Vespera snapped back to her senses and ful


    Ito look at Denninic, wh.


    s from her. Her face flushed an she met his pare


    His sharp eyes pieterd through her like a sword. It felt as if she had been stallied midair and flungstraight into a pot of boiling oil. She waited nothing more than to bury hersett


    "I''m sorry, I won''t do that again." She lowered her heal


    "Let''s hope so."


    He threw out those cold words and retracted his gare. She was embarrassed. Sinting across from her, Gerard felt slightly awkward.


    He didn''t understand why Dominic was in such a foul mood Vespera had only been a little distracted, and changes, and it wasn''t easy to put everything behind her so quickly


    sn''t that big of a deal. She had just gone through major lide


    acting an online meeting.


    After a while, the flight attendast cleared away their breakfast and served coffee. Domine rested for only ten minutes before starting an Hewas either in a meeting, on acall, or reviewing documents for the next five hours. Gerard stayed on standby, sending him the documents he needed via email. If something required immediate attention, he reported it verbally


    n at the office.


    Once this round of meetings and calls ended, another begm. Despite being on a ne, they were just as busy as they would have been Noticing that Gerard was finally free, Vespera called him to the back of the cabin to ask about the work arrangements for this business trip. She needed to get up to speed as soon as possible to match Dominic''s work tempo.


    He sent her the schedule for the next few days. The trip was in Seloria, primarily for an inspection of the branch office. Aside from that, they had meetings with the lood permament and key business partners.


    "This is only our first stop. Over the next six months, we''ll be inspecting all branch offices worldwide," he said in a hushed tone


    "Olur." She nodded in understanding


    Dominic had only recently returned to take over as president. Establishing a firm reputation was a smart move. Even as the heir, there were bound to be people questioning his management skills.


    A strong track record, a firm stance, and an internal cleanup were necessary. As they say, with a new kinges a new court, Some were bound to be disloyal


    "Is there a specific reason Seloria was chosen as the first stop?" she asked curiously.


    She had spent some time researching the Tavian Group. It was a ssic family business, with wealth umted over ten generations. It had started as a moneylend organization before evolving into a private bank,


    In the "gos, they expanded into real estate,ter branching into renewable energy, entertainment, and the inte. The inte sector alone had six publicly listedpanies


    The Sria branch specialized in renewable energy. Compared to other branches worldwide, it didn''t stand out much. She couldn''t quite understand why Dominic had chosen toe there first.


    "Well, no specific reason. It''s closer," he answered after a slight pause.


    She didn''t know how to respond. It sounded like a joke. For a man who owned a Gulfstream G650, there was nowhere he couldn''t fly to-except the moon.


    Gerard started telling her about the job arrangements for the next few days while quietlyining.


    "Back in Ameridia, I could handle everything on my own. But now that we''re back at headquarters, It''s been so busy I wish I could split myself in two.


    "Mr. Reid is ridiculously picky. Even Mr. Chandler, his butler, has also bem doubling as his secretary. But now that you''re here, we can finallycatch our breaths."


    She smiled lightly, a faint dimple appearing at the corner of her lips. Since he stood so close, he couldn''t help but be momentarily dazzled by her beauty.


    He finally understood that true beauty shines through, whether in simplicity or splendor. With lighmakeup, she looked ethereal. But with full makeup, she became a bewitching


    "Gerard, why don''t you go get some popcorn from Mia?" Dominic''s detached voice came from behind them. M was his personal flight attendant.


    He stood with onearth crossed over his chest, a document in his other hand. Behind his sses was an aloof gaze.


    "Popcorn? Do you want some? Gerard asked, confused. To his knowledge, he never had a habit of eating po.


    Dominic put down his documents, nced down, and leaned against the cabin wall.


    "Well, your conversation seems to be going pretty well. Ifigured some popcorn would suit the asion."


    Gerard and Vespera were dumbfounded by his sudden remark Dominic certainly had a nuanced way of delivering reprimands.