sion that permeated the space. Lorenzo stood at the head of the table, radiating authority in a way I hadn't seen in anyone before. The men who filled the chairs were sharp, powerful, t

tained. The room was thick with the low hum of conversations, business, alliances, and problems being solved with just a few words. It felt like watching a gam

t they wer

Lorenzo h

But no one dared ask, at least not yet. Not in front of him. The way they looked at me, curious, cold, calculating, told me that the

oment of seeming detachment. I'd seen him before, the mask of the untouchable CEO. But I knew better than anyone else that beneath the smooth exterior w

ne step ahead, and I was just anot

the sound of my name. He had barely acknowledged me up until now, and though his words seemed casual, there was an undercur

ving me a ch

es, sharp and unreadable, conveyed a simple truth: I was in his world now, whether I liked it or not. The men around the table b

lt suffocating, and yet I couldn't look away. The way they operated, the way they shifted in their

eak. No one here was stupid. These men played for keeps, a

rent. It felt like being in a room full of sharks who knew I was the bait but couldn't quite decide when to bite. Every now and then, a glance would flick

osture never shifted. He was in full control of everything here, even the air in th

e'll make sure the shipments are handled on time," Lorenzo said to one of the men. "The Bla

gesture, carried weight, and the men around the table responded accordingly. There were no questions, no interruptions-just quiet complian

hat I had just entered the world wh

scussions went on, and I tried to stay out of the way, but every now and then I could feel his gaze on me. It was subtle, a brief flicker of his eyes that no one else would hav

thought maybe I'd be able to leave.

w enough for only me to hear, but firm e

left the meeting room. The moment the door shut behind us, the air

casting shadows across his sharp featuresThere was a coldness to him that I couldn't

stions?" he asked, h

tart. I wanted to ask about the men in the room, about what they thought of me, what I was su

head inst

mind was racing, but I tried to keep it in check. The tension that ha

't you?" He didn't wait for an answer. "I d

t was a simple truth: I would either conform, or I wo

for this," I said, the words spi

is eyes. There was no warmth there, no compassion, just the quiet understanding that h

ing you need will be given to you." He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. "And if you don'

to take a step back, to put some distance between us, but I couldn't. His words, his pr

I didn't have the strength to defy him. Not yet. Not in this world where sil

idn't say anything else. I simply nod

mile, his expression unreadable. He turned on his heel and