Chapter 1 — The Man Who Didn't Smile
The first thing Zara Quinn noticed about him was that he did not smile.
Not once.
Not when the board members greeted him.
Not when cameras flashed.
Not even when the woman beside him whispered something that was probably meant to be funny.
Lucien Vale sat at the head of the conference table like a statue carved from authority itself.
Cold.
Perfectly still.
Dangerous in a quiet way.
Zara hated him already.
She stood near the glass wall of the executive meeting room, pretending to study the city skyline while secretly studying him instead.
The youngest CEO in the country.
The man every business magazine called a genius.
The man whose presence alone made senior executives lower their voices.
And apparently… the man she was about to criticize in front of twelve powerful directors.
"Intern," someone whispered behind her.
Zara turned.
"Yes?"
"You are speaking after the marketing presentation. Don't forget your script."
She almost laughed.
Script?
She didn't have a script.
That was the problem.
The marketing presentation ended.
Then the room fell into that awkward professional silence that meant someone important was about to speak.
Lucien Vale's eyes moved slowly across the table.
When his gaze landed on Zara, it stayed there for exactly three seconds longer than necessary.
She felt it like pressure on her chest.
Finally, he spoke.
"Next."
The word was simple.
Calm.
But it carried authority that made even the air feel heavier.
The assistant beside her gave her a small nod.
Go.
Zara walked toward the front.
Her heels clicked softly against the marble floor.
Every step felt louder than it should have been.
She placed her tablet on the presentation stand, inhaled slowly, and began.
"Good afternoon, directors. I'm Zara Quinn from the research division."
She paused.
Then continued.
"I believe the proposed advertisement strategy for the new Vale Energy product is inefficient."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Someone coughed very quietly.
From the corner of her vision, she saw the marketing director straighten in his seat like a man preparing for a funeral.
Zara pressed on.
"The campaign focuses too much on luxury imagery and not enough on consumer relatability. The target demographic is middle-income young professionals, not high-end investors."
One director cleared his throat.
Lucien's expression did not change.
He was looking at her like someone observing an interesting experiment.
Not angry.
Not pleased.
Just watching.
Zara hated that most of all.
Because she couldn't tell if she was about to be fired.
She continued.
"Also," she said, "the slogan sounds like it was generated by someone who owns three yachts and has never spoken to a normal human being."
A few people gasped.
The marketing director's face turned red.
Lucien spoke.
"Explain."
His voice was low.
Measured.
No emotion.
Just a command.
Zara met his eyes.
"'Power is eternal' is not a convincing slogan for the intended customers. It sounds like something a villain in a children's cartoon would say before destroying a city."
One of the older directors coughed to hide a laugh.
Bad idea.
Because Lucien heard it.
His gaze shifted slightly toward the man.
The room became silent again.
Then Lucien leaned back slowly in his chair.
The movement was almost lazy.
"Miss Quinn," he said.
"Yes, CEO Vale?"
"You are aware that this presentation was approved by the marketing department and three senior executives?"
"Yes."
"And yet you chose to publicly contradict it."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Zara did not hesitate.
"Because it is bad marketing."
Someone whispered, "She is insane."
Lucien's lips moved.
Not into a smile.
Just the smallest, almost invisible twitch at the corner of his mouth.
It lasted less than a second.
But Zara noticed it.
And for some reason, her heart reacted in a way she absolutely hated.
Lucien stood up.
The entire room felt it.
He was tall.
Intimidatingly so.
His black suit was perfectly fitted, as if it had been tailored around authority itself.
He walked slowly toward her.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Stop.
He stopped exactly two steps away from her.
Close enough that she could smell the faint expensive cologne he used.
"Miss Quinn," he said quietly.
"Yes, CEO Vale?"
"Stay after the meeting."
Zara's stomach dropped.
That was it.
She was fired.
She nodded.
"Yes, sir."
Lucien studied her face for a moment longer than socially acceptable.
Then he spoke again.
"You are interesting."
The words were said with the same tone someone might use to describe a complicated mathematical problem.
Not praise.
Not insult.
Just observation.
Zara frowned slightly.
"Is that a compliment or a threat?"
The room froze.
Because nobody talked to Lucien Vale like that.
Not and kept their job.
Silence stretched.
Then—
Lucien said, very calmly,
"Stay after the meeting. I will decide."
He turned and walked back to his seat.
No smile.
No explanation.
Just control.
Zara exhaled slowly.
Somewhere deep in her chest, irritation mixed with something she refused to name.
Because for reasons she did not understand…
The Ice CEO had just looked at her like she was something he wanted to study.
And Zara was suddenly very sure that staying after the meeting was a very bad idea.