Lena Carter slammed the contract shut before she could change her mind.
"No."
The word came out sharper than she intended—but not sharp enough to cut through the man sitting across from her.
Adrian Voss didn't even blink.
Of course he didn't.
He just leaned back in his chair like he had all the time in the world, fingers steepled, eyes locked on her like she was something mildly interesting… and entirely predictable.
"You didn't read the last page," he said calmly.
"I didn't need to."
A faint smile touched his lips. Not warm. Not amused.
Just… dangerous.
"You're in no position to be careless, Ms. Carter."
Her jaw tightened. "And you're in no position to tell me what to do."
That was a lie.
They both knew it.
The silence stretched between them, heavy with everything unsaid—and everything they hadn't forgotten.
It had been six years.
Six years since she last saw him.
Six years since everything went wrong.
And somehow, Adrian Voss looked exactly the same.
Maybe sharper. Colder.
More powerful.
Lena forced herself to hold his gaze. "Let me make this simple. I'm not signing anything that puts me under your control."
This time, he did smile.
Slow. Knowing.
Like he'd been waiting for her to say exactly that.
"You don't have a choice."
The words hit harder than they should have.
Lena let out a quiet, humorless laugh. "There's always a choice."
"Not when your company has three weeks before it goes under."
Her chest tightened.
Damn him.
He knew.
Of course he knew.
Adrian leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping just enough to feel personal.
"I read your financials," he continued. "Your debts, your missed deadlines, your investors pulling out one by one…"
"Stop."
But he didn't.
"…and the fact that you've already been rejected by every other firm worth mentioning."
Lena's hands curled into fists on the table.
He had no right.
And yet—every word was true.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked, quieter now.
That was the real question.
Because Adrian Voss didn't need her company.
Didn't need her.
So why this?
For a moment, something flickered in his eyes.
Gone just as quickly as it appeared.
"You really don't know?" he asked.
Her stomach dropped.
"I think you should enlighten me."
He held her gaze—steady, unrelenting.
"Six years ago," he said, voice low, "you made a decision that cost me everything."
Lena's breath caught.
No.
He couldn't still believe that—
"You exposed me," he continued. "In front of the entire university."
"I told the truth."
"You told a version of it."
The tension snapped tight between them.
"I didn't lie," she shot back.
"You didn't need to."
That stung more than she expected.
For a second—just a second—doubt crept in.
But she crushed it.
"I did what was right."
Adrian's expression hardened.
"And I'm giving you the chance to make that right."
Her heart pounded.
"That's not what this is," she said. "This is control."
"Call it whatever you want."
He slid the contract back toward her.
"This is your only option."
Lena stared down at it.
Her father's company.
Everything he built.
Everything she was trying—and failing—to hold together.
If she walked away now… it would all collapse.
Slowly, she looked back up at him.
"I won't work for you," she said.
Adrian didn't argue.
Didn't push.
He just watched her.
Like he already knew how this would end.
"Then you'll lose everything," he replied.
The room felt too small.
Too quiet.
Too final.
Lena swallowed hard.
"…What exactly are your terms?"
And that—
That was the moment Adrian Voss knew he'd already won.