The morning sun poured golden light into the high windows of Lu Villa.
Allison stirred under the silk covers, her was body deliciously sore, her limbs still draped around warmth around him. Lucian was already awake, one arm folded under his head, the other curled protectively around her waist.
She blinked slowly, tilting her face up to him. He was staring at the ceiling.
"What got you thinking this early?" she murmured.
"I'm always thinking," he replied, eyes not leaving the ceiling. " I'm… remembering."
"Remembering what?"
He finally looked down at her, brushing her hair off her face. "What it feels like to wake up next to someone who doesn't want to own me, or use me."
Allison flushed and buried her face against his shoulder.
"You're being soft," she said, muffled.
Lucian smiled. "Just with you."
Then the alarm on her phone buzzed.
Her head snapped up. "Oh no…"
She practically flew off the bed, half tripping over the sheets. "Work. I forgot I'm supposed to resume again at Lu Corporation!"
Lucian sat up, completely calm. "Technically, I'm your boss. You're not late until I say so."
"You're impossible" she snapped, pulling on the first shirt she could find which to her horror, was his.
He raised an eyebrow. "You know, that shirt actually looks better on you."
She threw a pillow at him as she rolled her eyes.
---
Lu Corporation
Allison stepped into the glass elevator, freshly dressed, cheeks still warm from earlier, Lucian couldn't let her be even at the bathroom. Her ID tag swung gently around her neck.
Everyone seemed to stop and stare as she passed.
Whispers followed her:
"She's back…"
"Didn't she save someone or was it really a drama ?"
"I heard she's personally assigned to President Lucian now."
"Lucky girl."
She held her chin high, this time, it wasn't fake confidence. She felt stronger. She was no longer the girl who tiptoed behind others shadow.
She made her way to the executive floor, her desk was right outside his office. Sleek, modern, impeccably organized and already stacked with project folders.
Aaron Li leaned against the adjacent desk, sipping his coffee with practiced ease. He smiled the moment she sat down.
"Back from your mysterious leave," he said. "Thought you had vanished."
"I didn't vanish," Allison replied coolly, logging into her work console.
He chuckled. "And I don't flirt with people I'm scared of. But here we are."
She glanced at him.
"Scared of me?"
He grinned. "A little. You walk like someone who knows secrets ."
Before she could respond, Lucian's voice echoed from the office doorway behind her.
"She does" he said smoothly. "And she has access to the President's private vault now. Should I add you to the security blacklist, Mr. Li?"
Aaron choked slightly on his coffee.
Lucian turned to Allison. "My office. You're briefing me today."
Allison stood, grabbed her tablet, and walked in not noticing the subtle clench in Aaron's jaw.
Once she arrived the office, she handed Lucian a tablet with a list of pending corporate meetings, sponsorship events, and a travel schedule to Hong Kong.
He scrolled through it slowly.
"You're efficient," he said, eyes not leaving the screen.
"I'm not just pretty," she replied, tone dry.
His eyes lifted, meeting hers with a flicker of mischief. "No, but you're very distracting."
She didn't smile but her eyes sparkled.
Then he leaned back in his chair, his gaze softening.
"I know things have been… heavy," he said. "If at any time you want to take a break, say the word. I'll pull you out of everything."
"I don't want a break," she said firmly. "I want to work. I want to learn. I want something normal."
He nodded once. "Then we start with the board meeting in thirty minutes. You're presenting the sponsorship dossier for the charity event."
Allison blinked. "Me? In front of the board?"
"You're the only one I trust to speak for me."
Her lips parted slightly, surprised.
"And if they question my decision?" she asked.
He leaned forward, voice quiet, deadly calm.
"They won't. Because they know what happens to people who question my judgment."
And then, just before she turned to leave, he added,
"You'll do fine, Allison. Don't doubt yourself. Not even once."
With the day's work , she decided to use her lunch break in reviewing work related stuff at the rooftop of Lu Corporation.
Allison sat with a tablet on her lap, reviewing notes.
Lucian approached with two cups of tea.
"You did well in there," he said, handing her one.
"I nearly fainted," she admitted.
