<h4>Chapter 194: Chapter 194 Company Storm</h4>


    Author’s pov


    Just minutes ago, Sebastian moved through the kitchen with the focused ease of a man born tomand—even if the battlefield was a stovetop. My coffee, perfectly prepared, waited beside my te without a word being exchanged.


    Now?


    That softness vanished.


    His whole demeanor shifted--posture straightening, jaw locking, eyes sharpening into something that could cut straight through steel.


    Whatever warmth he’d worn like a second skin peeled away in an instant, reced by the kind of cold that made you hesitate before standing too close.


    His gaze flicked to the door.


    Whoever was on the other side was about to get frostbitten.


    "I’ll get it," he said, already moving across the apartment with the lethal grace of someone who didn’t knock twice.


    As he passed by, his handnded on her lower back in a gesture so casual, so proprietary, it made Cecilia’s breath catch.


    It wasn’t meant forfort. It was possession, in and simple.


    "Go get ready," he said over his shoulder. "I’ll handle this."


    She didn’t argue. Didn’t want to.


    "Fine. All yours." She turned on her heel and disappeared into the bedroom.


    They both knew who it probably was.


    Amara.


    She’d likely cornered Liam or Sawyer with some carefully crafted excuse, twisting their guilt just enough to get what she wanted.


    That was the thing about Amara--she didn’t need force. Just suggestion, and a very specific kind of sadness.


    Sebastian opened the door.


    And sure enough--there she was.


    Amara stood in the hallway, anxiety wrapped in designer clothing.


    Her eyes lit up for half a second--hopeful, too hopeful.


    But the second she saw who had opened the door, that flicker of hope crumpled like wet paper.


    Beside her stood Liam, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else.


    She’d been asking around all morning, trying to confirm where Sebastian had gone.


    Eventually, she’d insisted oning down herself, convinced she could fix things.


    Liam had given in, hoping maybe the truth--seeing Sebastian with someone else--would finally break her out of whatever spell she was under.


    "Sebastian," Amara said softly, forcing a smile so fragile it looked like it might snap in half.


    He didn’t return it.


    "Did you need something?"


    "I came to invite Cecilia to breakfast," she said, trying to soundposed. "There are some work matters I wanted to go over with her."


    Sebastian barely blinked. "She just woke up and doesn’t have time for breakfast with you.As for work--talk to whoever dragged you back here."


    And before she could form a reply, he shut the door.


    Firm. Final.


    Cecilia’s pov


    I finished washing up, brushing my teeth, changing clothes, and applying makeup before emerging from my bedroom.


    In the dining room, Sebastian was eating breakfast with deliberate slowness.


    No sign of anyone else in the apartment.


    I exhaled in relief.


    The whole situation had begun to feel like a never-ending, off-Broadway drama--matinees, evening performances, and exhausting improv sessions in between.


    I sat down to eat.


    Sebastian noticed I didn’t ask who hade by, focused entirely on my breakfast instead.


    He smiled slightly. "Our Secretary Moore is too non-confrontational."


    "Confrontational about what?" I hadn’t followed his train of thought.


    Sebastian looked directly at me. "About me."


    I froze for a second, then replied withplete sincerity,


    "...Alright, I’ll try harder to be confrontational. I’m actually quite good at it, really."


    Sebastian’s lips twitched. "You could try sounding a little less unconvincing. I promise not to call you out on it."


    I batted my eyshes innocently.


    Then, with perfect precision, I speared a piece of bacon from his te with my fork.


    Sebastian watched me take small, delicate bites, ignoring himpletely.


    He sighed in mock surrender. "You remain undefeated in the great bacon wars."


    I nudged my te toward him, offering thest bite on my fork.


    "Here’s a bit left for you."


    He stared at the morsel of bacon.


    Then, steadying my hand like it was the most natural thing in the world, he leaned in--not for the food, but for the corner of my mouth.


    "I’d rather have yours..."


    My eyes widened. This man is certifiable.


    And the certifiable are dangerous precisely because they don’t follow the script.


    He captured my chin, pried open my mouth, and stole the bacon I’d been chewing, savoring it with exaggerated satisfaction before pulling me onto hisp for more.


    The man really wasn’t concerned about his spine...


    I quickly stopped him after he’d finished the bacon and was clearly nning to devour me next.


    Work hours were approaching fast, and I refused to be the office’s cautionary tale--the Delh who brought down the kingdom with lipstick and a breakfast fork.


    --


    At thepany, I heard the news first thing from the chairman’s secretary--someone I’d cultivated an excellent rtionship with over time.


    She was the kind of woman who always knew tomorrow’s headlines before today’s coffee cooled.


    Amara would be temporarily assigned to work directly under the chairman.


    Meaning he’d personally oversee her.


    Iughed inwardly. Brilliant move.


    Putting her directly under Sebastian would’ve been like tossing a match into a gasoline-soaked boardroom.


    Clearly, the Alpha and Luna weren’t looking to start open warfare with their son.


    But assigning her to one of the lower departments--where Sebastian technically had oversight--would’ve been a waste of everyone’s time.


    The chairman’s direct supervision was the one ce Sebastian couldn’t touch. Off-limits, politically and personally.


    ssic power y. And tactful, too.


    No blood, no mess. Just strategy.


    Evidently, the ck family still favored Amara.


    Whether she seeded or not, she’d always have a chair at their table.


    Not long after I received this information, the chairman himself made the announcement during the morning meeting.


    You could practically hear the office gossipwork humming into overdrive.


    Everyone started stealing nces at Sebastian, hoping to catch a flicker of drama.


    After that, they turned their attention to me--subtle as a middle school cafeteria.


    Corporate curiosity was alive and well, and apparently I was the morning’s featured episode.


    Sebastian, to his credit, didn’t flinch.


    His whole face stayed nk--no satisfaction, no annoyance, nothing.


    Like his father had just appointed a stranger to a department he’d never heard of.


    I kept my gaze fixed on the screen in front of me, fingers poised over the keyboard.


    Let them dig. Let them run their little internal headlines.They’d find nothing.


    When it came to emotional control, I was a certified professional.


    Apart from my parents, I could face the apocalypse with a smile.


    That’s just who I was.