Smug self-complacency was what Nadia felt when she pushed open the conference room doors exactly twelve seconds before the stated time and found it free of Dylan VanAssche. She had managed to beat the clock, despite the swarm of employees returning from their lunch break, who had unknowingly tried to jeopardise her mission by obstructing her journey.

Nadia walked inside with a spring in her step, owing to her recent accomplishment. The few occupants of the room did not express any notice of the addition of the new member. Nadia was glad for the lack of attention. She had already received a week's worth of it in the cafeteria.

Dylan's assistant, Elyse, was at one corner of the room, preparing refreshments for the meeting. A group of people—seemingly technicians—was clustered near the digital screen that covered half of the wall. The only occupied seats at the giant U-shaped conference table were by a red-haired woman and her companion. The woman's head was tipped down as she worked on her files, while the man sitting to her right—with a darker shade of copper hair—had his legs crossed on the table, his eyes closed.

The head chair at the centre was empty, which Nadia figured was going to be Dylan's self-acclaimed throne. She counted six chairs to its left, before dropping the count and sitting at the farthest end.

Being an employee—a dedicated one at that, as she liked to call herself—Nadia could not challenge Dylan's authority. That would be an excellent way to lose her job. But by no means does it imply that she could not search for loopholes. She could, by all means, sieve his orders like weathered sand and search for the brightly coloured shells of ambiguity hidden beneath them. She could not decline to be a part of the meeting, she could not be late to it, and she could not disobey his summons, but the 12-chair distance in between would be her symbol of defiance to his dictatorship.

Nadia placed her files on the table and looked around, trying to gather intel. She had never attended a meeting unprepared. Whether it was a knack to gather information or gain credibility, she wasn't sure. But her habit of deep research was a coat of armour and she felt defenceless sitting without it in a conference that was apparently quite important.

The set-up for the presentation was completed and the group came around the table to take their seats—except the presenter, who stayed behind. On close observation, Nadia noticed the ID cards around their necks were different to hers. She narrowed her eyes, but with the distance, it was hard to read their company's name. Barely a second later that thought, the screen lit up, displaying it in huge block letters—Wallace Technologies. Nadia rolled the name on her tongue. It sounded familiar. It looked familiar. With a little push to her memory, she recalled it was the business magazines and the internet that she knew it from. As reported by tabloids, they were closely associated with Dylan's company, but that was all she could remember about the firm.

"Jesus Christ! It's been fifteen minutes," Nadia heard the copper-haired non-dozer groan as he opened his eyes and pulled his feet off the table, "where the fuck is Dylan?"

It appeared it was a rhetorical question because though glances were shared among the employees, no one was keen to reply.

"Does your boss not want to have this deal?" The man threw an angry look at Elyse, who was setting refreshments on the table.

"He certainly does, Mr Wallace," she replied politely.

"Then he should learn to value others' time. You know I had eight different companies who wanted to sign a deal with me, but I decided to give this one a chance? I'm doing you a favour here and this is how your boss treats me?" He cocked his round head to a side, a pair of furious eyes glared at Elyse, as if she was the one holding Dylan back.

"If it wasn't for my sister here wanting to work with your company again," he continued, throwing a hand to point at the redhead beside him, "you were never going to get this deal. Not even if Dylan came begging after me to sign it."

Every person sitting at the table looked embarrassed by the declaration, including the said sister who rolled her eyes but said nothing. Though the man's tone was threatening, Nadia was far from being intimidated. She had had her fair share of arrogant office bosses to differentiate a commanding one from a bullying one. Anderson, at her previous firm, had been the former and she had respected him for that. Wallace, with his big head sitting on top of a lean frame and a red moustache that comically danced above his lips every time he opened his mouth, was a bully. And even though she should be glad to finally have an ally in her hating Dylan campaign, she was straight up offended on his behalf.

"Mr VanAssche was held back by your father to have a conversation, Mr Wallace. They will be here soon," Elyse informed.

"He better be."

The man's arrogance made Nadia scoff.

Soon was sooner as moments later the doors behind her opened and Dylan stepped inside. His entrance reverberated through the room as every man and woman rose from their seats to welcome him. To Nadia's surprise, the hot-headed Wallace was the first to act.

Dylan was closely followed by Mr Markus Vaughn and Wallace senior, an old man with a respectable aura and an intimidating presence—unlike his son. Nadia glanced at Dylan; he was yet to notice her. Since he would have to pass by her to get to the head chair, Nadia turned away to her files and lowered her head to be inconspicuous. All of a sudden, selecting the farthest end of the table felt like a foolish choice.

