Cade stopped less than two feet away from Ansley.

He looked her up and down, his eyes lingering on her black suit. He let out a loud, grating laugh.

"Look at this," Cade mocked, his voice echoing in the quiet lobby. "The little greenhouse flower put on a suit to play pretend on Wall Street."

A few Aegis employees walking by stopped and turned their heads, watching the drama unfold.

Ansley didn't step back. She stared right into his eyes. "That hard drive belongs to Kegan. You stole it."

Cade's smile twitched, but he recovered quickly. He leaned in closer. "I helped write the code. I'm just cashing out my equity."

He lowered his voice so only she could hear. "Besides, Kegan is going to be dead in a week anyway. That company is a sinking ship. I'm just taking the life raft."

The mention of Kegan dying sent a shockwave of despair through Ansley's chest. Her eyes filled with helpless tears.

"You can't do this, Cade," she pleaded, her voice cracking. "Please."

Cade snarled, his face contorting with disgust. "Watch me." He took a step forward and shoved her hard in the chest.

Ansley stumbled backward in her high heels. Her back crashed hard against the solid marble of the front desk. The breath was knocked out of her lungs, and she let out a sharp cry of pain.

The two security guards lunged forward. They grabbed Ansley by both arms, their thick fingers digging into her biceps. They started dragging her toward the exit.

Cade straightened his tie. He looked at the receptionist. "This crazy bitch is stalking me. Throw her out."

He turned back to Ansley, a victorious sneer on his face. "I already met with the director. The contract is mine. Take your little envelope and go back to Europe, Ansley. You don't belong here."

Ansley's arms throbbed with pain as the guards dragged her backward. Pure panic set in. She was losing Kegan's only hope. In a blind, desperate frenzy, she thrashed against their iron grips.

"No! Let me go!" she cried out.

One guard slipped slightly on the polished marble. Ansley used the split second of imbalance to wrench her arm free. She didn't think; she just reacted. She lunged over the counter, her hands blindly grabbing the heavy black phone sitting on the receptionist's desk.

"Hey!" The receptionist screamed, reaching for the phone. "Grab her!"

Ansley dodged the woman's hand, her fingers trembling wildly as she punched in the four-digit extension she had memorized from a leaked corporate directory last night. It was a suicide mission, but it was all she had.

The top floor. The CEO's office.

The phone rang exactly once before a deep, icy male voice answered. "State your business."

Cade laughed out loud. "Who are you calling? God? You think crying on the phone is going to save you?"

Ansley squeezed her eyes shut as the guards grabbed her waist, ready to hurl her to the pavement. She pressed the receiver tight against her ear, a sob catching in her throat.

"My name is Ansley Holcomb," she blurted out, her voice shaking with raw terror but laced with an undeniable desperation. "Please... tell Darius Woodward that Emery Holcomb's sister is down here. Please!"

The moment those names left her mouth, the lobby froze.

The security guards stopped pulling her. Their hands hovered in the air, suddenly terrified to touch her.

The receptionist yanked her hand back from the phone like it was on fire. All the color drained from her face.

Total, dead silence fell over the room. Everyone in the building knew the weight of the Holcomb and Woodward names. They were the apex predators of New York.

On the other end of the line, the icy voice paused for three agonizing seconds.

When the man spoke again, his tone had completely changed. It was smooth and deeply respectful.

"Please wait right there, Miss Holcomb. I am coming down personally."

The phone slipped from Ansley's sweaty fingers and clattered onto the desk. She shrank back against the marble counter, her chest heaving as she looked at Cade with wide, frightened eyes.

Cade's mouth was open, but no sound came out. He looked like he had just seen a ghost.

The silence in the lobby was deafening. The only sound was the hum of the massive air conditioning vents.

The two security guards took two large steps backward, putting distance between themselves and Ansley. They looked at the floor, sweating.

Cade stared at Ansley. The muscles in his jaw twitched. He let out a nervous, high-pitched laugh.

"You're lying," Cade pointed a shaking finger at her. "You're a fraud! She's just an assistant for a bankrupt startup! Throw her out!"

The receptionist swallowed hard. She didn't move a muscle.

Ansley reached up and rubbed her bruised wrist. She smoothed down the front of her black blazer. She didn't even give Cade the satisfaction of looking at him.

Before Cade could yell again, the VIP elevator at the back of the lobby chimed.

The polished metal doors slid open.

A middle-aged man stepped out. He wore a silver bespoke suit and gold-rimmed glasses. He walked with the terrifying efficiency of someone who held immense power.

Every Aegis employee in the lobby immediately looked down. No one dared to make eye contact with him.

The man walked straight past Cade and stopped directly in front of Ansley.

He bowed slightly from the waist.

"Miss Holcomb," he said, his voice carrying clearly across the quiet room. "I am Mr. Woodward's executive assistant. I deeply apologize for the unacceptable behavior of our security staff."

He gestured toward the VIP elevator with an open palm. "Please, follow me."

Cade's jaw practically unhinged. His eyes bulged out of his head. He stumbled forward.

"Wait! Are you crazy?" Cade yelled at the assistant. "She's nobody! I have the algorithm! I just met with your director!"

The assistant stopped. He slowly turned his head and looked at Cade. His eyes were dead behind his gold glasses. He looked at Cade like he was a piece of trash stuck to his shoe.

The assistant looked at the head of security.

"Escort Mr. Vance out of the building and permanently revoke his visitor access," the assistant ordered coldly. "Mr. Woodward will personally review and handle any pending business matters regarding his firm."

