The city had been drowning for three days. Rain painted every street black, washing neon signs into bleeding colors and turning glass skyscrapers into blurred shadows. But inside the headquarters of the Marcone Group, the storm outside was irrelevant. Here, everything gleamed. Marble stretched across the lobby like frozen water, polished until it reflected the heels of those who walked on it. Power lived in every corner, whispered in every deal, and lingered in every gaze.
Selena Kang Charlotte moved through it like she owned the storm itself. Her black heels struck a rhythm across the floor, sharp and deliberate, commanding attention without demanding it. Her suit clung sleekly, the cut clean and powerful, her dark hair swept back into a flawless twist. Every inch of her was crafted perfection: sharp, poised, untouchable.
Most saw ambition in her eyes. Some saw danger. Very few saw the truth—that beneath her polished mask, she was Marcone's most efficient weapon, an assassin bound not by choice but by oath and blood.
She passed a group of junior analysts clustered near the elevator. Their chatter cut off when her gaze brushed over them.
Analyst 1 (whispering): "That's her—Selena Kang. I heard she—"
Analyst 2 (hissing): "Shut up. Don't even finish that sentence if you like your job."
Selena didn't pause. She didn't need to. Fear was a better accessory than jewelry.
As she neared the executive wing, her steps slowed. Because he was there.
Adrian Zhao Wei.
He leaned against the glass wall like it was built for him, one hand holding a cup of coffee, his tie loosened just enough to look carelessly elegant. His reputation preceded him—charming, ruthless in the boardroom, the kind of man whose smile could make allies or enemies in equal measure.
But his eyes weren't smiling. They never did. They watched her with a patience that made her skin prickle, the way a predator studies prey… or another predator.
Their gazes collided in the hallway, silence buzzing louder than the rain against the glass. Employees walking by slowed, sensing the electricity, pretending not to listen.
Adrian (smoothly): "Running the empire again before breakfast, Selena?"
Selena (coolly): "Better than wasting time leaning against walls."
Adrian (grinning): "Touché. Some of us know how to enjoy life between victories."
Selena (arching a brow): "Victories? Is that what you call charming secretaries and sipping overpriced coffee?"
Adrian (chuckling): "No. That's what I call passing time until the board meeting. Victories happen inside that room."
Selena's heels slowed to a deliberate stop in front of him. Her perfume, dark and subtle, drifted between them like smoke.
Selena (low voice): "Then we'll see who wins today."
Adrian (leaning in slightly): "Oh, Selena… you already know I like when you make it a challenge."
Selena (coolly): "Only when someone makes it worth my time."
Adrian (mock wounded): "And here I thought my smile was enough."
Selena (smirking): "Your smile looks like it's rehearsed in the mirror. Try harder."
His laugh rolled through the hallway, low and smooth, making heads turn.
Adrian (playfully): "Careful. Keep insulting me like that, and I might start thinking you're interested."
Selena (eyes narrowing just slightly): "Don't flatter yourself. I don't waste bullets on harmless targets."
Adrian (grinning wider): "Then maybe I should aim to be dangerous."
The silence that followed stretched tight, humming with something unspoken—challenge, curiosity, attraction, maybe all three.
And then, with the kind of finality that only she could conjure, Selena pivoted and pushed open the boardroom doors. Her heels struck the marble like gunshots, echoing long after she was gone, leaving Adrian with nothing but the ghost of her perfume and the smirk tugging at his lips.
Adrian (to himself, murmuring): "Dangerous looks good on you, Selena."
The boardroom of Marcone Group was a cathedral of power. A long obsidian table stretched across the space, polished to a flawless sheen. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city below, the rain streaking down the glass like tears.
Selena entered first. She didn't glance at the executives already seated—men twice her age with twice her arrogance, women in silk suits sharp enough to cut glass. She didn't need their approval. She commanded it without asking.
Adrian followed moments later, sliding into his chair across from her. He didn't break eye contact as he sat, as though this meeting was nothing more than an elaborate stage for the two of them to spar.
The Chairman, an aging man with cold steel eyes, cleared his throat.
Chairman: "Let's begin. The quarterly review. Ms. Kang, Mr. Zhao—you're leading."
Selena rose smoothly, dropping a sleek folder onto the table.
Selena (cool, professional): "Marcone's reach in the Eastern district has expanded by nine percent. However, that growth is unstable—competitors are circling. If we don't neutralize them swiftly, we'll bleed resources within a year."
Her voice was crisp, her eyes sharper than the steel pens clicking around the table.
Adrian leaned back in his chair, one hand tapping the folder in front of him.
Adrian (smoothly): "Correction. Growth is unstable because certain strategies are too aggressive. We don't need to neutralize competitors—we need to absorb them. Partnerships, not executions."
Selena (coolly, arching a brow): "Absorb? With parasites, you don't merge. You eliminate."
Adrian (smirking): "Funny. I thought we were supposed to be visionaries, not butchers."
A ripple of whispers circled the table. Everyone watched them, fascinated and uneasy, like spectators at a duel.
Selena placed both hands on the table, leaning in just slightly, her voice dropping.
Selena: "Visionaries understand one thing, Adrian. Power isn't shared. It's taken."