"Please, everyone, sit down." She heard the familiar booming voice resonate through the room. Surprisingly, instead of the voice fading away as it should be if he was passing by her, it appeared to be coming closer.

Nadia took a sharp intake of breath when Dylan's hand brushed past her arm to grab her files. She froze as the smoky scent of his cologne filled her nostrils, intoxicating her. For the briefest moment, she could feel the heat of his body soaking into her back, and then it was all gone. So were her files.

She was—quite literally—snapped out of her daze by the sharp sound of the files hitting the table—to the immediate left of the head chair. He was not looking at her; he had already settled in his chair and was skimming through the papers that Elyse had presented to him, but Nadia understood it was her cue to move. With the ever-increasing grudge and an arm that felt like it was on fire, she walked across the room and plopped down in the chair beside him.

So much for the symbol of defiance.

Greetings were exchanged between Mr Vaughn and the Wallace siblings leading her to finally put names to their faces: Cathy and James. Though there were constant attempts, especially by the grumpy James Wallace, to vie for his attention, Dylan reserved it for the papers he was reading, troubling himself with a word or two only when necessary.

Nadia had heard, among many other things, of his indifference and callousness. It was something that—as many put it—made him intimidating and at times terrifying. Remembering all the snarky remarks and unnecessary taunts he always showered her with, she had disregarded it as rumours. Now experiencing it first hand, Nadia had to admit she was envious of everyone who got to live a sunny life clear of the grey clouds caused by his attention.

The presentation was given the green light as soon as the pleasantries ended. Dylan leaned back in the chair, his hazel eyes reflecting the bright screen like golden beads in warm sunshine. Trying to be as subtle as she could, Nadia rubbed her arm, annoyed by the tingly feeling that refused to go away. The instant he noticed her, she pulled her hand back and straightened in her chair.

"Do I need to take notes?" Nadia asked conversationally, hoping to be ignored. But as luck would have it...

"You don't seem to be carrying the essentials for note-taking."

"I'll figure out a way," Nadia whispered, aware of the lack of a pen or paper.

"No need," came the curt reply.

"Then what do I do?"

"Not talk."

Nadia pressed her lips together and turned to the screen. Still unaware of her role in the meeting, she banked on the presentation for answers.

It was a demonstration of a prototype of a new password manager application currently under development at Wallace Technologies. The first test run, according to the presenter, had been a success and they were working on improving the design after customer input. Though the designs were impressive for a prototype, Nadia could think of several ideas to enhance it further.

When tablets with the app design were placed before them, Nadia had to resist the urge to grab hers until the presenter asked them to. It was remarkable how real the prototype felt under her fingertips. She scrolled through it, pressing and testing every little option, noting the finest details, and owing to habit, within minutes was already planning modifications.

The prototype needed developers to create the application. Though Wallace Technologies must already have a bunch of developers on standby, none of them was going to get full access to the project. With all the private and professional data and sensitive information the application was going to hold, they were going to require a strong security shield to protect it from cyber threats. And what better way to get it done than go to the company that does it best?

After a series of questions directed by Dylan to the presenter, that resolved a lot of queries that had occurred in her own mind, the presentation was concluded. The technical team was then dismissed and the conversation escalated to the managerial aspects of the collaboration. Nadia pondered whether she was expected to leave as well.

"The way I see it, you're looking for a value chain partnership with this project?" Markus asked the redhead, who took a sip from her cup and cleared her throat before answering.

"For now? Yes. But once the merger between our companies is finalised, we won't need the formalities."

"I already had a conversation about the merger with your father earlier. Skip over it and focus on the application for now," Dylan said. Unlike other times, his voice was cold, commanding authority.

Cathy looked vexed at the sharp interjection, but not surprised. Mr Wallace didn't back the statement nor did he contradict it.

As Nadia saw the last of the technical members finish taking down the presentation and preparing to leave, she decided it was in her best interest to follow suit.

Dylan's calloused fingers came to casually rest over her files before she could move her hands forward to collect them. Nadia gave him a meaningful glance which he didn't return. He knew she would not leave her precious files in his custody.

"You finally agreed to the merger, Mr VanAssche?" asked James Wallace. Dylan hadn't spared him a look till now. Nadia was glad; he deserved it.

"Whether we have a merger or not, it should be the least of your concern, James," it was Markus who gave him the reply.

