate was already sealed. 

 His phone would go quiet. Calls, emails, opportunities — they would all vanish as if they had never existed. No one would reach out to him. No one would remember him. His reputation, his future, his very name — erased as if he never mattered in the first place.

 He thought losing his job was the worst.

 But there were fates far crueler than death.

 Perhaps, in the end…

 Getting buried would have been kinder.