Chapter 6

The office was silent when Rielle stepped out of the boardroom.

She had just fired six men—former power players—without blinking. Her heels clicked against the marble like a gavel of judgment. The staff parted as she walked through the floor, and whispers erupted behind her like waves crashing after a ship.

"She's insane."

"No. She's untouchable and stupid."

From the corner, Liam watched her without following her. Not yet. He had a lot of rage and recognition in him to follow her mindlessly.

She didn't look at him.

Her assistant approached nervously. "Ma'am, your new office is ready, but the executive lounge was double-booked and—"

"I'll handle it," said a voice.

Xander.

He was in a crisp, three-piece suit, he looked like he'd been waiting for this moment. Always two steps ahead.

He turned to Rielle. "Come. Everything's been cleared."

She didn't ask how. He always did what he wanted.

When the elevator doors closed, she exhaled slowly. The height of power always left a cold vacuum. Xander noticed.

The doors opened. Her new office was like a penthouse. Glass walls, gold-accented fixtures, and orchids lining the desk.

Aiden was already inside.

Aiden was Xander's brother from what she heard. She met him during her six months away from the world. While Xander always disappeared, and take less, Aiden was the complete opposite.

He was lounging in the guest chair like he owned it, a single hand holding a crystal tumbler of whiskey. "You make corporate warfare look sexy," he said, standing as she entered. "Also, this arrived for you."

He handed her a rare jade orchid, known to bloom once a year. It was shipped in a box labeled "Peru."

She looked at it once. "Unnecessary."

"But appreciated," he murmured, and lifted her hand to his lips. His lips brushed her hand for a second too long. "I'm making a habit of it."

Rielle said nothing.

"Out," Xander snapped.

"I was leaving anyway." Aiden smiled at her. "You'll need a date for the gala this Friday. Don't disappoint me by choosing Liam."

The door closed behind him with a chuckle. He also knew who she really was.

Rielle turned. "Why do I feel like I'm being handled?"

Xander met her gaze. "Because you are." he turned to the door, as if expecting someone. "Also, I got you a bodyguard,"

Rielle didn't need protection. She hated the very idea.

Which is why she froze in place the moment she saw him walk into her office. If she were to be a cat, never in her nine lives would she expect Xander to trap her with him.

Jace.

Her ex-fiancé.

He straightened slowly, gaze scanning her like a professional, not an ex lover. "Ma'am," he greeted, voice low and clipped.

Rielle's throat tightened. Her jaw, however, remained firm. "Who authorized this?"

"Xander," he said, as if that explained everything.

Of course it did.

Just then, Xander coughed beside her, as if to remind her he still stood there. He didn't say a word.

Rielle's eyes narrowed. "You thought this was appropriate?"

Xander's stare didn't flicker. "You're vulnerable now. Whether you accept that or not is irrelevant."

"You brought him?"

"He's the best," Xander said simply.

Rielle wanted to scream. But she didn't. Instead, she faced Jace fully.

"Touch me without my permission," she said coldly, "and I'll have your spine rearranged."

Jace's lips twitched. "Understood."

Xander, unreadable as ever, stepped beside her. "You'll adjust. Or you'll get killed."

And just like that, he turned and walked away. Still cold, and untouchable, leaving the air twenty degrees colder.

Jace stood still, perfectly composed, but Rielle could feel the weight of his stare. Not recognition. No flicker of the past. Just protocol.

Which stung more than she expected. How come he doesn't recognize her, yet Liam does? Could it be Liam noticed her more than she thought he did?

"I don't need a bodyguard," she muttered again, quieter this time.

"You needed one the second you fired six board members who've had shares in this company since you were still learning to spell it."

That voice didn't belong to Xander. It came from the doorway.

Liam.

He stepped into the office, dark suit pristine, but his storm-grey eyes carried something dangerous. The kind of chaos that simmered when power was challenged—and lost.

Rielle turned her head slowly.

"Are you here to threaten me?"

He didn't blink. "If I were, I'd be the last person you'd see."

Jace moved before Rielle could, his hand subtly brushing his side as if ready to protect her. His reflex still remains the same.

Then why cheat on her?

Xander had known this would happen.

Rielle raised a single hand. Palm up, she ordered. "Stand down."

Jace hesitated… then obeyed.

Liam's gaze flicked between them. "How convenient. A ghost from your past to protect you from the mess you've created."

"You mean the mess you helped build?" Rielle questioned. "Spare me."

Liam clenched his jaw but said nothing.

He looked directly at Rielle. "You're messing things up, Lina. Go back to being who you were,"

Rielle went still. She paused for a moment, parted her lips to say something but ended up only smiling.

"Wrong girl," she said softly. "Lina's dead."

Then she turned to Jace. "Prepare my schedule. From now on, you report to me directly. Not to Xander."

Jace nodded once, clipped and unreadable. "Yes, ma'am."

The word made her chest tighten. She hated it. She missed being someone no one called ma'am. Someone who laughed easily. Someone who used to love—

No.

Not here. Not now.

Liam stepped forward. "You think you're untouchable now. But you have just no idea what's waiting."

"You're right," Rielle said, walking toward her desk. "I don't."

She picked up the jade orchid Aiden left behind, examining the strange, rare bloom.

"But I can't wait to find out."

Her tone was steel.

Jace followed her movements like a shadow. Liam lingered a beat longer before turning sharply and leaving.

The door slammed behind him.