Sharon Hale's face was flushed a deep shade of red. It took her a moment to recognize the source of the intoxicating scent rising from Rowan's body, a scent she had dreamed of for longer than she dared admit. Her heart raced wildly. She had not planned to throw herself into his arms just moments ago, yet here she was, pressed against his chest, unable to retreat.
The past weeks had weighed heavily on her. Despite her battle-hardened strength, Earth's legal systems restrained her ability to act recklessly. For the sake of the company, she had forced herself to endure public criticism, business crises, and endless pressure. She had fought fiercely to keep the company afloat, making painful compromises and shouldering the responsibilities far beyond her age.
Only now, standing in Rowan's arms, did the exhaustion finally rise to the surface. She was not even twenty years old. She deserved someone to rely on. She longed for someone who would listen to her frustrations without judgment.
"Become my woman. Would you accept that?"
Rowan lifted her chin gently. The months of management, struggle, and sacrifice had stripped away her earlier youthfulness. Although still young, she had grown into someone with the unmistakable aura of a strong and capable leader.
Rowan knew what she had endured. He knew he could not let her continue giving everything for him without offering something in return. It was time for him to give her the warmth he had promised long ago.
"I..."
The happiness struck her too suddenly, leaving her flustered and breathless. His eyes burned with an intensity that made her feel as if she might melt. She wanted to answer, but words refused to come.
Did she want to refuse?
No. Never.
She had waited for this moment far too long.
She knew Rowan had other women in his life. She accepted that long ago. Rowan was extraordinary, impossibly extraordinary, someone no one could ever expect to monopolize.
"You don't want to?" Rowan pretended to let her go.
Sharon panicked. The opportunity was right in front of her. If she hesitated now, she might lose it forever. She rose on her toes and pressed her lips to his, giving him her answer without a single word.
Clothing scattered across the room as their spirits collided, and the night blossomed into a perfect symphony of passion.
Seven or eight hours passed before Sharon finally begged for mercy.
"I'm so lucky..." she whispered as she lay draped across Rowan's chest, a faint smile lingering on her lips.
"What are you talking about?" Rowan gently brushed aside her damp hair, puzzled by her words.
"Your stamina is terrifying." Sharon pouted lightly. If she had been the only woman in Rowan's life, she would surely have been destroyed by him tonight. Even now, she was utterly exhausted while he remained energetic, as if everything that happened had merely been a warm-up.
The thought alone frightened her.
"You rest. I'm going to check on Suri. I want to see if she's made progress on the artificial crystal."
Sharon nodded weakly. Rowan used a touch of his psychic power to dress her before quietly leaving the office.
As Rowan walked through the modern halls of Crowe Corporation, he noticed many unfamiliar faces. Scientists filled the building, moving busily between projects. Armed guards patrolled every corridor, each with the combat strength equivalent to a mid-level warrior. More than three hundred of them moved in coordinated patterns, maintaining flawless security.
Laser-based defensive systems were embedded in the walls, capable of firing instantly at intruders. The entire company complex had become a heavily fortified technological stronghold.
With his psychic senses, Rowan scanned everything effortlessly. Invisible to all, he slipped through the facility like a passing breeze. His mental manipulation bent the perceptions of those around him, hiding his presence entirely. Even the cameras failed to record him, their signals distorted by the energy waves surrounding him.
Eventually he reached the subterranean research facility. Reinforced walls made of Crowe Metal, mixed with Vibranium alloy, formed a nearly indestructible barrier. Tanks and explosives would be useless here.
The doors to each laboratory opened only with retinal scans and encrypted identification. Rowan simply severed the interior circuits with his psychic power. The doors opened instantly.
"What... the door opened by itself. Did it malfunction?" a nearby technician muttered, staring in confusion as Rowan brushed past him unseen.
Rowan made his way to the main research chamber. Through the massive transparent enclosure, he saw nearly a dozen scientists working intensely. Rows of large containers lined the room, each filled with cerulean liquid that suspended plantlike structures resembling the original crystal.
Helen Zhao and Suri Rayne sat at a cluster of monitors, analyzing streams of data.
Suri's hair had begun to show streaks of white despite her youth. The contrast stood out starkly against her dark complexion. She sipped concentrated coffee while studying data with tired, bloodshot eyes.
"Suri, you should rest. You haven't slept in seven days," Helen urged. "Even with your enhanced physique, this can't be good for you."
"I'm fine. I need to reorganize this data. I'm close, I can feel it. If I perfect the crystal, we'll have an unlimited supply. The team can upgrade their strength freely. The boss will be thrilled."
Suri downed another cup of coffee and buried herself in her work.
Helen sighed and continued adjusting her data models, trying to speed up the optimization process.
"Go to sleep. Even a body of steel has limits."
"Go go go. Don't bother me," Suri snapped without looking up.
Helen stiffened suddenly, staring wide-eyed at the figure standing behind Suri.
"B-boss..." she whispered.
Suri froze, whipping around instantly.
"Boss... you're back?"
She was delighted, then guilty, lowering her head like a child caught misbehaving.
"Don't act like that. I know I've been an absent leader. Natasha told me everything you've done. You handled things excellently."
Relief washed over Suri's face.
Rowan shifted his attention to Helen and nodded. "Dr. Zhao, thank you as well. You've worked hard."
She returned a small, awkward smile. There was warmth in her eyes, a subtle affection she never expressed openly. Rowan noticed it, but since she never acted on it, he chose not to acknowledge it.
"Is this the replicated crystal?" Rowan stepped deeper into the lab.
Everyone finally realized the mysterious figure was their hidden employer. They greeted him respectfully.
"Carry on. Pretend I'm not here," Rowan said with a wave.
He studied one of the containers holding two pale blue crystals. Their forms were accurate, and their energy signatures were strong. Yet something was missing. A faint toxin lingered within, a flaw that made the replica dangerous. Consuming it granted immense power but at the cost of instant death.
It was a failure.
"I'm sorry, boss," Suri said quietly. "I tried everything. I changed formulas, tested new methods, but none can neutralize the internal toxins. I wasted your resources."
Rowan shook his head. The crystal held no real value to him anymore. In the vast universe, it was merely a common plant. The true treasures were far beyond Earth.
"Why didn't you try infusing cosmic energy? The original crystal is formed through the absorption of cosmic force."
Suri froze.
Cosmic energy.
In all her research, she had sensed something strange missing from the plant structure, a peculiar gap she could never identify. But now it clicked perfectly into place.
As a warrior, she had learned Rowan's method for absorbing cosmic energy. She simply rarely practiced it.
Her eyes widened.
"That's it. That's the missing component."
She lunged toward her console, typing furiously and calling Wakanda for special materials.
Helen quickly joined her. Both women had sensed the same gap for weeks but lacked the key to identify it.
"Once the crystal is perfected, how many can we produce?" Rowan asked.
"Based on the capacity of all three underground levels... every seven days, we can produce about one thousand one hundred crystals," Suri answered while adjusting data.
"One thousand one hundred..." Rowan murmured.
The future was about to change.