Volkov Tower rarely felt tense.
The building was designed to project absolute control; glass, steel, silence, and efficiency.
But that morning, something was different.
Staff spoke in lower voices.
Executives moved faster through the halls.
And security presence had doubled.
Because a rumor had spread through the building.
Alexander Volkov was coming.
Inside the top-floor office, Marcus stood near Adrian's desk reviewing reports on his tablet.
"You could still leave," Lucas, who had been there with him said casually.
Adrian didn't look up from the documents in front of him.
"That would be childish."
Lucas shrugged.
"I prefer the word strategic."
Adrian signed the final page and set the pen down.
"He's already in the city."
Lucas sighed.
"Of course he is."
Before he could say anything else, the office doors opened.
Two men from the internal security division stepped inside first.
Then the room seemed to grow colder.
Alexander Volkov entered without hurry.
He was taller than most men in the room, his posture straight and commanding. His silver hair was neatly combed back, and his dark coat fell perfectly over his shoulders.
Age had not softened him.
If anything, it had sharpened him.
Every step carried the quiet certainty of someone used to absolute authority.
Marcus straightened immediately.
"Mr. Volkov."
Alexander's gaze moved across the office.
Sharp.
Observant.
Nothing escaped it.
Then his eyes settled on Adrian.
For a moment, neither man spoke.
Father and son stood facing each other across the room.
Two leaders.
Two different kinds of power.
Finally, Alexander removed his gloves and placed them calmly on the desk.
"I hear," he said slowly, "that my son has deployed half of our security division around a music conservatory."
Both Lucas and Marcus wisely stepped back.
Adrian remained perfectly still.
"There was a credible threat."
Alexander tilted his head slightly.
"To the company?"
"No."
"To you?"
"No."
A brief pause.
Then Adrian finished calmly.
"To someone else."
The silence that followed was heavy.
Alexander's eyes hardened slightly.
"I see."
He walked slowly around the office, studying the skyline outside the windows.
"When I built this empire," he said quietly, "I taught you something very important."
Adrian said nothing.
Alexander turned.
"Remind me what it was."
Adrian's voice was calm.
"That personal attachments create vulnerabilities."
"Correct."
Alexander stepped closer.
"And yet here we are."
The other two , could feel the tension rising like pressure in the room.
Alexander picked up the tablet from the desk.
On the screen was the photo Elena had received.
He examined it briefly.
"This is the girl?"
Adrian didn't answer immediately.
"Yes."
Alexander studied the image again.
Elena standing on the conservatory steps.
Completely unaware someone had been watching.
"She looks ordinary."
Lucas resisted the urge to cough.
Adrian's voice remained steady.
"She's not involved in any of this."
Alexander placed the tablet down.
"That's precisely the problem."
The temperature in the room dropped even further.
Alexander walked toward the window again.
"You are the head of global operations."
"Yes."
"You manage billions of dollars."
"Yes."
"You command thousands of employees."
"Yes."
Alexander turned back slowly.
"And yet someone managed to provoke you…"
He gestured toward the tablet.
"…with a single photograph."
Adrian's expression remained controlled.
"They're testing our security."
Alexander gave a faint smile.
"No."
He stepped closer.
"They're testing you."
Lucas watched the exchange carefully.
Because there was something important happening here.
This wasn't just a father speaking to a son.
This was a king evaluating his successor.
Alexander spoke again.
"Who is she to you?"
The question hung in the air.
Adrian met his father's gaze.
"Someone I know."
Alexander's smile disappeared.
"That answer is insufficient."
Neither man moved.
Neither man looked away.
Finally Alexander said quietly,
"If she becomes a weakness…"
His voice hardened slightly.
"…I will remove the problem myself."
Lucas and Marcus inhaled slowly.
The words were not a threat.
They were a promise.
Adrian's expression didn't change.
But something cold appeared in his eyes.
"Understood."
Alexander studied him for a moment longer.
Then he picked up his gloves again.
"Good."
He walked toward the door.
But before leaving, he paused.
"One more thing."
Adrian waited.
Alexander spoke without turning around.
"Seraphina will be arriving tomorrow."
Lucas muttered under his breath.
"Oh, this just keeps getting better."
Alexander opened the door.
"You remember her right?"
Adrian's voice remained calm.
"Yes."
Alexander's final words were simple.
"You will marry her."
And then he left.
The office fell into silence.
Lucas slowly exhaled.
"Well," he said.
"That escalated quickly."
Adrian looked out at the city.
His father had just made something very clear.
The empire came first.
And if Elena stood in its way, she would not be allowed to stay.