The silence in the boardroom was so thick it felt like a physical wall. The executives, men who controlled industries and moved millions with a stroke of a pen, were staring at Lian as if she had just grown a second head.
The man in the blue tie, a senior director named Mr. Henderson, turned a sickly shade of grey. His hand, still clutching a silver fountain pen, began to tremble almost imperceptibly.
"What... what did you just say?" Henderson stuttered, his voice cracking. "Project Icarus is confidential. Who told you about—?"
"Does it matter who told me?" Lian interrupted, her voice gaining a sharp edge she didn't know she possessed.
Inside her mind, Kai's laughter was dark and predatory. *"Good. Keep going, Lian. Look at his left pocket. He has a second phone. That's where the real data is."*
Lian didn't hesitate. She pointed a finger toward Henderson. "And I'd bet my life that the data in your second phone—the one in your left pocket—doesn't match the inflated projections you just showed the CEO."
Kai leaned back in his leather chair, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across his face. He looked like a wolf watching a lamb walk into a trap. He didn't look at Lian; his eyes remained fixed on Henderson.
"Well, Henderson?" Kai's voice was a low, lethal purr. "Are you going to show us the phone, or should I have security escort you out and take it?"
Henderson didn't wait. He scrambled to his feet, knocking his chair over in the process, and bolted for the door. But he didn't get far. Two security guards, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, blocked the exit.
"Take him to the security office," Kai commanded, his tone indifferent, as if he were ordering a coffee. "And bring me that phone."
As Henderson was dragged out, shouting protests that fell on deaf ears, the other executives sat in stunned silence. Kai finally turned his gaze toward Lian. The stormy sea in his eyes was turbulent, the violet spark flickering with an intensity that made her skin tingle.
*"Not bad for a girl who was shaking five minutes ago,"* Kai's voice echoed in her head.
"You set me up," Lian thought back, her eyes narrowing as she stared at him. "You used me to do your dirty work."
Kai stood up, his tall frame dominating the room. "The rest of you, leave," he addressed the board. "The meeting is over. My new assistant and I have things to discuss."
The executives scrambled out, eager to escape the suffocating tension. Soon, only Lian and Kai remained in the massive, glass-walled room.
Kai walked toward her, his footsteps silent on the thick carpet. He stopped only inches away, so close she could smell the faint scent of sandalwood and expensive tobacco. He was even more intimidating in person—his presence felt like a magnetic field, pulling her in while warning her to run.
"You're bold, Lian Vance," he said aloud, his voice vibrating in her chest. "But being bold in my world can get you killed. Or worse."
He reached out, his fingers hovering just inches from her temple, where the bond felt the strongest. "Why did you do it? You could have stayed silent. You could have walked away."
Lian didn't flinch. "Because you asked me to. And because... I could feel how much you hated being lied to."
Kai's expression shifted, a flicker of something raw and vulnerable crossing his face before the icy mask returned. He leaned down, whispering into her ear, his breath warm against her skin.
"Welcome to Chronos, Lian. Your desk is right outside my door. Don't get too comfortable... the real monsters here don't wear blue ties."
As he walked away, Lian felt the bond thrum with a new sensation: a dark, possessive heat. She had entered his world, and she realized with a jolt of terror and excitement that Kai had no intention of ever letting her leave.
In the reflection of the glass window, she saw the violet spark in her eye glow brighter than ever. The game had truly changed. She wasn't just a voice in his head anymore. She was a player on his board.