Mel woke up in Rhys's apartment, a penthouse suite several floors above his office, accessible by a private elevator. It was a world of flawless glass and silence. She felt the heavy weight of Rhys's arm across her middle, his body a warm, immovable
presence beside her.
She carefully slipped out of bed just as the first sliver of sunlight touched the cityscape. The previous night had been a blur of fierce, quiet passion, a physical confirmation of the dangerous contract they had signed. She had allowed him to claim her body, knowing the morning would require her to reclaim her mind.
Mel dressed quickly in the dark, her movements precise. She left a note on the bedside table, a simple, professional "07:00. Bunker. Full analysis ready."
She was Chief Risk Analyst now. The job came first.
By 7:30 AM, Mel was deep inside the hidden bunker, navigating encrypted databases. The Panama transfer she had flagged yesterday was connected to a man named Arthur Quinn, Rhys's long-time Chief Legal Counsel. Quinn wasn't just a lawyer; he was a trusted personal friend and the architect of Kallen Capital's entire corporate structure.
Mel brought the data to Rhys's desk exactly at 8:00 AM. He was already there, impeccably dressed, coffee waiting. The possessive intensity from the night before was replaced by the controlled focus of the CEO.
"Quinn?" Rhys asked, scanning the ledger printout Mel handed him. His expression remained neutral, but the grip on his coffee cup tightened visibly.
"He's been using the logistics shell companies, the same ones Vasko and Chen used, as a personal sink," Mel explained, pointing to a convoluted set of transactions. "He didn't steal capital; he sold privileged regulatory information to competitors for 'consulting fees.' He's been eroding Kallen Capital's market edge for years."
Rhys looked up, his eyes cold. "Quinn has been my counsel for eighteen years. He helped me build this firm."
"Your contract allows me absolute freedom in target selection," Mel reminded him, her voice unwavering. "He is a cancer. He stays, Kallen bleeds. He goes, the wound closes."
Rhys stared at her, not with anger, but with a profound, calculating stillness. He was watching his trusted friend's fate decided by the woman he had just taken as his own. "Do it, Analyst," he commanded, the words clipped and final. "But I want him gone by noon. Make it clean."
Mel didn't hesitate. By 10:00 AM, using her Tier 1 clearance, she had frozen Quinn's access, locked his accounts, and compiled a non-negotiable termination package that referenced the specific legal statutes Quinn had violated. She didn't call HR or Security. She called Quinn directly, using a secure line.
When Quinn arrived at Rhys's office, pale, furious, and confused, Mel was waiting in the lobby, standing next to the elevator bank. She held a sealed envelope.
"Mr. Quinn, your access has been revoked," Mel said, her eyes meeting his stunned gaze. "This envelope contains the terms of your immediate and permanent departure. I suggest you sign the NDA and exit quietly. The alternative is a federal complaint detailing insider trading violations."
Quinn looked past her, toward Rhys's closed office door. "This is insane! I'll talk to Rhys, now!"
"Rhys Kallen is aware of your actions and is honoring my mandate," Mel stated simply. "The Chief Risk Analyst has found a compromise, and the compromise is being removed."
She didn't wait for him to respond. She turned and walked back to the executive floor, leaving Quinn standing alone with the sealed fate in his hands.
Mel returned to the large office, finding Rhys standing by the window. He didn't turn around until she spoke.
"Quinn is gone. The agreement is signed. All digital traces have been purged," Mel reported, her professionalism flawless.
Rhys slowly turned, a mixture of grim satisfaction and intense admiration on his face. He had watched her execute the strike from his internal security feed.
"You have no mercy, Mel," he observed, stepping toward her. "You took down a decades-long relationship in ten minutes."
"I took down a threat to your company, as you ordered," she countered, trying to keep the emotional distance.
He closed the space between them, his intensity overriding her resolve. He didn't touch her professionally; he slid his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against him.
"And you have proven that my gamble was worth the cost," he whispered, bending down to kiss her collarbone. "You are ruthless, intelligent, and absolutely loyal to the mission. You belong exactly here."
He lifted her, pressing her back against his massive mahogany desk, the same desk that had been their battleground and their barrier.
"The office rules are reinstated at 5:00 PM," Rhys murmured, his mouth hovering over hers, his eyes dark with the need he couldn't hide. "Until then, Analyst, this is my territory, and you are my reward."
Mel's hands went to his shoulders, feeling the hard line of his muscle beneath the expensive fabric. The adrenaline of the execution mixed with the danger of his proximity, leaving her breathless. She knew she should resist, but the power dynamic, the knowledge that she was the only one in the world who could operate on this level, by his side, was intoxicating.
She finally met his kiss, surrendering to the consuming, high-stakes passion that was now their new contract.