The hum of early morning filtered through the mansion like a quiet symphony. Sunlight crept across the floor of the library, dancing softly on the edges of documents Nina had yet to finish. She was already seated at the long mahogany table, Sebastian's files spread before her, a notepad filled with scribbles, questions, and ideas resting beside a half-empty cup of black coffee.
She didn't hear Sebastian approach until his hand brushed lightly against her shoulder.
"You've been up for hours," he said, his voice still thick with sleep. "Again."
"I wanted to finish going through the merger documents," she replied, eyes scanning the final page of a dense proposal. "You said these three companies are fighting for your investment, right?"
He stepped around and took the seat across from her, a curious smile forming on his lips. "Yes. The tech startup is led by a former employee of mine. The fashion label is drowning in silent debt. And the third… they look good on paper, but there's something off about them."
Nina folded her arms, leaning slightly over the table. "Then it's the first one you should watch. Former employees have reasons to impress—and reasons to sabotage."
Sebastian's brows lifted slightly. "That's exactly what I told Damon yesterday."
She grinned. "See? I'm learning."
"No," he said, reaching over to run a thumb gently over her cheek. "You're becoming dangerous. Beautiful and sharp. A combination that makes men nervous."
"Good. They should be."
There was pride in his eyes as he looked at her, but also something else—concern. "This pace… the pressure. You don't have to prove anything to me, Nina."
"I'm not doing it to prove something to you," she said. "I'm doing it because I want to build something with you. I don't want to be the wife who just shows up for photos. I want to be a partner."
He leaned back in his chair, arms folding across his chest as he studied her with unguarded interest. "Then let's test that, partner. Come to the next board meeting with me."
Her heart skipped. "They'll eat me alive."
"Not if you're prepared. And not if you sit beside me like you already belong there."
"I'm not just a seat filler?"
"You're the only one I trust in that room."
She inhaled deeply. "When?"
"Tomorrow morning."
Nina nodded slowly, her fingers tightening around her pen. The fear was there, but it was tempered by resolve. If she was going to survive in Sebastian's world, she couldn't do it halfway.
That evening, they stayed in. The dining room was quiet, the clink of silverware punctuating the silence between them. It wasn't uncomfortable—just thoughtful. They were each turning over the weight of what tomorrow meant.
Nina glanced at him as he cut into his steak. "Do you ever think about what would have happened if we'd never met again after the hotel incident?"
His hands stilled. "All the time."
"And?"
"I wouldn't be this man. I'd still be cold, functional, and empty."
"Maybe that man was safer."
"Safer," he said quietly, "but not alive."
Nina reached across the table, her fingers wrapping around his. "Then I'm glad I ruined your life."
He chuckled softly, the sound low and rare. "You didn't ruin it. You rewrote it."
That night, she struggled to sleep. Her thoughts kept circling the board meeting, her heartbeat echoing every possible mistake. What if she misread the financials? What if they dismissed her outright? She turned in bed, but Sebastian's arm slid around her waist, pulling her closer.
"Can't sleep?" he murmured.
"No."
He pressed a kiss behind her ear. "Then let's not sleep. Let's talk."
"About what?"
"About the first thing you'll say tomorrow when they try to silence you."
Nina rolled onto her back, looking at him in the dim light. "What if they ignore me?"
"They won't. But if they try, say this: 'Silence doesn't make me invisible. It makes me louder inside.' And then speak like they already respect you. Because if you wait for permission, you'll never get it."
The next morning, Nina dressed deliberately. A fitted navy-blue dress that struck the balance between elegance and authority, her hair in a sleek bun, minimal makeup with bold lipstick. When she stepped into the foyer, Sebastian was already waiting in his tailored charcoal suit, his eyes sweeping over her slowly.
"You look like a CEO's nightmare," he said.
"Good. That means I'm ready."
The boardroom was on the top floor of Blackwell Towers. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city skyline. Twelve seats encircled a long black glass table. Men in tailored suits and sharp eyes filled the room as Sebastian and Nina entered.
There was a shift—subtle but real. She felt the weight of their gazes, the measured surprise at her presence.
Sebastian didn't explain. He simply pulled out a chair beside him for her, then took his own.
The meeting began. The CFO gave a dry update on quarterly performance. One of the division heads discussed projections. But then came the merger discussion.
"Before we move on," Nina said clearly, lifting her chin, "I'd like to address the board regarding the three companies under consideration."
A few brows raised. One man actually smirked.
Sebastian simply nodded. "Go ahead."
She stood, her heart pounding beneath her ribs.
"Company A is a startup with innovation but lacks infrastructure. Company B has branding power but is financially unstable. Company C looks ideal on paper, but there are inconsistencies in their vendor contracts, and three of their board members have ties to a competing firm. If we proceed with Company C, we risk exposing our data and strategy to the competition."
The room went quiet.
The CFO looked down at his tablet. "She's right," he murmured. "I missed that."
Sebastian smiled faintly. "You won't miss it again."
When the meeting ended, no one dared question Nina's place at the table.
Back in the elevator, she exhaled, her knees only now beginning to shake.
"You were brilliant," Sebastian said.
"I was terrified."
"And you did it anyway."
She turned to him, her voice softer now. "I don't want to lose myself in this world."
"You won't," he said. "I won't let you."
But as the elevator doors opened to the lobby and flashbulbs from waiting reporters flared in their faces, Nina realized that the fight wasn't over. It was just beginning.