She stood in front of Leo's office door, palms sweating, heartbeat racing, as if she had sprinted up all thirty floors. She had promised herself that she wouldn't come here again… yet here she was, drawn in by a mix of anger and pride and something she refused to name.
She knocked once.
No answer.
She pushed the door open anyway.
Leo stood by the window, hands in his pockets, posture stiff. The skyline glowed behind him, making him look even more untouchable than usual.
"If you came to accept the offer," he said, not turning around, "you're late. I'm not in the mood to negotiate anymore."
Lia's jaw clenched. "I didn't come to accept anything."
Now, he turned. Slowly. His cold eyes locked onto hers, unreadable yet sharp enough to make her breath hitch.
"Then why are you here, Miss Carter?"
"Because," she said, her chin up, "you don't get to make decisions about my life. I won't work for you. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever."
The corner of his mouth twitched—not a smile, more like disbelief. "You think you have a choice?"
"I do," Lia snapped. "And I choose my dignity."
Neither spoke for a moment, and the tension between them stretched, electric, dangerous.
Leo took one step closer. "You're turning down a deal people would kill for."
"And yet," she whispered, refusing to step back, "I'm still walking out."
She turned toward the door.
"Lia."
Her name on his lips froze her in place. But she didn't look back. Not yet.