Chapter 56
[ 939 words ]
Julian’s POV
The digital clock on my desk flickered to 9:00 AM. In the world of global finance, time was a commodity I traded like gold, but today, time felt like a noose I was tightening around my neck.
I adjusted my cufflinks, the platinum cold against my skin. “Zane, are the ’emergency’ protocols drafted p>
Zane leaned against the mahogany doorframe of my office, a tablet tucked under his arm and an expression of pure, raw skepticism on his face. “You mean the emergency protocols that didn’t exist forty-eight hours ago? The ones that magically require the personal oversight of the IG Technologies CEO or the entire WEG mainframe will supposedly spontaneously combust”
“Precision is vital during integration,” I said, my voice a flat, dangerous monotone. “If Katia Kensington wants to play the elusive genius, she needs to understand that I own the playground p>
“You don’t want a briefing, Julian. You want her in this building. You’re hunting, and it’s getting loud. Even the board is whispering about why the great Julian Windsor is suddenly so hands-on with a localized encryption patch p>
“Let them whisper. As long as they do it while their stock prices are rising, I don’t give a fuck p>
I turned back to the window. Below, a black town car pulled into the private VIP bay. My pulse, usually a steady thrum, spiked. I recognized the way she stepped out of the vehicle, predatory grace, and the way she didn’t wait for the door to be opened for her. She was a woman who took what she wanted, and today, she was walking straight into my trap.
Ten minutes later, the double doors to the executive boardroom swung open. Katia entered like a thunderstorm wrapped in silk. She was flanked by three of her top engineers and Samantha, her shadow. She wore a cream-colored power suit that looked soft but fit like armor. Her eyes, those piercing, defiant eyes, met mine instantly. She didn’t bow. She didn’t smile. She just existed in my space as if she held the deed to it.
“Mr. Windsor,” she said, her voice a cool blade. “My team and I received your ’emergency’ summons. I trust the sky is falling, or you wouldn’t have interrupted my morning p>
The room went silent. My own executives shifted in their seats, terrified of the friction. Zane cleared his throat, hiding a smirk behind his hand.
I stood up, the chair scraping against the floor like a growl. I didn’t look at her team. I didn’t look at the blueprints. I kept my gaze locked on hers until I saw the slight, almost imperceptible flare of her nostrils.
“There has been a shift in the security architecture,” I announced, my voice booming in the quiet room. “A variable that requires a higher level of clearance than originally anticipated.” I paused, letting the tension thicken until it was unbearable. “I appreciate the IG team coming in on such short notice. However, for the security of the primary vault, I will be conducting this specific briefing with the CEO of IG Technologies alone p>
I lied; I just want to hold her in my arms again and maybe fucking fuck her.
The silence that followed was heavy enough to crush. Samantha stiffened, her eyes darting between me and Katia. The engineers looked confused, but no one dared to speak. In this building, my word was the only law that mattered.
“Julian,” Zane started, his voice a low warning.
“Alone, Zane,” I repeated, not breaking eye contact with Katia. “Take the rest of the team to the annex. Feed them, brief them on the secondary nodes, and wait for my signal p>
Katia’s jaw tightened. I could see the gears turning behind her eyes. She knew I was full of shit. She knew there was no ’primary vault’ issue that her lead architect couldn’t handle. But she also knew that if she walked out now, she’d be handing me the win.
“Fine,” she said, her voice a sharp snap. “Samantha, go with Zane. I’ll handle the… variable p>
As the room emptied, the air seemed to grow hotter. The moment the last person cleared the threshold, I turned and walked toward my private office, which connected to the boardroom. I didn’t wait for her. I knew she would follow. She was too curious and too defiant to do anything else.
The second she stepped inside my office, I reached past her and slammed the heavy oak door shut. The lock engaged with a definitive thud.
“What is this, Julian?” she hissed, turning on her heel. “You dragged my team across the city for a power play? If you want to flex your ego, do it on your own time. I have a child to get home to and a p>
I didn’t let her finish. I moved with a speed that caught her off guard, my hands finding her waist and pinning her back against the door.
“You talk too much, Katia,” I growled.
I didn’t give her a chance to argue. I claimed her lips with a hunger that had been rotting me from the inside out since the moment I saw her in that hallway in Vegas. I expected a slap. I expected her to shove me away.
Instead, I felt her hands fly to the back of my neck, her fingers tangling in my hair. She kissed me back with a violence that matched my own, her tongue parrying mine, her body arching into the heat of my chest. It wasn’t a soft kiss; it was a collision. It was the sound of two empires crashing into each other.
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