"But you didn't."
They sat side by side, the city below them sparkling.
She turned to him, voice soft. "Is this what we are now? Back to normal? Office, meetings, reports?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Then he brushed his knuckles across hers on the bench.
"No," he said. "This is our normal. We carve it. Every day."
She looked down at their hands. "Even if we're not… normal people?"
"We're not," he agreed. "But we can still choose moments of peace."
She leaned on his shoulder, her breath soft. No powers, just warmth and that was enough.
Two Days Later – Lu Corporation
Allison stood at the center of the oval chamber, flanked by LED panels and a long, frosted-glass table surrounded by the most senior directors of Lu Corporation.
She wore a fitted navy blazer, her pendant tucked beneath the fabric. Her voice, calm but commanding, carried through the air as she spoke of community rebuilding, youth development funds, and fire response units in vulnerable districts.
No one interrupted.
Not because they agreed with her but because Lucian sat at the far end of the room, leaning back in his chair like a predator waiting for the first sign of disrespect.
When she finished, the room remained silent until Lucian spoke up.
"Approved" he said smoothly. "Unanimously."
One of the older men, Director Huo, cleared his throat. "President Lucian, if I may—"
"You may not," Lucian said without raising his voice. "Meeting adjourned."
The board scattered quickly.
Allison clutched her tablet tighter, heart thudding.
He approached her as the last door shut.
"You were perfect" he said quietly.
"I was trembling the whole time."
"That's the art. They never saw it but you were better than the last time."
He leaned down then, lips brushing against her ear. "Tell me. Do you know what power feels like, Allison?"
She swallowed. "Yes... no."
"It feels like this" he murmured. "Standing in a room full of wolves… and realizing you no longer bleed."
It really made sense to her. She saw why Lucian was so formidable in the business world. Once he had his mind on someting, it's not negotiable.
--------
Allison stood beside Aaron Li in tense silence as the elevator ascended. She wasn't expecting to see him there too, it felt so suffocated to her.
"I'would like to escort you to the garden," he said eventually, watching the floor counter tick up.
"I know where it is."
He smiled, a little less playfully. "You always know where everything is. Even people's weaknesses."
She glanced at him, not amused.
"Why do you keep watching me, Aaron?"
He didn't deny it.
"You don't walk like someone trying to fit in. You walk like someone waiting for something to strike."
The elevator chimed and she walked out."Maybe, that's what it is".
Later on at the rooftop, the sky was overcast, the clouds dense with waiting rain. Allison sat alone on the stone bench, hands resting in her lap.
The wind tugged at her hair.
Suddenly a small folded paper drifted down from above.
Carried by wind, by purpose.
She caught it and unfolded it.
No signature. Just words, written in an elegant hand:
"The flame in your blood will wake the old enemies. When it does choose love only if you're ready."
She stared at it, heart hammering.
Then a quiet voice said behind her. "I was hoping you'd be alone."
Dressed in cream slacks and a tailored cape jacket, she looked effortlessly regal as she approached, heels clicking softly on the marble.
"Alexa," Allison rose.
Alexa opened her arms. "I missed you, Flame Girl." They embraced.
Then Alexa pulled back and sighed. "Mother's stirring again. The High Circle's asking questions. And there's talk that the Gate of Origins… is whispering."
Allison's fingers tightened around the paper.
"I thought that was sealed."
Alexa shrugged, "Let's talk about something else."
---
That night at the Lu Villa, Lucian entered the library to find Allison sitting by the fire, legs tucked under her, a book in one hand, the note in the other.
He took one look and said, "Where did you get that?"
"It flew to me" she answered. "From nowhere. Magic?"
He knelt beside her, the firelight catching in his silver ring.
"I've been quiet about it" he admitted. "But the Council of Thirteen is gathering again. And you… you're no longer hidden."
She didn't speak.So he continued.
"They'll come for you. Not just witches, or mercenaries, or warlocks. But things that have no names anymore. You'll have to choose sides."
She met his gaze. "Whose side are you on?"
He took her hand.
And this time, he didn't answer with riddles.
"I'm on yours."