The next morning, Evelyn woke up to find a bouquet of black calla lilies on her kitchen counter.
She frowned. Her security was tight—no one should've been able to enter without her knowledge.
Tucked inside the petals was a small, silver card.
"A queen deserves flowers no one else dares to touch. — A"
Adrian.
⸻
She rolled her eyes—but a smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.
The man was relentless.
Before she could text him a sarcastic thank-you, her phone buzzed again—this time with a meeting request.
Subject: Joint Press Release
Location: Skybridge Tower
Time: 11:00 AM sharp.
It wasn't from Adrian.
It was from Noah.
⸻
She almost deleted it.
But curiosity won.
When she arrived, the entire top floor had already been converted into a media staging area. Cameras, lights, journalists—all waiting for the new "CEO Alliance" between two empires.
And in the center of it all: Noah and Adrian.
Side by side.
⸻
She stepped into view.
Adrian walked toward her first. "Did you like the flowers?"
She narrowed her eyes. "How did you get past my locks?"
"I don't go through doors," he replied smoothly. "I go through firewalls."
"Charming."
⸻
Noah cut in, "We'll go live in five minutes."
His voice was clipped, eyes scanning her like she was part of his battlefield strategy.
She saw it instantly: this wasn't about business.
This was about dominance.
And she was the trophy.
⸻
"Gentlemen," she said, standing between them, "Just don't forget I'm not a pawn. I'm the queen."
She walked onto the stage.
The countdown to live broadcast began.
5… 4… 3… 2…