By noon, the entire thirty-second floor of Blackwood Enterprises was buzzing.
Lila Evans hadn't even accepted the offer yet.
And somehow—
Everyone already knew.
She stepped out of the elevator with her usual composed expression firmly in place, but the moment her heels touched the polished floor, she felt it.
The looks.
Quick glances.
Whispers that died the second she passed.
Fantastic.
Marcus appeared beside her like a man who had long ago accepted chaos as part of his job description.
"You're trending internally," he said under his breath.
Lila didn't break stride.
"I always wanted to go viral in corporate gossip."
Marcus's lips twitched despite himself.
"You handled Victoria Hale in front of the CEO," he said. "People are… adjusting."
Lila let out a slow breath.
Right.
That.
"What's her official title?" Lila asked casually.
Marcus hesitated.
"…Strategic partner to Blackwood Holdings."
Not family.
But close.
Close enough to walk into Adrian's office unannounced.
Close enough to look at Lila like she was already a problem.
Lila filed the information away carefully.
They reached the glass-walled conference room.
Marcus paused by the door.
"Before you go in," he said quietly, "you should know—he doesn't make this kind of offer lightly."
Lila met his eyes.
"And if I turn it down?"
Marcus gave a small, knowing exhale.
"Then Mr. Blackwood will assume you weren't serious to begin with."
Ah.
So that was the game.
Pressure disguised as opportunity.
Lila straightened her shoulders.
"Good thing I'm very serious about my work."
Marcus opened the door.
"Then welcome to the storm, Ms. Evans."
Inside the Conference Room
Adrian Blackwood was already there.
Of course he was.
He stood at the far end of the long glass table, sleeves rolled just slightly—just enough to be distracting—and eyes locked on the Westbridge projections glowing across the screen.
He didn't look up immediately when she entered.
Which, Lila was starting to realize…
Was absolutely deliberate.
She set her tablet down.
"I haven't accepted yet."
Adrian's gaze finally lifted.
Sharp.
Focused.
Dangerously calm.
"But you came back."
Her chin lifted a fraction.
"I don't make decisions without full information."
Something in his expression shifted.
Approval again.
Quiet.
Controlled.
But definitely there.
"Good," Adrian said.
Then he tapped the screen once.
The projections changed.
Lila's breath caught—just slightly.
Because those were her numbers.
But revised.
Expanded.
Stress-tested.
Her eyes narrowed.
"You already ran simulations."
Adrian leaned back in his chair.
"I don't make offers blindly."
Of course he didn't.
This man probably didn't blink blindly.
Still…
Lila stepped closer to the table, studying the data more carefully.
Her fingers moved across the screen without hesitation, pulling up the deeper layers of analysis.
Adrian watched her the entire time.
Not the numbers.
Her.
The way she moved.
The way she focused.
The way she didn't ask permission.
Five minutes passed in silence.
Then Lila spoke.
"You adjusted the commercial absorption rate."
Adrian's brow lifted slightly.
"You caught that quickly."
"It's wrong," she said flatly.
Marcus, who had quietly entered the room, nearly dropped the folder in his hands.
Adrian went very still.
Slowly, deliberately—
He stood.
And walked around the table.
Straight toward her.
Lila felt him before she saw him.
That subtle shift in air.
That quiet, controlled presence moving too close again.
Her pulse misbehaved.
Again.
Annoying.
Adrian stopped beside her shoulder.
Not touching.
But close enough that she was very aware of the heat radiating off him.
"Explain," he said quietly.
Lila forced her focus back to the screen.
"If you push commercial absorption this aggressively in year two, you spike short-term returns," she said, voice steady despite the proximity.
Her finger moved across the projection.
"But you destabilize residential demand in year four."
Silence.
Marcus looked between them like he was watching a high-stakes tennis match.
Adrian's voice dropped lower.
"You're confident."
Lila turned her head slightly.
Big mistake.
Because now—
Now they were very close.
Her breath caught for half a second.
His eyes darkened.
"I don't guess with data," she said quietly.
For a long moment…
Neither of them moved.
The tension wasn't just professional anymore.
It was something sharper.
Hotter.
Far more dangerous.
Marcus very quietly took three steps backward.
Self-preservation was clearly a strong skill.
Adrian finally straightened slightly, though his gaze didn't leave hers.
"Fine," he said.
One word.
But decisive.
He reached past her—
Too close—
And adjusted the projection.
Her projection.
Not his.
Lila blinked.
Once.
Slowly.
"You're accepting the revision?" she asked carefully.
Adrian's mouth curved faintly.
"I'm testing your accuracy."
Her eyes narrowed.
"You just changed a multi-million-dollar model based on my word."
His gaze held hers steadily.
"That wasn't based on your word."
A beat.
Then, quieter—
"That was based on your confidence."
Something in Lila's chest did a very inconvenient flip.
Before she could respond—
Marcus's phone buzzed sharply.
He glanced down.
And immediately tensed.
"Sir…"
Adrian didn't look away from Lila.
"What."
Marcus hesitated.
Then said carefully—
"Victoria Hale just scheduled a full Westbridge review… with the board."
Silence.
Heavy.
Explosive.
Adrian's eyes darkened slowly.
Lila felt it immediately.
The shift.
The stakes just went up.
Way up.
Adrian finally stepped back.
But the heat he left behind lingered.
"Well, Miss Evans," he said coolly.
"Looks like your timing just became very important."
Lila lifted her chin.
"Good."
His brow rose.
She met his gaze head-on.
"I work better under pressure."
For the first time since the news dropped—
Adrian Blackwood looked genuinely pleased.