The lounge was quiet.
Too quiet.
Soft music played in the background, the kind that blended into the air rather than stood out. The lighting was dim, warm—expensive.
Everything about the place whispered power.
Nora sat across from Alexander, her posture relaxed but her mind alert.
"You surprised him," Alexander said, watching her closely.
Nora lifted her glass slightly, a faint smile on her lips.
"That wasn't difficult."
But inside—
She felt it.
The shift.
The moment Ethan looked at her and didn't recognize her anymore.
And for some reason…
That satisfied her more than she expected.
Alexander leaned back slightly, his gaze never leaving her.
"You didn't just surprise him," he continued. "You unsettled him."
Nora let out a quiet breath.
"Good."
The word was soft.
But it carried weight.
Alexander reached into his briefcase and placed a document on the table between them.
"This is where things get serious."
Nora's eyes dropped to the file.
She opened it slowly.
Her expression didn't change—but her mind raced.
A partnership.
A powerful one.
Access to networks she never imagined reaching.
Influence that could reshape everything.
She looked up.
"And what exactly do you gain from this?" she asked.
Alexander didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he leaned forward slightly, his presence filling the space between them.
"You," he said simply.
Nora's fingers paused on the edge of the paper.
For a split second—
Something flickered in her chest.
Unexpected.
Unwelcome.
She closed the file gently.
"This is business," she said, her voice steady. "Nothing more."
Alexander's lips curved faintly.
"Of course."
But the way he said it…
Didn't sound like he fully agreed.
Nora picked up the pen.
Her reflection stared back at her from the polished table surface.
Not the girl from before.
Not the girl who cried at the altar.
This version of her was sharper.
Colder.
Stronger.
And she intended to keep it that way.
She signed.
The sound of the pen against paper felt louder than it should.
More final.
More powerful.
When she looked up again—
Alexander was still watching her.
And this time…
His expression held something deeper than business.