The Voss Empire towered over the city—glass, steel, and authority carved into every inch of its structure.
Inside, everything moved with precision.
Employees straightened when Adrian walked past. Conversations died mid-sentence. Even the air felt tighter.
Power didn’t need to announce itself.
It simply… existed.
—
“Mr. Voss, the Milan projections—”
“Send them to my email.”
“Yes, sir.”
Adrian didn’t slow his steps as he entered the conference room. A long table, executives already seated, screens glowing with numbers and graphs.
He took his seat at the head.
“Let’s begin.”
No greetings.
No wasted time.
—
“The expansion into Northern Italy is progressing faster than expected,” one of the board members said. “But there’s resistance from local investors—”
“Buy them out.”
The man hesitated. “That would increase our immediate costs.”
Adrian’s gaze lifted.
Cold.
Sharp.
“And reduce long-term risk.”
Silence.
Another executive spoke carefully, “What about the logistics chain? There are delays in—”
“There won’t be,” Adrian cut in. “Reroute through our secondary network.”
Felix, standing near the wall, smirked slightly.
He knew that tone.
Final.
The meeting continued for another thirty minutes—numbers, strategies, control.
And at the end of it—
Everything had shifted in Adrian’s favor.
As always.
—
Back in his office, Adrian finally sat down.
The city stretched beyond the glass walls, but he didn’t look at it.
His mind was already moving to the next thing.
Until—
The door opened.
Without a knock.
Adrian’s expression darkened instantly.
“Who—”
He stopped.
His eyes narrowed.
Isla Smith.
Standing there like she belonged.
She stepped inside confidently, closing the door behind her.
“Adrian,” she said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “You’ve been ignoring my calls.”
His jaw tightened.
“You walked into my office without permission.”
She shrugged lightly. “I didn’t think I needed one.”
“You do.”
The room grew colder.
Isla walked closer, completely unfazed. “Come on, Adrian. Don’t be like that. Our families go way back.”
“Then respect the boundaries that come with that.”
She leaned slightly against his desk, lowering her voice. “Or what?”
Adrian stood up slowly.
And that was enough to change the entire atmosphere.
“You’re here because your father owns shares,” he said calmly. “Not because you have access to me.”
Her smile faded just a little.
“You don’t have to be so harsh.”
“I do,” Adrian replied. “When people don’t understand simple instructions.”
She crossed her arms. “You think you’re untouchable.”
“No,” he said quietly. “I am.”
That silence again.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
But Isla wasn’t done.
“You can’t ignore me forever, Adrian.”
“I can.”
“And I won’t stop coming.”
Adrian’s gaze sharpened.
“Try it again,” he said, voice low, dangerous, “and you won’t step into this building without clearance ever again.”
For the first time—
She hesitated.
Just slightly.
—
The door opened again.
“Alright, that’s enough drama for one afternoon.”
Felix.
He walked in casually, glancing between them.
“Isla, I think it’s time you leave.”
She exhaled in frustration. “Felix, stay out of this.”
“No,” he said simply. “Because he’s two seconds away from throwing you out himself, and trust me—you won’t like that version of him.”
Isla looked back at Adrian.
He didn’t say anything.
Didn’t move.
But his silence was worse than anger.
She picked up her bag.
“This isn’t over.”
Adrian didn’t respond.
Felix opened the door for her. “Yeah, yeah. Bye.”
And just like that—
She was gone.
—
The room finally felt… still again.
Felix turned to Adrian. “You attract chaos, you know that?”
Adrian walked back to his chair. “I don’t attract it.”
“You do,” Felix said. “You just don’t tolerate it.”
Adrian picked up his phone, checking the time.
Past afternoon.
His expression shifted—subtly.
Almost unnoticeable.
But Felix saw it.
“Oh?” he said, raising an eyebrow. “That look again.”
Adrian didn’t answer.
He grabbed his coat.
“Let’s go.”
Felix blinked. “Where?”
Adrian walked toward the door.
“The library.”
Felix stared at him for a second… then smirked.
“Of course it is.”
Because he already knew.
This wasn’t business.
This was something else.
And whatever it was—
It had Adrian Voss moving without hesitation.
_
The library was quieter than usual.
Or maybe… Nyra was just too tired to notice anything else.
Her fingers moved slowly across the spines of books, placing them back in order, her eyes burning with exhaustion. Dark circles rested under them, heavier than before. Every step she took felt like it required more effort than the last.
She hadn’t slept properly.
Again.
“Nyra.”
Michael’s voice pulled her back.
She turned slightly. “Yes?”
“There’s a customer asking for assistance. Go help him.”
She nodded, though her body silently protested. “Okay.”
Out of all the people here… why me?
She took a slow breath and walked toward the reading section.