"Cathy may be leading the company, but it's me who looks after the management in the firm, Vaughn. Including managing this project and the future merger. So it does concern me."

"Then you must be aware that management is, in fact, the weakest link of your company."

"We're not here to discuss how you think I should run my business," James shifted in his seat. He was trying to appear confident and indifferent to Markus' claims. But he was not.

"Neither are we here to listen to you beg for a merger," Markus remarked. James did not reply.

"You refused the merger again, didn't you?" Cathy asked Dylan, exhaling a deep, frustrated sigh.

"I never hinted at agreeing to it," Dylan said. His face was unreadable, his long fingers tapped over the files rhythmically, and to others' distress, his voice was as chilly as the sea breeze.

"This merger is going to be the most profitable decision we make for both of our companies," Cathy explained. She gave an exasperated shake of her head when her father tried to interrupt. "We have been friends for so long. We have collaborated on numerous projects and none of them was anything short of a giant success. We are going to have a joint venture again with the development of this application. I don't understand why you can't see the possibilities that will open for our companies in the future if only you agree to the freakin' merger."

Her persistence with which she had started soon morphed into desperation, conveying this wasn't the first time she was trying to persuade him for it. And technically, she was right.

From what Nadia could remember reading about their company and from everything that she had gathered during the presentation, a merger would lead to greater profits and grant them ease of working together. But it was not as simple as that. And though Nadia could think of hundreds of difficulties that would arise during the process, she was certain that none of them would come even close to presenting a serious threat to Dylan. So his refusal of the merger was not quantitative as Cathy thought it was. It was qualitative and Nadia wondered what it was that prompted Dylan to disregard it so nonchalantly.

"I don't owe you a reason, Cathy. Don't expect me to give you one. The merger is off the table and that's all you need to know," Dylan said with a certain finality, ending the argument for good. For a brief moment, the room fell silent.

James opened his mouth to speak but was stopped by Mr Wallace. "Let's focus on this deal for now."

"That's what we've been trying to do since the start, Raymond," Markus commented, shaking his head with disappointment.

"Merger or not. I'm truly looking forward to working on this project with you, Dylan," Mr Wallace said. There was something in the way he said it that made it feel more like a professional courtesy than genuine interest.

"So am I, Raymond," Dylan nodded, taking his hand off Nadia's files, giving her a moment of hope, only to confiscate them further. "So am I."

"Then I believe we have a deal."

"Only if you agree to let go of any strategic partnership and sign it as a client."

Raymond threw his head back and laughed, "now you're just yanking my chain, boy."

Dylan didn't respond. His eyes were trained on Mr Wallace, devoid of humour, waiting for him to realise it was not going to be a negotiation.

"As a client? It sounds ridiculous. Why would you even propose that to me?"

"Not a proposal. That's a contingency you need to fulfil if you want the deal."

"Look, Dylan," Raymond said, letting go of the friendly dialogue and getting down to business. "I get you're hesitant about the merger, but we've been collaborating on projects for over a decade. Pooling our resources is the easiest way to do it. Working as a client will not only increase the cost of production threefold but will also lead to a trust deficit between our companies. I still don't know why you don't want a strategic partnership when that's how we've been working all this time, but there is no way in Satan's burning hell that you'll be able to convince me to accept your terms."

"In that case, I recommend you start looking for alternatives to secure your app," Dylan stated.

By the appalled look on Mr Wallace's face, it appeared he had expected a discussion or at least a debate, hoping to end in a compromise on both ends. As it happens, Nadia had too.

"You're not making sense, Dylan," said Cathy, equally baffled. Nadia nodded in agreement, too invested to be conscious.

"You're not even going to explain yourself, are you?" Raymond asked.

"For the sake of old times, I'll let you have another shot. When you change your decision, send the documents to my office," Dylan stood up, signalling the end of the deal.

Nadia furrowed her brows when no one dared to challenge his arrogance. As much as she knew she should not be assessing Dylan's decision with the tiny bits of information she had about business deals and as satisfied as she was to see James fuming in anger, Nadia could not help but empathise with the other two Wallaces. She had been in their shoes too often to not relate.

When Dylan headed towards the door, Nadia had to follow. He still had her files with him. Files that had started to feel like a leash.

"We don't need another shot. You can go fu-" James had only started to speak when Dylan interrupted.

"You may see yourself out," he said, a threat floating under the calmness of his voice, as he held the door open for Nadia to step outside the conference room.

"And I advise you to do that rather quickly, James," she heard Markus say as the doors closed behind her.