ARKOS BIOPHARMACEUTICALS – 9:03 A.M.
Seraphina adjusted her sunglasses as her black SUV rolled to a stop. Arkos towered above her, steel, glass, sharp edges. More like a fortress than a company. Cold and Dangerous. Exactly her kind of stage.
Outside, paparazzi crowded the steps, cameras already flashing. She smirked. Perfect. She'd leaked her own arrival. Let them speculate.
She stepped out in an ivory pantsuit, no assistant, no guard. Just Seraphina Carrington—walking into the most controversial pharmaceutical company.
Inside, the lobby was silent, sterile. A woman in black led her through glass corridors to the top floor, where a boardroom waited.
Lena Cruz, Arkos's PR shark, rose to greet her. "Miss Carrington. Thanks for coming."
"I make time for headlines," Seraphina replied, sliding into the head seat without waiting for permission.
Lena chuckled lightly, then gestured to the others. "This is Mr. Hale from Strategic Development, Mr. Tanaka from Legal, and Mr. Raymondson from Finance."
Seraphina barely glanced. This is where Thea probably runs coffee. She thought, rolling her eyes.
Lena gave a knowing smiled. "Your name is wildfire right now. We want to harness it."
Mr. Hale leaned forward. "A partnership. Limited campaign. We frame you not as an outcast Carrington, but as a whistleblower. Reformed and brave."
"On behalf of a company still under Federal investigation?" Seraphina asked, amused.
"Perception is everything," Lena said smoothly.
The Legal Rep slid a folder her way. "You understand, Miss Carrington, we don't bring people in lightly. This is a controlled campaign. Interviews, photo ops, the narrative is..."
"Safe," Seraphina interrupted, flipping the folder shut without glancing inside. "Which is another word for boring."
Mr. Tanaka bristled. "Boring keeps shareholders calm. Boring keeps indictments at bay. Boring is about to get you paid."
She leaned back. "Money's pocket change. What I want can't be wired to an account. Let's just say—this little circus might smoke out the kind of people who hate light."
Lena's eyes brightened. "Your father?"
Seraphina's lips curved.
"You realize this puts a target on you," Tanaka warned.
"I've been a target since the day I learned to walk in heels."
Silence fell across the table.
Seraphina stood, hands steady now."Send the terms. But understand this, I don't follow scripts. I write them."
She strode out, heels cracking against the floor like gunfire.
Only inside the elevator did her mask falter. Her hands trembled, just once. Fear whispered but so did power. And she'd take power every time.
ARKOS LOBBY – 9:43 A.M.
Jace stepped into Arkos, cufflinks straight, jaw set. He'd flown in late with Jane the previous night; exhausted, expecting a quiet morning. Foolish.
Cameras. Paparazzi swarmed outside like vultures, flashes bursting like fireworks. That wasn't random.
The elevator opened. And there she was.
Seraphina Carrington. Ivory suit. Sunglasses. Calm, smug, untouchable.
They passed each other at the entrance. She wasn't surprised, but she didn't stop either.
They brushed past each other. Jace muttered, "Carrington?"
She slid her sunglasses down just enough to meet his gaze, to be dramatic. "Tell your team—next time, softer lighting. Fluorescents murder my skin tone."
Instead of passing, she stopped, forcing him to stop too. The photographers swarmed, clicking furiously, mistaking tension for civility.
"Why are you here?" His words snapped like a command, but his gaze traced her mouth like a secret.
She tilted her head, letting silence tease the question. "I'm shopping for sins. I hear Arkos sells them wholesale."
He stepped closer, just enough that the cameras caught the line of their shoulders nearly brushing. "Stay out of my house, Carrington."
Her laugh was soft, wicked. "Sweetheart, that would require me to care about your boundaries."
Then she was gone, drowning in cameras she'd summoned herself.
Jace stood frozen for a second.
He marched toward the front desk, shoulders stiff. "Grace," he snapped. "Who authorised this?"
"Ms. Cruz said it was cleared, by John. He told us you approved."
Jace's brow drew together. "John? My John?"
"Yes, sir. He contacted PR and Legal teams yesterday. He said it was time-sensitive and aligned with your... broader strategy."
Jace didn't answer. He turned sharply. "Call everyone involved. Conference Room B. Now."
He was already halfway down the hall before she finished nodding.
ARKOS – CONFERENCE ROOM B – 10:09 A.M.
Jace didn't sit. Didn't need to. His presence filled the room before he spoke.
Lena Cruz, Hale, Tanaka—all waiting, tense.
"Who opened my doors to a Carrington?" His voice was calm, but cold enough to bite.
They shifted, avoiding his eyes. Hale finally said, "John insisted. He said it was part of your strategy. He knew details only you—"
Jace's gut knotted. "Did I send an email?"
"Did I send it in writing?" Jace cut in.
"No, but..."
"Then you gambled my name on a phone call." His hand slammed down on the folder they'd left waiting for him, hard enough to rattle water glasses. "And you lost."
The silence after was brutal. He pulled out his phone and opened his secure line. He hadn't spoken to John since Geneva. No calls. No texts. Nothing.
"Where is John now?" He asked.
"He said he'd be unavailable until noon," Mr. Hale answered. "He didn't say why."
He looked at them all. "No one signs a damn thing. No press. Not a word leaves this building. She doesn't breathe Arkos air. Am I clear?"
They nodded fast.
Jace turned for the door, then stopped, glancing back. ""Find John. And when you do—pray he's still mine. Because if he isn't…"
He walked out, pulse hammering.
Because this wasn't just a media stunt. It was a signal.
This was a move in a much larger game.
And someone had just made the first real play.