And then—
She saw him.
Standing there like he didn’t belong in a place like this.
Like darkness had walked into silence.
Nyra stopped for half a second.
Him.
Of course.
Her jaw tightened slightly before she walked closer.
“You needed help?” she asked, her tone neutral, but her eyes guarded.
Adrian looked at her.
That same gaze.
Heavy. Observing. Unmoving.
“Yes.”
One word.
As always.
Nyra crossed her arms lightly. “What kind of book are you looking for?”
“Something specific.”
“That doesn’t help,” she replied instantly.
A faint flicker passed through his eyes.
“Then help me make it specific.”
Nyra let out a small breath through her nose. “You could’ve asked anyone else.”
“I didn’t want to.”
Her brows furrowed. “Why?”
Adrian took a step closer.
“Because you’re here.”
For a moment—
She forgot how to respond.
Then irritation replaced it.
“Well, congratulations. You found me. Now tell me what you want.”
Felix, who had quietly followed Adrian in, stood at a distance, watching with amusement.
This again.
Adrian tilted his head slightly. “You always talk like this?”
Nyra shot back immediately, “Only when someone wastes my time.”
“Am I wasting it?”
“Yes.”
A pause.
Then Adrian said calmly, “Interesting.”
Nyra turned away slightly. “Book?”
He looked at the shelf beside her. “Psychology section.”
She moved toward it, pulling out a few books.
“Here. Human behavior, cognitive patterns—”
“I didn’t ask for options.”
She turned sharply. “Then what did you ask for?”
His eyes held hers.
“You.”
Silence.
Nyra blinked.
“…Excuse me?”
Felix almost choked on nothing from across the room.
Adrian didn’t even look away.
“I asked for your help.”
Nyra narrowed her eyes. “Then say it properly.”
“You understood it.”
“I didn’t.”
“You did.”
She exhaled, clearly annoyed now. “You’re impossible.”
“And yet, you’re still here.”
“Because it’s my job,” she snapped.
“Is it?” Adrian’s voice dropped slightly. “Or are you just curious?”
Nyra stepped closer, her patience thinning.
“About you?” she said. “Not even a little.”
Another pause.
This time—
There was tension.
Sharp.
Unspoken.
Adrian’s gaze didn’t leave her face. “You think too much.”
“And you talk too little.”
“That bothers you.”
“No,” she said quickly. “You bother me.”
Felix covered his mouth, trying not to laugh.
This was better than any meeting.
Nyra turned away, grabbing a random book and placing it on the table.
“Take it or leave it. I don’t have time for this.”
Adrian didn’t move.
Instead, he said quietly—
“You look tired.”
That made her stop.
Just for a second.
Her back stiffened.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not sleeping.”
Her grip on the book tightened.
“That’s none of your business.”
Adrian stepped closer again, his voice lower now.
“Everything about you is becoming my business.”
Nyra turned around instantly.
Anger flashing in her eyes.
“You don’t get to decide that.”
“I already did.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Nyra’s chest rose slightly as she held his gaze.
Then she shook her head.
“You’re insane.”
“Maybe.”
“I’m done here.”
She pushed past him, not waiting for another word.
Felix stepped aside quickly, raising his hands. “Hey, not my fault.”
Nyra didn’t even look at him.
She just walked away.
Fast.
—
Adrian watched her go.
Every step.
Every breath.
Until she disappeared.
Felix finally let out a low whistle. “Well… that went smoothly.”
Adrian didn’t respond.
His eyes dropped to the book she had left behind.
His fingers brushed over it lightly.
“She’s exhausted,” Felix said, a bit more serious now.
“I know.”
“And you’re making it worse.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened slightly.
“No.”
He looked toward the direction she left.
“I’m not the reason she’s like this.”
His voice was calm.
But there was something darker beneath it.
“I’ll be the reason it changes.”
Felix frowned slightly.
“That doesn’t sound safe.”
Adrian didn’t answer.
Because it wasn’t meant to be.
—
Outside, the evening air felt colder.
Nyra walked quickly, her thoughts a mess.
“Why does he talk like that…?”
Her heart was still beating faster than normal.
Annoyance.
Confusion.
Something else she didn’t want to name.
She shook her head.
“No. Forget it.”
She had enough problems already.
She didn’t need another one.
Especially not him.
—
But even as she walked away—
She couldn’t shake the feeling.
Like something had just started.
And it wasn’t going to stop.
" TO BE CONTINUED "
____________________________________________________________
Author's note..
Hey everyone 🙂🙂
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The tension between Nyra and Adrian is just getting started…
What do you think about their interactions so far? 👀
Don’t forget to leave a comment and share your thoughts—
See you in the next chapter!
Good bye 👋 👋 👋
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