The conference room was packed.

Cameras flashed like restless fireflies, their blinding bursts bouncing off crystal panels and polished marble floors. Reporters filled every row, murmuring over laptops and adjusting camera lenses, their eyes fixed on the gleaming podium at the front. There was electricity in the air—the kind that signaled something bigger than a routine corporate update.

Alexander had called the press to announce a long-anticipated international expansion. But everyone knew the headlines wouldn’t stop at economic forecasts. They were waiting for a glimpse of the man himself. And even more than that, for the woman at his side.

At exactly noon, Alexander entered.

He wore a dark navy...