The meeting room was filled with clients, the hum of polite conversation buzzing through the air. I straightened my posture, trying to appear confident, but a small warning bell rang in my mind.
Something's off.
And then I saw her—the spy. The same girl who had tried to sabotage me before. She lounged at the edge of the room, perfectly poised, with that irritatingly sweet smile. Her eyes flicked to me, sharp and calculating.
"Well, isn't this cozy?" she said, loud enough for several clients to hear. "I guess our rising star really does get all the attention… maybe she's… lucky in other ways too?"
A ripple of murmurs ran through the room. My stomach dropped. She was trying to humiliate me—undermine my credibility, make me look inexperienced, weak.
Before panic could even start to form, he appeared. Not in the doorway, not at the back—right beside me. His presence alone seemed to suck the air out of the room.
"You have something to say?" His voice was low, dangerous, carrying a warning sharp enough to silence anyone nearby.
The spy faltered. She opened her mouth to continue, but he leaned closer, his gaze locking onto hers like a predator with a target. "Do that again, and you won't leave this room without regret."
A hush fell. Even the clients looked at her now, sensing the tension, sensing the authority radiating from him.
I felt my pulse hammering, but he didn't let go of my hand. Instead, his thumb brushed over my knuckles, grounding me. Possessive. Protective.
Her smirk cracked, the audacity fading. She realized she had miscalculated—not just my strength, but his.
I straightened my back, drew in a steadying breath, and smiled at the clients. "Now, let's focus on the project details."
She tried once more, a weak jab about my experience, but his hand on my waist shifted slightly—a subtle claim of territory. My voice, steady and calm, cut through.
"Everything here is in order," I said, meeting every client's gaze confidently. "And I assure you, this project will succeed."
The spy paled. Her plan to humiliate me had collapsed completely, right under the weight of his silent protection—and my own resolve.
As the meeting progressed flawlessly, I felt his eyes on me, reading, guarding, possessive. Even with her scheming presence in the room, I had never felt more untouchable.