Eliana sat tall, her back straight, her heart a mess of thunder in her chest. She hadn't expected to see him again—definitely not like this.
Not standing at the head of the table. Not as her new boss.
He barely blinked. Only the faint twitch in his jaw betrayed any recognition. No gasp. No shock. Just that same cold composure he had in the morning after—when she slipped out of the hotel room without a goodbye.
She wondered if he remembered her name. She definitely remembered his.
Adrian Cole. CEO. Billionaire. Relentless.
"Let's begin," he said, his voice sharp, controlled, emotionless.
And just like that, the meeting began.
***
Adrian's focus should've been on the quarterly report. On the investor pitch deck. On anything but her.
Eliana Blake.
He now knew her name. Her file had been on his desk that morning, right after his assistant introduced the "bright new analyst from the Chicago office." He hadn't looked at it. He didn't need to.
Because he had already memorized every curve of her silhouette the night they met.
He clenched his pen between his fingers. The room was filled with chatter, strategy talk, projections. But all he could think about was the heat of her lips and the look in her eyes when she left without a word.
She had disappeared like smoke. And now she was fire—burning right across from him.
***
"Eliana," he said finally, eyes narrowing on her. "What's your take on the restructuring plan?"
She didn't flinch. Her lips curved, just barely.
"With respect, Mr. Cole," she said, her voice cool and confident, "I think the plan looks good on paper, but you're underestimating the cost of loyalty shifts. People don't just follow titles. They follow trust."
A few heads turned. His executive team wasn't used to being challenged—especially not by someone new.
Adrian stared at her. Calculating. Testing.
"And you believe you understand trust dynamics better than our strategy team?"
"No," she said, unblinking. "But I do understand people. And sometimes pride blinds us to their value."
Silence fell.
A long pause. And then... a smirk.
"Dismissed," Adrian said, standing. "Meeting's over."
She had thrown the first punch. And she didn't even break a sweat.