The two security guards who had just grabbed Ansley suddenly found their courage. They lunged at Cade.

They grabbed his arms and twisted them violently behind his back.

"No! You can't do this!" Cade screamed, thrashing wildly.

The silver hard drive slipped from his fingers. It hit the marble floor.

One of the guards stepped directly onto the drive with his heavy combat boot. A loud crack echoed as the plastic and metal shattered into pieces.

Cade screamed Ansley's name as the guards dragged him backward toward the revolving doors. He sounded desperate and broken.

Ansley watched him get thrown out onto the wet pavement. The knot of anger in her chest finally loosened.

The assistant bowed again. "Right this way, Miss Holcomb."

Ansley took a deep breath. She walked past the terrified receptionist and stepped into the VIP elevator.

The doors closed, shutting out the staring eyes of the lobby.

The elevator shot upward. The speed made Ansley's stomach flip.

The assistant stood perfectly still in the corner. He didn't ask her any questions. He didn't look at her. His professionalism was terrifying.

Ansley watched the digital numbers climb higher and higher. Her heart started to pound against her ribs.

She had used Emery's name to get in the door. It was a bluff. She had no real leverage. Now, she had to face the man who actually ran this empire.

Ding.

The elevator stopped at the 98th floor. The doors slid open.

Ansley stepped out into a massive, open-concept floor. It was entirely black, white, and gray. There were no cubicles. No walls. Just an endless expanse of cold marble and glass. The emptiness was suffocating.

The assistant led her to a set of massive, double oak doors at the end of the hall.

He stopped. He didn't open them. He just gestured for her to go inside.

Ansley gripped her manila envelope. Her knuckles turned white. She took a deep breath, reached out, and pushed the heavy doors open.

Ansley stepped into the office.

The smell hit her instantly. It was a heavy, bitter scent of black coffee mixed with a sharp, cold cedarwood cologne.

The office was absurdly large. Two walls were made entirely of floor-to-ceiling glass, offering a dizzying view of the Manhattan skyline. The glare from the gray sky outside was blinding.

In the center of the room sat a massive desk carved from solid black ebony.

Behind the desk, a high-backed leather chair was turned away from her, facing the windows.

The only thing she could see was a large hand resting on the armrest. The skin was tanned, the veins prominent against the bones. Long fingers were casually flipping a solid gold lighter open and shut.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

The metallic sound echoed in the silent room.

Ansley swallowed the dry lump in her throat. She walked forward, her heels sinking into the thick carpet. She stopped exactly two meters away from the desk.

"Mr. Woodward," Ansley said. She forced her voice to stay steady. "Thank you for seeing me."

The leather chair slowly spun around. The metal base groaned softly.

Ansley finally saw his face. Her lungs forgot how to pull in air.

Darius Woodward had a face that belonged on a wanted poster. His jawline was sharp enough to cut glass. His brow bone was heavy, casting dark shadows over eyes that looked exactly like a starving wolf's. They were pitch black and completely merciless.

He wasn't wearing a suit jacket. His black dress shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, and a dark silk tie hung loosely around his neck.

He didn't say a word. He just stared at her. His eyes dragged over her face, stripping away every layer of her defenses.

The silence stretched on. The lighter flipped open and shut in his hand. Clack. Clack.

Ansley's skin prickled under his gaze. She wanted to turn around and run. Instead, she placed the manila envelope on the edge of his desk.

"Aura Aerospace has developed a predictive algorithm," Ansley started talking fast, reciting her pitch. "It can increase the efficiency of your new defense shield by fourteen percent. The data is all here."

A low, dark laugh rumbled from Darius's chest. It cut her off instantly.

He tossed the gold lighter onto the desk. It hit the wood with a sharp crack.

"Did you really think," Darius drawled, his voice thick with arrogant mockery, "that putting on a suit would make you look like you belong on Wall Street?"

Ansley blinked, completely caught off guard.

Darius looked at her clothes with disgust. "The tailoring is terrible. And that lipstick makes you look like a vampire. You look ridiculous, Ansley."

Heat exploded in Ansley's cheeks. Humiliation burned the back of her eyes. She bit down hard on the inside of her cheek to stop her lip from trembling.

She pushed the envelope closer to him. "Please, just look at the data."

He lifted his hand and rested his long fingers lightly on top of the envelope. He didn't push it away, but he didn't open it either. He just tapped his index finger against the thick paper, a slow, deliberate rhythm.

He stood up.

He walked around the desk. He was massive-easily six foot four. He closed the distance between them in two strides.

He stood so close she could feel the heat radiating off his chest. She had to tilt her head back to look at him.

Before she could step back, Darius raised his hand. His rough thumb pressed hard against her chin, forcing her face up.

Ansley's body went completely rigid. She tried to pull away, but his grip was like iron.

Darius stared down into her eyes. His breath smelled of coffee and mint.

"Emery protected you too well," Darius whispered harshly. "You don't even know how to beg properly."

He let go of her chin. He wiped his thumb against his slacks, like touching her had disgusted him.

He turned his back to her and walked toward the window.

"Aegis is not a charity," Darius said to the glass, his tone dismissive. "Leave the file. Now get out of my office before I decide to feed it to the shredder."

Ansley's pride shattered into a million pieces. Her chest heaved. She looked at the envelope trapped beneath his hand, realizing she had surrendered her only weapon to a tyrant. Tears of humiliation pricked her eyes, but she turned on her heel and fled the office without saying a single word.