For the first time, his smile faltered—not out of defeat, but out of intrigue.
Adrian (quietly, as if only for her): "And what happens when two people are trying to take it at the same time?"
The Chairman's gavel-like voice cut through the charged silence.
Chairman: "Enough philosophy. What's your recommendation, Ms. Kang?"
Selena didn't blink.
Selena: "Strike first. Take their assets. Leave nothing behind that can threaten Marcone."
The Chairman turned to Adrian.
Chairman: "And yours, Mr. Zhao?"
Adrian's eyes lingered on Selena for a long, deliberate moment before he answered.
Adrian (smoothly): "Charm them. Pull them into our orbit. Let them think they're partners, until they're too entangled to escape. Then… Marcone owns them anyway."
Two visions of power. Two weapons with the same target. And the board knew it.
The Chairman leaned back, studying them both.
Chairman: "Interesting. Two predators, two methods. I'll consider both."
Selena sat, unbothered. Adrian reclined, satisfied. But beneath the table, their legs brushed for the briefest second—an accident, or maybe not.
Selena didn't flinch. Neither did he. But both felt the static hum of it, as undeniable as the storm outside.
The meeting ended with the sharp clap of the Chairman's folder closing. Executives murmured among themselves, scribbling notes, already debating which vision of power Marcone should follow.
Selena gathered her documents with practiced calm. Her face was unreadable, her hands steady, as though nothing about Adrian's little performance had gotten under her skin. But inside, she could still feel the echo of his words, the way his gaze had burned through her composure.
Adrian, on the other hand, moved like he owned the room. He leaned back in his chair until the last possible moment, offering a lazy smile to anyone who dared meet his eyes. Finally, he rose, deliberately timing his steps so that he fell into stride just behind Selena as she left the boardroom.
The hallway stretched long, quiet, lined with glass offices. The storm outside had worsened, lightning flashing against the skyline. Selena's heels clicked against the marble, sharp and rhythmic. Adrian's footsteps followed, slower, heavier, like a shadow that refused to fall away.
She stopped at the corner, pivoting with a speed that startled even him.
Selena (coolly): "If you plan on following me, Zhao, at least try not to look obvious about it."
Adrian (grinning): "Obvious? I'd call it considerate. Can't have Marcone's star strategist walking the halls alone, can we?"
Selena (smirking): "I've been walking them alone for years. And I've survived just fine."
Adrian (leaning closer, voice low): "Survived, yes. But did you enjoy it?"
The words hung heavy, intimate, charged. Selena's jaw tightened, but her eyes betrayed the flicker of amusement.
Selena (coolly): "Enjoyment isn't part of the job description."
Adrian (soft laugh): "That's because you're doing it wrong."
She stepped past him, refusing to give ground, but his hand brushed against her arm as she moved by—a light, deliberate touch that lingered just a second too long.
Selena stopped. Slowly, she turned her head to meet his gaze.
Selena (warningly): "Careful, Adrian. Some touches feel like daggers."
Adrian (smoldering): "And some daggers feel like touches."
Lightning flashed through the glass beside them, illuminating his face. For that instant, he wasn't the charming executive Marcone praised. He was something sharper, darker. A man who had killed before, and who could again.
Selena's pulse quickened—but not from fear.
Selena (low, dangerous): "Flirting with fire usually ends in ashes."
Adrian (smiling, voice dropping): "Then maybe I want to burn."
The silence that followed was louder than thunder. Employees passing through the hallway didn't dare interrupt, though their eyes darted curiously toward the pair.
Selena finally stepped back, reclaiming the space between them, her lips curving into the faintest of smirks.
Selena: "Then I hope you've written your will."
And with that, she turned, walking away with the kind of deliberate grace that left him both infuriated and intrigued.
Adrian watched her until she disappeared around the corner, his smirk curling wider.
Adrian (to himself, murmuring): "Dangerous… but worth every scar."
The elevator chimed softly, the mirrored doors sliding open with a metallic hiss. Selena Kang Charlotte stepped in, heels clicking against the polished floor. She pressed the button for the top floor, arms crossed, posture sleek as ever.
A moment later, Adrian Zhao Wei slipped inside just before the doors shut. His smirk was already in place, that infuriatingly confident curve of his lips.
Adrian (smirking): "Looks like we're headed in the same direction."Selena (coolly, without turning): "Unfortunately."Adrian (mock hurt): "Ouch. And here I thought we were bonding today."Selena (dryly): "You mistake sparring for bonding. Easy mistake to make, I suppose."Adrian (leaning closer, lowering his voice): "Then tell me, Selena… when does the sparring stop?"Selena (turning her head, eyes like glass): "When one of us bleeds."
The elevator stopped. The silence hung like a blade between them. Neither moved.
Finally, Adrian chuckled softly, breaking the tension but not easing it.Adrian (with a grin): "Then I'll make sure it isn't me."
Selena stepped out first, her perfume lingering faintly in the air like smoke after a gunshot. She didn't look back, but her voice carried, sharp and final.
Selena (coolly): "We'll see about that."
The doors closed between them with a decisive clang, leaving Adrian standing alone, his smile fading just slightly as his eyes hardened.
🔥 End of Chapter One.