The conference room pulsed with an energy that Lia couldn't help but be aware of—a combination of ambition, tension, and something almost dangerous. She had been looking forward to this meeting all day, but one look around told her that this would most definitely not be just an ordinary meeting.
Leading the table was Vanessa. It was a knife gliding smoothly over the serene façade of Leo. Lia's stomach knotted. Vanessa had always been a nuisance, but the level of interference had increased. It had become more aggressive and personal. Every smirk and every biting remark seemed to be a deliberate move to upset Lia, and—Lia shuddered—maybe even to provoke a reaction out of Leo.
Leo was seated on her right, his body rigid, his dark eyes darting from Lia to Vanessa. His very body was wound tight, ready to spring, but the control was apparent. A strange sense of warmth flowed through Lia. There was security in his control.
Vanessa's eyes narrowed and focused on Lia. "I hope you're ready for this, Lia," she said with a slick smile and a hint of forced empathy. "Some of us play for keeps."
Lia's fists were clenched beneath the table, her racing heartbeat apparent. She dared not show fear, nor allow Vanessa to see her weakness.
**"I am not intimidated," she stated calmly, despite racing in her breast.**
Vanessa lifted a perfectly arched eyebrow. "You should be," she said. "Leo's trust is a precious thing, and I don't dole it out easily."
Leo's fingers trailed Lia's under the table. This gentle contact knitted a path of heat up her arm. She skipped a heartbeat. She vibrated with nerves, desire, and awareness that despite Vanessa's warnings, Leo's focus rested solely on her.
The meeting heated up fast. Vanessa questioned every decision, every number, and every idea that Lia suggested. The board was transfixed as Lia responded and began defending her suggestions with a sharpness and intelligence that she had never before felt herself.
However, this was much more than a professional conflict—it was personal. The pointed looks, Leo's protective glances, and Lia's own increasingly developing emotions all wove together into a complex mesh of longing, competition, and dangerous desire.
Finally, Leo stood, his words deep and authoritative. "Enough," he said, his gaze locking with Vanessa's. "Your tricks will not work here. Not now."
Vanessa smiled archly, her calm unruffled, but Lia sensed a glimmer of something behind her façade: frustration. And maybe envy—for the unspoken bond that was between her and Leo, one that Vanessa had no access to.
As the meeting concluded, Lia emerged with Leo, their bodies almost touching as they stepped out. "You dealt with that situation quite well," Leo whispered, his lips inches from Lia's ear.
Before she had a chance to answer, her phone vibrated with a message that made her blood run cold: "They're plotting something. And you're right in the middle of it."